Case Study

Replace this Line with the Title of Your Essay

Your Name Goes Here

American Public University System

Replace this Line with the Title of Your Essay

Start your introductory paragraph(s) here (i.e., delete all of my paragraphs of instruction after reading through them, and replace them with your own paragraphs for your essay). Leave the font for your essay on Arial 10, double-spaced (except for the reference page, which is single spaced). Leave the margins at 1 inch. Leave page numbering set to automatically number each page of the body of your essay in the upper-right corner of the page (the title page and reference page should not be numbered). The body of your essay should be 7-8 pages long (minimum of 3000 words), not including your title page and reference page. You must include a minimum of 10 references (i.e., at least 2 references per technology that you write about); however, you may include more references if you like.

Write free flowing text (allow your writing to automatically wrap around to the next line as you type – do not hit Enter at the end of each line within a paragraph). Organize your essay into paragraphs within each section, but make sure all writing is in prose paragraphs (full sentences and complete paragraphs). Do not use lists in your essay and do not write in bullet statements. The only indentations you should have in your essay is one tab at the start of each paragraph, just like I have modeled for you in the way I have written these instructions. Do not put blank lines between paragraphs and do not put blank lines before or after section headings and sub-headings. You may include images or tables in your essay, if you deem them appropriate, but they do not count toward the 7-8 pages of body text that you are required to write, so adjust the length of your essay accordingly to compensate for space taken up by the images and/or tables.

You should customize the title page by replacing the first two lines of text with your essay’s title and your name, respectively. You should also replace the heading at the top of this page with your essay’s title. You should also customize all of the sub-headings below, except for the “Self-Driving Automobile,” “Conclusion,” and “References” sub-headings. Everyone will analyze Google’s self-driving automobile. However, replace the “Name of Your Second Technology,” “Name of Your Third Technology,” “Name of Your Fourth Technology,” and “Name of Your Fifth Technology” sub-headings with the actual names of the other four technologies you will analyze. Do not add any additional sub-headings to your essay, since only your analysis of five technologies will be graded.

Write in your own words and remember that your similarity rating must be 5% or less. Try to paraphrase and explain information you learn from your sources in your own words, rather than quoting from your sources. Your reference page does not count towards your 5% allowable similarity. To check this, after your TurnItIn report is generated, there should be a filter you can click on in the report that will bring up the option to “Exclude Bibliography.” After selecting this option, your adjusted similarity rating needs to be 5% or less. I will select “Exclude Bibliography” on all essays before grading them, to adjust the actual similarity rating in your essay and confirm it is no more than 5%.

Your introductory paragraph(s) should provide a brief overview of the Google technologies you will discuss in your essay. You may also briefly talk about how Google’s research and development efforts fit into their vision and mission as a company. However, DO NOT give me a detailed history of Google as a company – remember this essay is an analysis of five specific technologies – it is not an essay about Google as a company. You can assume your reader is already familiar with Google as a company. Also, try not to be overly redundant in your introduction with what you have written (or will write) in the main sections in the body of this essay. Rather, give the reader an overview and whet their appetite to learn more about the specific Google technologies that you will be covering in this essay.

Self-Driving Automobile

Everyone will analyze the self-driving automobile as their first technology. Conduct research on this technology and then write a minimum of 500 words about this technology, addressing the following: 1) a description of the technology, 2) challenges that Google could face in implementing this technology, 3) suggestions for overcoming some of the potential challenges and obstacles, and 4) an analysis of the potential positive and negative impacts of this technology on society. Make sure you address all four of these areas in your analysis.

When analyzing this technology, be sure to consider whether this technology has any potential environmental impacts (positive or negative). If there are any environmental concerns related to this technology, discuss what steps could be taken to address the concerns. Also consider whether there are any security and/or privacy concerns related to this technology. Identify any specific resources, methods, or approaches that could help make this technology, and the individuals and firms using this technology, more secure. Also, consider the impact this technology will have on managers in the future. Since we are studying management information systems in this course, discuss the types of information systems managers will likely need to use in the future in relation to this technology. For example, with the self-driving automobiles, managers of trucking companies will likely not have to manage drivers anymore, once truck drivers are replaced with self-driven trucks. Instead, managers will likely use information systems that allow them to schedule the dispatch and routing of trucks to transport goods, as well as to coordinate with warehouse managers and retail managers who will have to schedule their staff meet the trucks at the other end of their journey to unload the goods. This is just one example of a way that self-driving automobiles could impact managers in the future. Please come up with examples of your own in your essay.

In addition to other sources that you find in your research into this technology, make sure that you read “The Moral Case for Self-Driving Cars” (http://reason.com/archives/2014/07/28/the-moral-case-for-self-drivin/print). In light of everything you learn about this technology both from this article and from your own additional research, discuss your reaction to the author’s final statement: “People a generation hence will marvel at the carnage we inflicted as we hurtled down highways relying on just our own reflexes to keep us safe” (Baily, 2014, para. 19). Bailey also states:

More than 90 percent of all traffic accidents are the result of human error. In 2011, there were 5.3 million automobile crashes in the United States, resulting in more than 2.2 million injuries and 32,000 deaths. Americans spend $230 billion annually to cover the costs of accidents, accounting for approximately 2 to 3 percent of GDP.

Given these facts, do you believe there is a moral imperative to eventually replace all human-driven cars with safer computer-driven cars? Why or why not? Be sure to answer this as part of your analysis.

