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Innovation in Motion

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We were tasked with preparing a presentation that describes constraints that I am experiencing in my business. The presentation must also describe how the application of methods/tools/techniques learned during the course will enable me to better manage this situation. This final week was very nerve-wrecking and very interesting for me.  It was nerve-wrecking because I have a severe speech impediment (a stutter) that may unnecessarily cause me to take longer than the other students. So, I decided to record my presentation to ease this process. It was also very interesting because I work in a very complex organization that is part of a very dynamic and international Science and Technology project that is experiencing but also addressing complex challenges. It was exciting for me to outline these issues and also providing my proposed solutions to these challenges. Background and Overview Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) was born out of the partnership of Univ
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Ideation for Innovation

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Based on the previous topics covered such as Design Thinking and Business Model Innovation we were tasked with: Selecting an industry of interest; Defining a problem in a particular industry; and Proposing an innovative solutions to the challenges. What is the role of the new concepts in digital business? This task involved interacting and communicating effectively with business stakeholders. One of our group members presented an overview of her business. She proceeded to outline the challenges they experience within the Fast Consumer Moving Goods industry. These challenges include: The inability to maintain an end-to-end visibility of the supply chain; The conflicting KPIs that caused competition instead of cooperation; The inability plan and co-ordinate the supply chain effectively; The inability to understand the customer or to "hear their voice" that impacts customer-centricity; and The inefficiencies in the upstream and downstream of the supply chain.  We proceeded to us
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Environmental Analysis

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Preliminaries - Industry Analysis The industry analysis includes the analysis of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal aspects that impact the industry we are operating in. This PESTEL analysis is part of business research and helps us to understand the market the organization is operating in. The factors involved in PESTEL are discussed below Political Government policy Political stability Corruption Foreign trade policy Tax policy Labour law Trade restrictions Economic Economic growth Exchange rates Interest rates Inflation rates Disposable income Unemployment rates Social Population growth rates Age distribution Career attitudes Safety emphasis Technological Technology incentives Level of innovation Automation Research & Development activity Technology awareness Environmental Weather Climate Environmental policies Climate change Pressure from NGOs Legal Discrimination laws Antritrust laws Employment laws Consumer protection Health and safety laws Ma
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Design Thinking

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Preliminaries of Design Thinking Design thinking as a tool to getting in touch with customers and users, to understand those segments we are touching through our products and services. Look at our innovations and productions, and what our customer needs Phases in Design Thinking - IDEO Source:  Design Thinking Inspiration Ideation Implementation IDEO made Design Thinking popular as they were involved in industrial design and product design, and they applied it to different areas Involves the intersection of the 3 areas that result in an innovative experience: Business (Viability) People (Desirability) Technology (Feasibility) Source:  Design Thinking – Human Centred Design Business + People = Emotional innovation (brands, marketing, relationships) People + Technology Phases in Design Thinking - Stanford University The IDEO process was further developed by Stanford University. Source:  Design Thinking for Everyday Life Empathize - this involves experience the problem from the user/custo
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Business Model

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Preliminaries on Business Model Customer segments The different groupings of customers based on specific things e.g. age, gender, interests and spending habits The customer segment are the people who we target It is fruitful to start by understanding the persona for each customer segment The value proposition may differ across these segments Value proposition This is the problem you are solving This would be the specific pain point you are relieving Customer relationships This is concerned with how business interacts with customers This is usually where the user journey comes in that clarifies the points of engagement between business and the customer, and the modes (touch points) used to relate to the customers Channels These are the avenues of customer interaction and becomes part of the sales cycle You consider where the customers are located and how we are going to tell them about the value proposition Key Activities This is the consideration of what the business does and what the
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Future of Logistics Management

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This session was insightful introduction into the future of logistics. I learnt that the the world of work is shifting. The corporate environment is slowly moving with the times and is increasingly digitizing. The employee is therefore expected to evolve into an employee that is able to: Work anytime, Work anywhere, Work on on any device, Focus on outputs, Create their own ladder, Customize their work, Share information, Develop into a leader, Rely on collaboration technologies, Focus on adaptive learning, and Learn on their own.  However, the lack of digital culture and training is hampering the logistics and transportation industry. More over, companies are concerned about various challenges that are impeding their ability to digitize their operations. Companies are concerned with data security and data privacy, especially with the increasing use of external data. What I also found insightful was the the high financial investments and the lack of digital strategy are other issues tha
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Back with a Bang

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Background 2020 has marked the start of my journey into e-Logistics and this is perhaps a good time for me to pick up this blog again. My last blog was in 2014 when I was still employed as Research Assistant at the Digital Media Studios at the University of the Western Cape. I had left the Digital Media Studios (DMS) in 2014 for medical reasons. In March this year I met up with my former supervisor. We had a short but fruitful chat. I shared with him my research endeavors especially as it relates to digital technology in Higher Education. I subsequently shared my research article in Research Analytics. I must admit, I am extremely grateful to my exposure so early into computer software and media applications at the DMS. Where am I now? Six years on, I am still somehow involved with the University of the Western Cape but this time via the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA). IDIA was born out of the partnership of University of the Western Cape (UWC), Universi
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