NBA Innovations

For years in basketball, videotape of games from many different angles is broken down for players to study their shots, dribbles, and overall fundamentals.  While this technology was good at serving its purpose, there is a new wave of technology being implemented in the NBA now.  This technology is similar to the technology used in the movie Avatar.  It captures every movement of the player throughout the game.  Sensors would be put on the uniforms and shoes of the players to allow for this capture of information.  For example, the sensors could measure the release points of shots of a player, determining which release point is the best for that certain player.

This shows that all companies and industries need to be open changing their processes.  Here, the NBA, a sports league, looked to technology in Avatar, a movie, to make its product better.  I believe that being open-minded to change is key for companies and industries.  Using this technology to increase efficiencies in players can lead to a better product, leading to better customer happiness, ultimately leading to an even better overall NBA experience.  

Louisiana College IT: Left in the Dust

The college that I attended for my undergraduate degree, Louisiana College, is a perfect example of a company not willing to adapt to technological changes.  When I arrived there 4 years ago, there was about half the number of students enrolled as when I graduated this past May.  The internet service and reliability was spotty at best then, but it was, for the most part, able to be used when one needed it.  However, as enrollment spiked, the investment in IT did not keep up with the spike.  Therefore, in my last year at LC, I constantly had to leave campus just to get internet service.  Too many people were connected in the network, causing the system to move at a snail's pace.  Also, either the IT workers did not have enough help or were not knowledgeable, as the system often crashed.  This left on-campus students without internet access at all, forcing them to leave campus just to do their online homework.  LC's IT department finally installed a wireless network at the beginning of last year.  The entire campus did not have ONE wireless network before 2009; CRAZY!

All of this shows that even at the college level, management of the business (LC) must forecast what is going to happen in their company, so they can keep their technology processes up to date.  If not, the customers (students) will not enjoy the product (overall experience), making them either unhappy or cause them to even leave the college.  Management must always keep up with changes that will force their IT to be out of date.  Doing so can help to avoid a disaster like the one mentioned here.  Anyone else have horrible problems with IT at their undergrad or previous job?

Wal-Mart's Reliance on Technology

I recently went to Wal-Mart to do what everyone does there:  get groceries.  However, this was no ordinary Wal-Mart trip for me.  While the shopping went as smoothly as always, the checkout process did not.  I got in a line with surprisingly no people in it, so I expected a quick checkout.  When I ran my credit card through the machine, the computer scanning system could not collect with the satellite to process the exchange.  The employee had to shut off the computer, turn it back on, and repeat the process.  It once again did not work.  A manager repeated the same process, which also did not work.  This problem was happening at all the checkout lines in the store.  So the worker had to individually enter identification numbers for each individual item, which took quite some time.  I then ran my card, and it was accepted.

This truly shows our dependence on technology, and also how we take it for granted.  What I perceived as a simple process of scanning items, and then paying turned into a 20 minute ordeal.  While I tried to stay calm throughout the process, this did anger some less patient customers.  Technology has helped to cut down our waiting time in lines significantly, and I now appreciate that because of this experience.  It also shows that a backup plan must be in place, such as the one in the CareGroup case, just in case technology does fail a company.  Now if we could only get more workers at the lines to decrease waiting time even more, but that is for another day...

Technology, To Use or Not to Use?

As technology continues to spread throughout the world, firms and corporations must decide whether to stick with their old ways or use the technology that is available to them.  This is the current situation in the world of sports.  Technology has allowed professional sports leagues to be able to more accurately make calls on the field.  In the NFL, coaches can challenge up to 3 calls made by the referee throughout the course of the game that they feel are wrong.  The referee then view instant replay on a camera, and can overturn the call or determine that the correct call was made, and allow the call on the field to stand.  In the NBA, borderline shots that were possibly either a 2 or 3 pointer can be reviewed once there is a stoppage in the game.  Just like in the NFL, the referee reviews the film by using instant replay technology to determine the correct call.

While the MLB has finally implemented the use of instant replay on homerun calls, they have refused to implement it in many other situations where it is needed.  One of the great parts about baseball to traditionalists is the "human element" of umpires.  However, the expanded use of instant replay needs to be addressed in the game, to include close calls at bases.  Earlier this season, a call was missed by an umpire in a game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.  The pitcher for the Tigers, Armando Galarraga, had a perfect game going with only one more out to achieve this perfect game, which would have been only the 21st perfect game in MLB history (there have been just under 200,000 games played since 1876).  The umpire made a wrong call on an play at first base, calling the runner safe when instant replay obviously showed that the runner was out.  The limitations the MLB has put on technology has cost Galarraga and baseball fans everywhere a chance at witnessing rare history.  Why not use the technology that is available to us?

The stubbornness of the MLB to implement technology is a very bad business decision.  While they are trying to keep the old tradition of the "human element" in the game alive, Major League Baseball must adapt to keep new fans engaged in the game.  It is not wise for any business to turn the other way when technology can help make its processes run more efficiently and better.  MLB is no different; I believe that they must adapt to incorporate more technology into the game, so it can be as good of a product as it possibly can be.

This is a very hot topic in baseball circles right now, as traditionalists are battling with the new-age generation on how much instant replay is needed in baseball.  What do you think?  Should more instant replay be implemented to make the game better and to produce more correct calls?  Or should the MLB be set in their ways, and keep their replay system as it currently is?

Text Message Recruiting Gone Wrong

The University of Miami Hurricans football team is under investigation by the NCAA, but not for a reason you would think.  We have all gotten used to seeing teams face penalties for giving players money, cars, or places to live to get players to attend their school.  However, Miami is under investigation for "impermissable text messages."  Texting potential recruits was banned in 2007, because of possible costs to recruits without unlimited plans.

This is how far technology has brought even things such as football recruiting.  Many years ago, the only contact had with players was seeing them in person.  Then, recruiting over the phone was allowed, giving coaches another medium through which to connect with the athletes.  There were restrictions placed on hours and number of calls made to these recruits.  However, when text messaging exploded onto the scene, the NCAA was not ready to police it.  Therefore, coaches went wild texting potential recruits, which eventually led to it being banned.

IT issues are faced and dealt with by companies every day.  The NCAA is a very powerful association, however, they do not want to face this challenge.  Instead of coming up with a system to monitor the text messaging, they have simply banned it altogether.  Shouldn't the heads of their committees come together to come up with a solution to the problem, instead of running from it?