Seminar 2, 23/08/2010

Just like the first lesson, the second lesson of TWC started off with a video! This time the video was about how China could already be the world's largest economy. Also, China has overtook Germany, becoming the world's biggest exporter. Take a look at the things around you. How many of them are 'made in china'? I would guess more than half right. Thus the fact that China has overtaken Germany in becoming the biggest exporter isn't shocking at all because it is already prevailing in our society. Besides the factor of China's now open economy, the other factor which I believe attributed to the success of China's booming economy would be technology. Technology has quicken the pace of mass production in the factories in China, hence more units can be produced per hour as compared to the past. Also, tapping into the extensive infrastructure built by technological inventions, the goods can be quickly exported to places around the globe, making the world a smaller place. Hence, by taking advantage of the economies of scale, China's economy has evolved rapidly and this fast pace evolution wouldn't have been possible without the use of technology.

Moving on, the interesting triangular relation between dominant player, rising star and falling star was an eye-opener. The triangle has demonstrated the importance of staying open and being willing to learn. Take China and India as an example. Their economies have developed rapidly after they opened up their economy. Hence they have become the rising stars in this triangle. Falling stars on the other hand are not keen to new ideas. They are people who have an arrogant attitude and think they know everything. When the rising stars are learning new things and moving forward, the falling stars would find themselves stagnant as they have closed themselves to new ideas, hence they can never improve because they do not embrace change. Therefore, I feel that even countries who are currently dominant players (e.g China) still need to have the attitude of the rising stars and not be full of themselves, hence not embracing change. If not, they are on their way to becoming a falling star.

I feel that this triangular model is applicable to our society as well, even companies. I believe that Apple is where it is today because of its open perspective and the hunger to invest in new ideas. Every year, they never fail to amaze the world with their new inventions. The ipod and ipod nano has evolved several generations, from a black and white screen to a colour screen with a video-camera behind. itouch, iphone3GS, iphone 4 to the ipad which were selling like hot-cakes where three million sold were around the world in 80 days which means one in every 2.3 seconds. If Apple had been satisfied with their achievements of the iphone, improvements like the iphone 4 and ipad would have never been able to meet the world. Hence, we should never be contented with our current state and should always strive to improve by change.

"Change is inevitable and often necessary; the transition process can often be difficult or painful (for some)." Another quote left my Prof Gurinder on the board. It was a pity that we didn't have time to discuss this hence, I would give my individual take on it here. Change is inevitable. I guess many would agree on this. Like it or not, the world is changing. Everything around you is changing. Thus, you too have to adapt and go along with the change. If not, you will be left behind. However having to change requires you to step up of your comfort zone and take on the challenge. How many people are actually willing to do that? Thus, for such people, having to change is difficult and painful as they have to try and adapt a completely new environment which is totally foreign to them. An example for this quote would be the re-training for older workers during the recession last year. Several workers were unwilling to undergo the restructuring program. They may find it troublesome to learn a new skill as they are already satisfied with the skillsets they possess. Nevertheless, re-training (i.e. change) is necessary because the things we learnt might soon be obsolete. Hence, it is imperative that we keep upgrading ourselves to ensure that we keep up with times. Afterall, we are living in exponential times.

For the awesome oral presentations by my peers and the thought-provoking issues for discussions raised, 8/10.

Seminar 1, 16/08/2010

My very first class in SMU - TWC, consisted of a self-introductory session, Shift Happens video, Guns, Germs and Steel video and open discussions on a couple of ideas including creativity, innovation, invention ; technology is easy, people are hard.

The class started off with Prof Gurinder showing us a video - Shift Happens. Several interesting facts were showcased in this video which I was never aware of. The part which struck me the most is when the video threw us some facts and asked us to name the country. The answer was England, in 1900. I found this point very intriguing because it has not only shown how technology has caused rapid change to the world but also how technology could affect the rate a country progresses. Countries with relatively advanced technology would of course have a faster progress than countries with less advanced technology thus, the disparity of rate of development among the developed countries, developing countries and underdeveloped countries today. But does this mean by having the most advanced technology, you would be the most developed country? No. It is irrefutable that technology brings development to the country, however after this point where you already own the technology, it all boils down to how you manage and effectively use the technology to your advantage to develop your country. Afterall, as known to many, technology is a double-edged sword.

This brings me to another insightful quote that Prof Gurinder brought up during class - "Technology is easy. People are hard." Yes, technology is easy because it is already there. Even if you do not know how to use it, all you need is a manual. People are hard because everyone has their own mindsets and habits. It is tough for people to change their mindset or living habits and step out of their comfort zone to challenge themselves by using and embracing the new technology. And the way they use the technology might differ, thus bringing about both good and bad consequences. However, I'm skeptical about whether this will still be the case in years to come. Given that the knowledge that we have of the technologies today might soon be outdated and non-applicable due to the progress in technologies, coupled with the large amounts of money pumped into research in technology today, the various discoveries found or new inventions invented might be too difficult for a layman or the human brain to comprehend how the technology works, how to use the invention or maybe even what to do with it. Hence, one day it may become "People are easy. Technology is hard."

Another point which I thought was really interesting was the idea of luddites. A luddite is someone who opposes of technological progress. When this term was brought up by Prof Gurinder, I was appalled to find out that there are people who do not support technological change. It is prevalent that technology has become indispensable in our daily lives be it for transportation, communication, business, leisure activities or other uses. Everything we have or use right now is a product of technology. For instance, from a click away to retrieve information via the Internet to the X-ray and MRI machine which detects abnormalities in our bodies, the products of technology has brought immense convenience to us and changed the way we live. Also, governments have invested a large portion of their budget to developing new technologies and improving old technologies for this will keep their country in a competitive state in today's rapidly changing economy. This shows that almost everyone is embracing technology and learning how to use and live with it. For if you do not, you'll be left behind. Thus, I cannot conceive the idea of people not being in favour of (new) technology. Undoubtedly, technology has its negative effects too like over-reliance on the use of technology, internet addiction, replacement of human labour with machines hence causing people to lose their jobs etc. However, I believe that the technology has impacted us positively more than negatively.

Since technology has became an imperative part of us, one issue I hope could be further discussed would be if humans today have become slaves of technology. Could this be the reason why some people choose to be luddites?

Overall, I would rate the session 8/10 for the insightful discussions we had during class and the interesting videos showcased. :)