WM948-15 Emerging Technologies for Business
Introductory description
This module aims to address the ever-changing sphere of technology and show how emerging technologies can be applied to different industries and business contexts. The module will offer crucial, advanced theoretical and practical technological foundations to participants. It is clear that there is a need to disseminate this knowledge to students to better help them understand technology and how it fits together within the context of modern systems.
The development and understanding of technological step changes can provide significant advantages to organisations and give them an edge over competitors. Comprehensive knowledge of the limitations and current boundaries of technology enables strong forecasting and synergises with strategic thinking.
Module aims
This module provides an advanced and comprehensive look at current and future technological trends. It explores how current market leaders use technology to their advantage by providing a broad understanding of computing methods and infrastructures, cutting edge materials, and applications such as artificial intelligence by forming an in-depth knowledge of what is currently possible and preparing students for technological change. This module will equip the student with the right skills to both explore new technologies, and explore their potential exploitations.
In particular, this module will consider the emerging technology landscape covering technologies such as: artificial intelligence, internet-of-things, VR/AR, data visualisation, new materials, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and cyber security. We will seek to engage with WMG researchers such as those working in new materials, automation and robotics to incorporate the latest work in these fields.
In addition to introducing students to the technologies themselves, the module aims to enable participants to recognise the opportunities and challenges that emerging technologies may bring, and identify use-cases and industries that could face disruption from new technologies.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
- Emerging technology landscape and evaluating emerging technologies
- High Performance Computing (HPC) including Big Data technology, Cloud computing, Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies
- Advanced Computing Techniques including Artificial Intelligence and machine learning
- Cyber-security
- Industry 4.0
- Internet of Things
- New materials
- 3D & 4D printing
- Robotics and virtual assistants
- Visualisation and collaboration including data visualisation, virtual and augmented reality (& mixed reality), crowd sourcing
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Interpret and evaluate critical business technologies and their application in various industries.
- Review concepts and practicalities of adopting technologies related to high performance computing, and evaluate the implications, technical challenges and benefits of operating in technical environments.
- Appraise the theory and concepts behind the technical deployments of emerging technologies.
- Evaluate and implement new and emerging technologies to specific business contexts.
Indicative reading list
Anderson R (2008). Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, 2nd Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 978-0470068526
Birch D (2017). Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin: From Money that We Understand to Money that Understands Us. London: London Publishing Partnership.
Floyd TL (2013). Digital Fundamentals, 10th Edition. London: Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-0132359238.
Gilchrist A (2016). Industry 4.0: The Industrial Internet of Things. New York, NY: Apress. ISBN-13: 978-1484220467.
Hennig, N (2017), Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies: Best Practices for Information Professionals. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN-13: 978-1440854408
Kavis MJ (2014). Architecting the Cloud: Design Decisions for Cloud Computing Service Models (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 978-1118617618
Kim G, Behr K and Spafford G (2013). The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win. IT Revolution Press. ISBN-13: 978-0988262591
Mayer-Schönberger V and Cukier K (2013). Big Data – A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Think and Work. London: John Murray. ISBN-13: 978-184854790
Tanenbaum AS and Van Steen M (2006). Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms, 2nd Edition. London: Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-1530281756
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Subject specific skills
Digital transformation, big data, digitalisation, emerging technologies, Blockchain, 3D printing, IIoT, Crowdsourcing, Cloud.
Transferable skills
Technology analysis, virtual teams, team working
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 sessions of 1 hour (13%) |
| Seminars | 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%) |
| Online learning (independent) | 60 sessions of 1 hour (40%) |
| Assessment | 60 hours (40%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A4
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Business Report | 80% | 50 hours |
|
Essay/report on an emerging technologies topic |
||
| Emerging Technology Presentation | 20% | 10 hours |
|
Presentation on organisational recommendations for exploring emerging technologies |
||
Assessment group R3
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Business Report | 100% | |
|
Essay/report on an emerging technologies topic |
||
Feedback on assessment
In module work will have feedback provided verbally after assessment. PMA – individual notes and bespoke feedback attributed to each script returned to each student.
Anti-requisite modules
If you take this module, you cannot also take:
- WM955-10 Emerging Digital Technologies
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.