Impact of Technology Failure on Organizations

This assignment examines the case study of Hershey's failed Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation. Students are tasked with analyzing the reasons behind this failure, particularly focusing on the lack of proper testing and aggressive scheduling during development. The analysis should delve into the consequences of this technological mishap, including financial losses, decreased stock prices, and disruption to operational workflows.

Student Name
Student Number
Tasks
Week 1
The text discusses the elements of modern computing architecture however is largely silent
on the individuals who played a role in its development. Find and summarise a resource that
describes ONE such individual. The individual should have had a significant influence on the
development of computers and/or components of modern computing architecture.
Title: John McCarthy: Computer scientist known as the father of AI
Reference: Childs, M., 2017. John McCarthy: Computer scientist known as the father of AI.
[online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-
mccarthy-computer-scientist-known-as-the-father-of-ai-6255307.html [Accessed 21 Sep.
2017].
URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-mccarthy-computer-scientist-known-as-
the-father-of-ai-6255307.html
Summary:
The article summarises the contribution of John McCarthy in development of modern

computing architecture. The article puts light to the contribution of John McCarthy and his
idea of using computers in an interactive mode. I chose this article as it elaborates in a
structured way, the life of John McCarthy and his contribution in development of modern
computer architecture. The article summarises the works and contribution of John McCarthy
in the field of artificial intelligence. McCarthy was a firm believer of using mathematical logic
to describe knowledge. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that, it describes
the contribution of McCarthy is development of LISP programming language, which forms the
basis of artificial intelligence. LISP programming language finds its use in robotics and other
internet based services as well. John McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence. John
McCarthy conceived and developed time the process of time-sharing. His contribution was in
the field of human level AI and common sense reasoning. The article describes the
generosity of McCarthy in sharing his ideas and articulating them effectively. I found this
article useful because it provided a detailed insight of the works and contribution of McCarthy
in time sharing and networking. This invention allowed users to share data By linking the data
to a central computer. This invention further helped in evolution of internet and the laid the
foundation of the concept of cloud computing. Cloud computing deals with storage of data on
a remote server and the server is accessible via internet.
Week 2
The text discusses the components and activities of operating systems however is largely
silent on the individuals who played a role in their development. Find and summarise a
resource that describes ONEsuch individual. The individual should have had a significant
influence on the writing or development of operating systems.
Title: Development of Linux
Reference: Operating-system.org.,2017. History of the Linux Kernel. [online] Available at:
http://www.operating-system.org/betriebssystem/_english/bs-linux.htm [Accessed 20 Sep.
2017].
URL: http://www.operating-system.org/betriebssystem/_english/bs-linux.htm
Summary:
The article describes the role of an individual in development of modern operating systems.
The article summarises the life and works of Linus Torvals and the process of development of
Linux operating system. I chose this article as it elaborates in brief, the development of Linux
and contribution and idea of Linus Torvalds in developing the same.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that, it describes how a simple idea of
adding some new feature in an existing operating system Minix. Terminal emulator program
present in MINIX was not acceptable according to Linus and therefore, he embarked on
developing a more advanced terminal emulator. Minis’s operating systems’s source code
Minix was open source and therefore any modification to that were bound to license
condition. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that, it gives a detailed
description how Linus programmed his own drivers for accessing the data medium and file
system. While developing the terminal emulator programs, Linus got an idea of incorporating
more functions in the operating system and therefore he decided to enhance and built a new
operating system. Thus Linux although was derived from the concept of Minix, it was
developed from the scratch. With the added features, the software was able to upload and
download files from the internet. I found this resource useful as it not only elaborates the
contribution of McCarthy in development of the Linux Operating system, but also discusses
about the aim and determination of Linus Torvalds in development of a completely new
operating system, which is used even today.