Name of Your Second Technology

Replace “Name of Your Second Technology” in the above sub-heading with the actual name of the Google technology you will be writing about in this section. This section must be a minimum of 500 words and must include: 1) a description of the technology, 2) challenges that Google could face in implementing this technology, 3) suggestions for overcoming some of the potential challenges and obstacles, and 4) an analysis of the potential positive and negative impacts of this technology on society. Make sure you address all four of these areas in your analysis. When analyzing this technology, be sure to consider whether this technology has any potential environmental impacts (positive or negative). If there are any environmental concerns related to this technology, discuss what steps could be taken to address the concerns. Also consider whether there are any security and/or privacy concerns related to this technology. Identify any specific resources, methods, or approaches that could help make this technology, and the individuals and firms using this technology, more secure. In additional to addressing practical challenges and potential impacts, be sure to discuss ethical and moral challenges and potential impacts of this technology, just like in my example above of the potential moral and ethical impacts of the self-driving automobile. Also, consider the impact this technology will have on managers in the future. Since we are studying management information systems in this course, discuss the types of information systems managers will likely need to use in the future in relation to this technology. Refer back to the section on self-driving automobiles for an example of such an impact, and then think of some potential impacts for the technology you are writing about in this section.

Name of Your Third Technology

Replace “Name of Your Third Technology” in the above sub-heading with the actual name of the Google technology you will be writing about in this section. This section must be a minimum of 500 words and must include: 1) a description of the technology, 2) challenges that Google could face in implementing this technology, 3) suggestions for overcoming some of the potential challenges and obstacles, and 4) an analysis of the potential positive and negative impacts of this technology on society. Make sure you address all four of these areas in your analysis. When analyzing this technology, be sure to consider whether this technology has any potential environmental impacts (positive or negative). If there are any environmental concerns related to this technology, discuss what steps could be taken to address the concerns. Also consider whether there are any security and/or privacy concerns related to this technology. Identify any specific resources, methods, or approaches that could help make this technology, and the individuals and firms using this technology, more secure. In additional to addressing practical challenges and potential impacts, be sure to discuss ethical and moral challenges and potential impacts of this technology, just like in my example above of the potential moral and ethical impacts of the self-driving automobile. Also, consider the impact this technology will have on managers in the future. Since we are studying management information systems in this course, discuss the types of information systems managers will likely need to use in the future in relation to this technology. Refer back to the section on self-driving automobiles for an example of such an impact, and then think of some potential impacts for the technology you are writing about in this section.

Name of Your Fourth Technology

Replace “Name of Your Fourth Technology” in the above sub-heading with the actual name of the Google technology you will be writing about in this section. This section must be a minimum of 500 words and must include: 1) a description of the technology, 2) challenges that Google could face in implementing this technology, 3) suggestions for overcoming some of the potential challenges and obstacles, and 4) an analysis of the potential positive and negative impacts of this technology on society. Make sure you address all four of these areas in your analysis. When analyzing this technology, be sure to consider whether this technology has any potential environmental impacts (positive or negative). If there are any environmental concerns related to this technology, discuss what steps could be taken to address the concerns. Also consider whether there are any security and/or privacy concerns related to this technology. Identify any specific resources, methods, or approaches that could help make this technology, and the individuals and firms using this technology, more secure. In additional to addressing practical challenges and potential impacts, be sure to discuss ethical and moral challenges and potential impacts of this technology, just like in my example above of the potential moral and ethical impacts of the self-driving automobile. Also, consider the impact this technology will have on managers in the future. Since we are studying management information systems in this course, discuss the types of information systems managers will likely need to use in the future in relation to this technology. Refer back to the section on self-driving automobiles for an example of such an impact, and then think of some potential impacts for the technology you are writing about in this section.

Name of Your Fifth Technology

Replace “Name of Your Fifth Technology” in the above sub-heading with the actual name of the Google technology you will be writing about in this section. This section must be a minimum of 500 words and must include: 1) a description of the technology, 2) challenges that Google could face in implementing this technology, 3) suggestions for overcoming some of the potential challenges and obstacles, and 4) an analysis of the potential positive and negative impacts of this technology on society. Make sure you address all four of these areas in your analysis. When analyzing this technology, be sure to consider whether this technology has any potential environmental impacts (positive or negative). If there are any environmental concerns related to this technology, discuss what steps could be taken to address the concerns. Also consider whether there are any security and/or privacy concerns related to this technology. Identify any specific resources, methods, or approaches that could help make this technology, and the individuals and firms using this technology, more secure. In additional to addressing practical challenges and potential impacts, be sure to discuss ethical and moral challenges and potential impacts of this technology, just like in my example above of the potential moral and ethical impacts of the self-driving automobile. Also, consider the impact this technology will have on managers in the future. Since we are studying management information systems in this course, discuss the types of information systems managers will likely need to use in the future in relation to this technology. Refer back to the section on self-driving automobiles for an example of such an impact, and then think of some potential impacts for the technology you are writing about in this section.

Conclusion

Finally, write your concluding paragraph(s) in this section. Rather than simply re-stating what you have already discussed, try to use this section to take the reader one step further. There are many ways to do this and I will leave it to your creativity to come up with an appropriate conclusion for your essay!

References

Bailey, R. (2014). The moral case for self-driving cars. Retrieved from http://reason.com/archives/2014/07/28/the-moral-case-for-self-drivin/print

List your references in APA format on this page. I have set this page to use hanging indentations (as required in APA references).

Also, APA references are single-spaced, but you need to leave one blank line between each reference, just like how my notes here are formatted.

Finally, make sure that you have at least one corresponding in-text citation, in APA format, for each reference that you list in your reference list.