Research Proposal Literature Review Sample

FunctionalityModelasBasisfor TechnologyManagement(TM) LiteratureReview Theliteraturereview beginswithashortbackgroundoftheconnectionbetween Technology Literacy and Technology Management. This isconsideredasthemostbasicpostulationwhichwillbeimplementedinthisresearch project.Thisalso purposesfortechnologyto beidentified andunderstoodinitsvarietyofmanifestations,practitionersandstudentsofTMshouldhaveaholisticapproachtotechnology,aswellasitsrelatedfunctionalcharacteristics.ItisimportantuponTM toofferpracticalandtheoreticaltoolstothisend,doingsointermsofacceptedresearchprinciplesintheform oftechnologicalparadigm (Johnson&Philips,2005). Avariationofthethemeinvolvingtechnologyparadigmsistheso-calledtechno-economicparadigm.Itisaparticularthemewhichbecamepopularasa result of a school of thought which may be characterized asNeo-Schumpeterians. Among the thought leaders include ChristopherFreeman,GiovanniDosi,andCarlottaPerez,whostatedacaseregardingthereciprocityin between technicaland economic change,aspresented bydifferent technologicalrevolutions,including the associated formationregardingadistinctiveparadigm involvedinthetheoreticalanalysisoftheactualrelationship(Peterson,2003).Perez(2004)suggestsimplementingaseriesofrevolutionsinthetechno-economicfield,whichisathemeaddedtothedistinctivebehaviorofproductionandfinancialcapital,respectively.Withthe age ofcommunication and information technologies,now reachingmaturitytowardstheendofthetechno-economicrevolutions.

The currentfocus ofthe shifts in literature review to a new era intechnologicalprogressobservestheirruptionasitcontinuestomergewiththeremnantsofthetechno-age.Thisliteraturereviewwillfurtherpresentacaseinvolvingconvergenttechnologiesinordertobecomethemainfocusofthestudy(Lucas,2010). Anotherissuethatcomesintopictureisgeographyandtechnology.Ononehand,thisresearchappealstotheinternationalcharacterofbothTM disciplineaswellasthediscourseregardingthissubjectarea.Ontheotherhand,thisstudyprojectisbasedinAfrica,forAfrica,aswellasitspeersamidstabiggergroupofotherdevelopingeconomies.Asidefrom thefactthatthereisenoughevidencewhichshowsthattheeconomieslacktheabsorptivecapacitytotakeadvantageofinternationaltransfersoftechnology(Wilmer,2008),thereisalsoavailableevidencethatthesouthernpartofAfricaneedstofurtherimprovehercompetenceinproduction,aswellasgenerationofknowledgefortechnologytransfers(Hipp&Benson,2006).Asamatteroffact,theentirediscourseregardingtheDigitalDivideasitisshowninthedevelopingeconomiesavindicationofthementionedviews,asshownsufficientlybyLosch(2008).Ultimately,however,selectingmarketsforgatheringdatahighlydependsontheparticularresearchmodel,thedatacollectionvagaries,aswellasthedatarequirements. ItisKohl(1964)whofirstintroducedtheparadigm,encompassingorigin,progress,andevolutionofScience.Heisacknowledgedgenerallyashavingbeensuccessfulinformalizingdifferentparadigmsascompetingandevolvingrulesandnormsforresearch,evenifheisaccusedforlosingcontrolovertheterm,andneverreallydefiningitaccurately.Asaresponsetothedebatewhichfollowed,hefurtherdescribesthataparadigm isadisciplinarymatrixwhichisconsistofsymbolic generalizations,shared commitments orheuristics,concretesolutionstotheproblems,sharedvalues,andtheso-calledexemplars(Rompins&Christianson,2002).

Whenthisiscombinedtogetherwithmethods,theoryandstandards,allofthesecomponentsofferresearchersamapthatcanbeusedforresearch,anddirectionsformap-creation.EventhoughKohlpresentshisassertionsalmostexclusively,togetherwithexamplescomingfrom paradigms,naturalscience,aswellastheirfunctioningwhicharenow consideredasomnipresentinvariousacademicdiscoursesacrossalldisciplinesandscientificendeavorsoutsidetheworldofnaturalscience.Thesehavealsobenefittedsignificantlybyparadigmaticoutlinesduringthelasthalfacentury(Norton,1989). Technologicalchangefurthertransformsinputsandoutputsineconomy,generallyleadingtosomecosteffectiveapproachesinuseorproductionofservicesandgoods.However,technologycannotsolelybeconsideredastheonlyeconomicmeansavailable,withoutconsideringthedifferentlevelsoftechnologicalcontroland knowledgeovertechnologicalprocesses.Asaresponsetotechnologicalcomplexityandprogress,managementhastorefineitstoolsinordertofurtherunderstandingtechnology. References Hipp,L.P.,&Benson,Y.(2006).Relationshipbetweenoperationsmanagementandtheory-drivenresearch.OperationsManagementJournal,15:45-56. Johnson,F.,&Philips,W.T.(2005).Sustainabilityassessmentontechnicalsystems:SystemsanalysisusingEcoEffectEquipment.Stockholm:Stockholm InstituteofTechnology. Kohl,T.(1964).Paradigm Shift:Paradigm Defined.NewYork,NY:ABSPress. Lucas,M.(2010).Theanatomyoftechnology–AnExplorativeEssay.Technology,Knowledge&Policy,18(5):127-145. Losch,E.(2008).ManagingandMeasuringTechnologicalAnalysis.ManagementReview,Summer:63-78. Norton,T.(1989).RatingtheEffectivenessofManagement:withCaseStudiesinthefieldofTelecommunications.New Hampshire:McMillanPrint. Perez,C.(2004).Originsoftechnometrics:historicalevolutionandfuturecondition.SocialChangeJournal,74:945-980. Peterson,Y.(2003).ModernManandModernScience.Florida:TheFloridaPress. Rompins,Y.,&Christianson,D.(2002).TheNewTechnologyinDevelopment:ITOpportunitiesandChallenges.NewYork:ABCPress. Wilmer,J.(2008).Thetheoryoftechnology–changeandcontinuitycombined.Ohio:StateUniversityPress.