Week 3
The Internet didn’t just appear – it was an evolution from earlier networks. Find and
summarise a resource that describes ONEof the networks that led to the development of the
modern Internet.
Title: NSFNET -- National Science Foundation Network
Reference: Livinginternet.com.,2017. NSFNET, National Science Foundation Network.
[online] Available at: https://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_nsfnet.htm [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_nsfnet.htm
Summary:
The article describes a network that lead to the development of modern internet. National
Science Foundation network is a network that laid the foundation of modern internet. I chose
this article as it clearly describes the development and use of National Science Foundation
Network or NSFNET. The idea behind development of this network was to link the computer
science departments in the universities that were not connected to ARPANET. In order to
implement this project, the NSF began the construction of several regional super computer
centres for providing a high speed computing resources mainly for US research community.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that, it clearly describes the process of
development and evolution of NSFNET from a speed of 56kbps to a speed of 1.5 mbps. The
NFSNET was mainly built for research purposes. However, with the growth of the connected
network, the pressure of allowing the commercial use of network grew as well. Therefore, in
the year 1991, the NSFNET brought the next wave in internet by allowing the commercial use
of this network. This resulted in the exceeding of the traffic to more than 12 billion packets in
a month. I found this article useful as it structurally presents the role of the national science
foundation network in development of modern internet. NFSNET was officially dissolved in
the year 1995 and the National Science Foundation retained a core research network only for
the research works, which is called very high speed backbone network service.
Week 4
Ethernet is an example of a Layer Two (L2) data link protocol that is discussed in the text.
Find and summarise a resource that describes the features and uses of ONE other L2
protocol that is not discussed in the text (i.e. NOT Ethernet).
Title: Token Ring
Reference: Ecomputernotes.com.,2017. IEEE 802.5 Token Ring. [online] Available at:
http://ecomputernotes.com/computernetworkingnotes/communication-networks/what-is-ieee-
8025-protocol [Accessed 21 Sep. 2017].
URL: http://ecomputernotes.com/computernetworkingnotes/communication-
networks/what-is-ieee-8025-protocol
Summary:
The article deals with an example of a layer two data link protocol, token ring. Token ring is a
local area network that enables only node processing a data in transmitting the token. I chose
this article as it elaborates the working principal of token ring. Token ring is a collection of ring
like interfaces that are connected by point-to-point lines. In this protocol, the permission of
transmitting messages is granted by the token and therefore, the nodes that has an access to
a token are only allowed to transmit a data.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that it illustrates the working principal of

token rings. Token rings can be effectively used in prevention of collision of data. This is
because, the node with the possession of token is only allowed to transfer the data. Token
rings however have no major use as it has been replaced with the Ethernet. Ethernet is more
preferable due to its additional flexibility and cost effectiveness. In the token ring protocol all
the network stations are collected in a ring like topology and the stations can only receives
messages from the immediate neighbours. A single station can hold a data only for a specific
duration of time and therefore, within this time, the transaction is needed to be completed. I
found this article useful as it provided a detailed overview of the token ring protocol.
Furthermore, it clearly illustrated the conditions in which the token rings may not work thus
hampering the propagation of messages.
Week 5
The text mentions the role of hackers in attacks on networked infrastructure. Find and
summarise a resource that describes ONE famous or well-known hacker.
Title: Everything We Know About Guccifer 2.0, the DNC Hacker
Reference: NBC News.,2017. Everything We Know About Guccifer 2.0, the DNC Hacker.
[online] Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/7-things-you-didn-t-know-
about-guccifer-2-0-n631166 [Accessed 21 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/7-things-you-didn-t-know-about-
guccifer-2-0-n631166
Summary:
This article provides a short biography of one of the most infamous hackers of the world
Guccifer. This hacker is well-known for dumping all the contact information of many current
and former members of congress online. I chose this article as it provides an ample of
knowledge about Guccifer and the details of hacking cases with which he is involved.
Guccifer has kept his identity a secret. He is accused of breaking into the DNC sites by using
a Zero day exploit to get in the back door. He earned the name of lone wolf hacker for
releasing thousands of documents from the democratic national committee.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that although Guccifer insists that he has
been acting alone, the cyber security experts and US government officials says otherwise.
They consider Guccifer as a group of hacker based in Russia and are trying to manipulate the
US president election.
Guccifer has no fear about being caught and takes precautions for the event he is captured
and prosecuted. He is confident that no one will be able to catch him as he has taken
sufficient precautions of the same. However, he also known that there is a risk of him being
caught. I found this article useful as it described in a structured format the life of Guccifer and
the fact that even the cyber security expert know very little about him. I found the story of this
infamous hacker really intriguing.

