Provide a brief assessment of the current status and future potential of five selected emerging information technologies that are anticipated to have a significant effect on future business, with a justified recommendation of one of these technologies for future investment by a specific, named business in any sector of your own choice.

This report should be written in the style of a CIO briefing - presenting his analysis to a board of directors. It should be easily comprehensible by senior managers without technical knowledge. Your assignment should be up-to-date, well-reasoned, practical and decisive. The sources for your research will typically be drawn from the Internet and recent academic literature and all sources must be cited and referenced.

4

The basic report will consist of the following sections:

• A brief discussion of a specific company, the nature of its business, its industry and its current application of information technologies;
• A justified selection and description of five emerging technologies that may be of future significance to the selected company, and why;
• A critical analysis comparing and contrasting the likely benefits, costs and limitations of the five selected technologies to the business;
• A discussion of the potential areas of application in the business and the strategic value of two ‘shortlisted’ technologies (including their position in McFarlan’s Strategic Grid or the BCG Portfolio Model); and
• A recommendation justifying the emerging technology that the company should ultimately invest in.