Fall 2006: Technology

“It would appear that we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology, although one should be careful with such statements, as they tend to sound pretty silly in five years.” That’s a quote from John Von Neumann, the famously brilliant mathematician, uttered, by all accounts, sometime around 1949.

In the business world, technology matters – even if some highly influential thought leaders might say, or write, otherwise.

Former Harvard Business Review editor Nicholas Carr did just that three years ago, when his article, “IT Doesn’t Matter” sparked heated debate among chief information officers (CIOs) and business executives from some of the world’s top companies. Actually, it was Carr’s company that raised hackles.

In the ever-evolving world of Information Technology (IT),career possibilities are no longer limited to programmers writing code, fighting viruses or encrypting personal information. All companies from restaurants and retail outlets to universities and hospitals must use technology for direct communication with their customers, clients and employees to stay competitive. The faster the word gets out, the better. This urgent need has created a whole gamut of niche IT professionals and the demand has made these opportunities quite exciting and lucrative. Baylor Business alumni J. Martin, Don Kersting and Ben Lamm are riding this new wave of highly concentrated IT. Everyday they are behind the screens of e-learning and interactive marketing.

There’s no question that technology has driven extraordinary innovation in medical science.However, while such advancement continues apace,the hot topic in healthcare today is information technology.

The sheer volume of data about patients, protocols, medications, utilization, billing and insurance has reached near-epidemic proportions. No part of the healthcare system is immune; hospitals, physician practices and laboratories alike are obligated to manage medical information with rigorous accuracy and accountability.

New technologies are changing the workplace. Data is mobile. Employees can sync up without even coming into the office. Is a revolution in workplace culture and environment just around the corner? Will working virtually cut costs and promote productivity or just present new problems?

When the computer language BASIC emerged almost half a century ago, the phrase cyber warfare wasn’t in the dictionary and the word virus was often preceded by flu. Blackberries were a fruit, telephones didn’t play music and Spam came in a can.

Mark Hurd is Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of HP’s Board of Directors. He’s an alumnus of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. HP is a technology solutions provider for consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings are in IT infrastructure, global services business and home computing, imaging, and printing. With over 150,000 employees and one billion customers worldwide, last year’s revenues totaled $91.7 billion. Earlier this year, Hurd was given the Baylor Business Legend award from the Houston Baylor Business Network.

New graduates who majored in Information Systems rake in one of the top starting salaries for undergraduate degrees, according to the Summer 2006 National Association of Colleges and Employers Salary Survey. A graduate with an information systems degree starts at an average annual salary of $45,724.

In today’s rapidly evolving business world, it is essential for companies to harness technological innovation to better serve society and consumers’ needs. That is exactly Greg Leman’s vision for his Technology Entrepreneurship class. With a class consisting of multidisciplinary students, project teams are assigned a company to collaborate with in order to market new technology, test its feasibility or solve technical problems.

1968 David Grigsby, BBA, has recently been named interim dean of Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1982.

When Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1866, his intention was that the explosive could be used in construction. As a result of an accident in his lab, he discovered a way to make nitroglycerin safer and less volatile to handle and it could be easily detonated. He envisioned canals being built faster. He knew that blasting rock, drilling tunnels, building railroads and many other forms of heavy labor would become easier. He patented dynamite, as well as 354 other inventions, and became a very wealthy man.

In some cases, appearance is everything. Randall Waller, Baylor Information Systems senior lecturer, definitely agrees.

Waller, who teaches business communication classes, is currently researching how leading global corporations use their Web sites to project an image of solid corporate responsibility. Through incorporating rhetorical and sociological analysis, he reveals what Web sites are really saying to consumers, government regulators and the investment community.