Week 6
Society is increasingly reliant on networks and network technologies but they are evolving at
a rapid pace. Find and summarise a resource that describes ONE example of a future
networking technology or trend that will impact society.
Title: What is the Web of Things?
Reference: Guinard, D., 2017. What is the Web of Things? – Web of Things. [online]
Webofthings.org. Available at: https://webofthings.org/2017/04/08/what-is-the-web-of-things/
[Accessed 21 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://webofthings.org/2017/04/08/what-is-the-web-of-things/
Summary:
The article talks about one of the future networking technology or trend that has an increasing
possibility of affecting the society in future. This article elaborates about the future of Internet
of things, which is known as web of things. I chose this article as it gives a clear overview of
the internet of things. This technology will possibly solve the problem and hassle of installing
10 different apps for communicating with ten different devices.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that, it explains Web of things as a
refinement of internet of things thus emphasizing of the fact that, it can be considered as the
future of technology. This technology will help to connect every physical devices of a single
network or internet. Thus with the advancement of this technology, people will be able to
connect to every physical devices of their use though a single interface. Thus managing
different devices will becomes much easier with this technology. The article furthermore
illustrates a detailed architecture of web of things. The four layers of Web of things consists of
access layer, find layer, share layer and compose layer.
I found this article useful as it gave a detailed insight of a future of technology and it has large
probability of becoming a dominant technology in near future. This technology has a high-
level application protocol, which is designed to maximize the interoperability of Internet of
things. This technology will definitely help in making the Internet of things for accessible from
web and hence the name Web of Things.
Week 7
The text mentions social business and the impact of the use of social networking platforms.
Find and summarise a resource that describes the history of the development of ONE such
social media platform.
Title: The Real History of Twitter, In Brief
Reference: Lifewire., 2017. The History of Twitter You Didn't Know. [online] Available at:
https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854 [Accessed 21 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854
Summary:
The article describes the history and development of one of the famous social networking
platforms, the Twitter. The co founder of twitter Jack Dorsey imagined twitter to be a sms
based communication platform but has developed to be one of the major social networking
platform.
I Chose this article as it briefly describes all the important aspect of development of twitter

starting from its planning to its launching. The idea behind twitter was to develop a platform
through which a group of friends could keep a tab of each other, with the help of status
updates. It is much similar to texting but a bit different to that of sms. Twitter was initially
referred as ‘twttr’ as at that time, it was a trend at that time, of dropping vowels from the name
of the companies. The character limit in twitter is set to 140 characters as it was originally
designed to be a mobile SMS based platform. However, twitter grew into a popular web
platform afterwards but the 140-character limit was retained. It has now become one of the
most used social media platform with a count of 200 million active monthly users.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that, it highlights the process of
reinvention of a dying company with the development of Twitter. The name Twitter was
inspired from the name Flick, a photo-sharing site. I found this article useful as it gave a clear
idea and detailed explanation of history and development of twitter.
Week 8
With the advent of mass data collection and storage has come data mining. Find and
summarise a resource that describes ONE example where data mining has been used
successfully by a business. You should not use any examples covered in the textbook.
Title: How Netflix Uses Analytics To Select Movies, Create Content, and Make Multimillion
Dollar Decisions
Reference: Kissmetrics, 2017,. How Netflix Uses Analytics To Select Movies, Create
Content, & Make Multimillion Dollar Decisions. [online] Available at:
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/how-netflix-uses-analytics/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/how-netflix-uses-analytics/
Summary:
The article describes the use of mass data collection and storage of data, which is known as
data mining for improving the business processes. Data mining is used in business for
improving the strategies that are implemented in improvising the business processes. I chose
this article as it explains how Netflix uses data mining to increase the accuracy of the
predictions about the customers’ interest.
The process of data mining helps the companies in optimizing their marketing in order to
deliver a better product. Netfilx is the leading internet streaming services in the world and
therefore, has a large user base. This tremendous amount of users allows Netflix to collect or
mine a large amount of data that is evaluated in order to improve their business processes.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that it clearly illustrates the types of data
that Netflix collects to improvise the business purposes. The type of data that Netflix mainly
evaluates for improving its business processes includes the time of pause, rewind and fast
forward, the date of watching, the device used in operating the Netflix, ratings and searches.
With the help of these data, Netflix recommends different contents to its users based on these
data collected, as it helps in assuming their preferences. I found this article useful, as it
provides a detailed analysis of the use of data mining in improvising the business
opportunities. Netflix uses different algorithm in order to sort the data according to their
business needs.

Week 9
One of the greatest success stories in application development in recent times has been the
popularity of mobile apps. Find and summarise a resource that describes the story of ONE
successful mobile app developer.
Title : 5 Things You Can Learn From The Story Of WhatsApp
Reference: Medium., 2017. 5 Things You Can Learn From The Story Of WhatsApp – The
Story Of Grip – Medium. [online] Available at: https://medium.com/the-story-of-grip/5-things-
every-founder-can-learn-from-the-story-of-whatsapp-b6496bc4f54d [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://medium.com/the-story-of-grip/5-things-every-founder-can-learn-from-the-story-of-
whatsapp-b6496bc4f54d
Summary:
The article describes the story of a successful mobile app developer jan Koum, who
developed the most famous mobile application, the WatsApp.
I chose this article as it gave a detailed overview of the life of Jan koum and his idea behind
the development of this application.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that it describes the incredible journey of
Jan Koum from being rejected for a job at facebook, to face book buying the app developed
by him. WatsApp gained popularity within a few days as it provided a platform for
communicating with friends and family without any hassle. The interface of WatsApp is simple
and easy to use, and therefore it is loved by the people of all the age group.
The idea behind development of WatsApp was to invent a method of sending notifications to
friends. This simple idea gave rise to the development of one of the most famous mobile apps
of recent time. Jan Koum learnt computer networking all by himself and joined San Jose State
University as a security tester. I found this article useful as it describes how Koum after
buying an iPhone in the year 2009, figured out that mobile apps are going to capture a large
part of the market in future and therefore, he thought of creating a hassle free instant
messaging service. Furthermore, he planned to get the people across the globe in a single
platform more effortlessly, thus developing this application. By 2011, WatsApp was able to
secure a place among the top 20 apps of US app store. The story of Jan Koum is truly
inspiring.
Week 10
While information systems and technology deliver many benefits to society, they can also
result in (sometimes inadvertent) negative effects and outcomes. Find and summarise a
resource that describes ONE example of where the use of an information system or
technology has led to negative consequences for humans.
Title: A Case Study on Hershey's ERP Implementation Failure: The Importance of Testing
and Scheduling
Reference: Pemeco.com.,2017. A Case Study on Hershey's ERP Implementation Failure–
Driving successful enterprise software projects. [online] Available at:
https://www.pemeco.com/a-case-study-on-hersheys-erp-implementation-failure-the-
importance-of-testing-and-scheduling/ [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017].
URL: https://www.pemeco.com/a-case-study-on-hersheys-erp-implementation-failure-the-
importance-of-testing-and-scheduling/
Summary:
The case study discusses an example of the negative effects and outcomes of technology. It

elaborates about the failure of proper implementation of Enterprise resource planning
system, which resulted in failure of order fulfilment of worth $100 million. I chose this article
as it clearly describes the negative effect of technology in an organization. The major reason
of this implementation failure was development of software in a much-constricted time. To
meet the demand of the aggressive scheduling, the development of the software skipped
one of the major phases of the software development life cycle, which is the testing phase.
This resulted in development of the faulty software that refused to function during the peak
time of business. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this article is that it explains that
how a human error may result in misbehaving of an information system. Enterprise resource
planning systems are generally used to integrate and automate all the operational works of
the organization and therefore the structure of the software is complex as well. Therefore,
the development of software needed a considerable amount of time, which was not
allotted, resulting in the failure of this software. I found this article useful as it highlighted
the impact of the information system failure in an organization. As a negative effect of the
ERP failure, the company suffered a loss of 19% of the quarterly profit and a decrease in
stock price by almost 8%. Therefore, if technology or information system is not implemented
properly, it may have a considerable negative effect on human or an organization as a
whole.

MARKING SHEET - DO NOT DELETE
Criteria
0 No Response
<=1 Poor resource selection; resource is too broad or lacks relevance to the
task; summary fails to explain what the resource was about; the relevance
and/or usefulness of the resource has not been explained.
<=2 Good resource selection; resource is relevant to the task; summary is
adequate but may require either more detail or is too long; the relevance
and/or usefulness of the resource has been explained to some extent, but
needs additional information.
<=3 Excellent resource selection; resource is highly relevant to the task (the
resource is probably highly specialised); summary is detailed yet concise;
the relevance and usefulness of the resource selection has been clearly
explained.
Key
Deductions
-3
-2
-1
Reference/URL provided does not link to resource (and resource cannot
be located or determined from details provided) OR
Reference/URL provided does not relate to the summary (i.e. summary is
not of resource content / contains content not contained in the resource)
Resource is generic AND/OR covers multiple technologies/examples
rather than focuses on a single technology/example
Resource not referenced correctly/not in Harvard format
Week Marks Awarded
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
TOTAL
Comments: