Assignment 7

In chapter 9: Relationship Tech, Mr.Kelly makes some pretty good points in relation to knowledge management. The idea that a conversation is a model for understanding what is going on in a network economy. The more interactions, the more important learning becomes, the more essential relationships become, the more trust becomes a factor. This has to do with knowledge management in the sense that technology is becoming a bigger part of our lives and we will have grow and trust the technology. If people want to be successful in the business world.

The technologies of relationships will not ease this fear or pain. They can strengthen and diversify relationships and trust, but not make them automatic, easy, or instant. At the forefront in the chore to cultivate trust—as a business imperative—stands the rugged hurdle of privacy. Privacy is a big issue because most people worry about their computer being hacked and personal information stolen. And if people are going to trust technology to handle just about everything in the near future; they have to have the trust and feeling that none of their information will be stolen.

Assignment 6

Thomas L. Friedman makes some really good points on how the world is getting flatter technology wise. He pointed how companies are getting better and better at providing their services or processes. He pointed out how in 1995 with the launch of netscape that countries like China and Russia were suddenly neighbors. This is a great example of how the world is getting flatter and flatter technology wise. Companies are getting so good at finding new and better ways of doing things that soon it will be amazing as to what they will be able to do and offer.

Blog 5

The speech made some really good points. I really liked the point of moving into phase II for the Internet. The speaker made some points on how in you need a product or service then it should be there instantly. The example he used had to do with tax service, if somebody needs help with their taxes then they go online and there is always someone to help them. And they would be charged for the time used instead a lot of unnecessary services. Also collaboration was a interesting point on how the network would bring the content to the user instead of the user finding the content.

Assignment 4

Nucor Steel is a great example of how to use knowledge management and be very good at doing it. Nucor made sure whenever they built new plants; they were built in rural areas with an abundance of hard-working and mechanically inclined people. The company became a leading employer in those locations and offered a top-of-the-line compensation package. That type of approach created a hunger for a new knowledge through a high-powered incentive system for every employee. There was no limit as to where how high the bonus could be. Some payouts in the 1990s for production employees averaged 80% to 150% of base wage.

Whenever employees are encouraged to experiment there is always a chance of failure. Nucor understood that if they did not tolerate failure it would severely inhibit experimentation, whereas a company that experiences in nothing but failures will not survive. Because Nucor's social ecology drove every employee to search for better and more efficient ways to make steel and steel-related products, its operating personnel had a deeper mastery of the industry's manufacturing processes than personnel at other steel companies.

Nucor also had great policies about making sure that their employees did not leave and take their knowledge elsewhere.  When hit by a recession, the company reduced the workweek rather than the workforce. Employees regarded a reduced workweek and the corresponding lower wages as a relatively attractive option when compared with the prospect of being laid off in a rural area where Nucor was the leading employer. Any reduction in worker's compensation was accompanied by a greater reduction in managers' compensation and a still greater cut in the CEO's pay. Nucor enjoyed the lowest turnover rate of any company in its industry.

The mission of the Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) is to provide equal access to quality health care to all persons – regardless of age, sex, race/ethnicity, or ability to pay. CBHA provides a variety of medical, dental, prescription, and other services to nearly 25,000 patients in central Washington.
CBHA was one of the first community health centers in the United States to fully transition to an electronic health record (EHR) system from paper-based charts. CBHA sought to use its EHR system to better deliver health care in rural areas.

CBHA has used health IT to improve efficiency for both providers and patients. For example, through practice management software, CBHA has decreased ‘no-shows’ for dental patients’ appointments by about 50 percent, and has filled 100 percent of available appointment slots, allowing clinicians to see more patients and to provide timely care.

Since implementing their health IT systems, provider productivity at CBHA (as measured by the number of patients seen per provider in a day) has roughly doubled. And since implementation, CBHA has consistently ranked above the 95th percentile nationally in total medical and dental team productivity, as reported in the Bureau of Primary Health Care Uniform Data System.


Beyond preventive services, CBHA has harnessed the power of electronic health records to enable improved continuity and coordination of care across health care institutions when patients become ill. CBHA partnered with the nearby Othello Community Hospital to enable both organizations to have access to each other’s EHR systems, while ensuring patients’ privacy. As a result, patients enjoy a fluid continuity of care regardless of where they are treated.

Blog 2

In the video Systematic Irrationality Dan Ariely made some excellent points. One point that I found interesting was the fact that some students were given a test and had to complete as many problems in five minutes. If the students did not have to turn in their papers then they would lie a little about how many they got correct. I think that this has to do with human nature and having to be the best at every thing they attempt. Also if the students were told to shred the papers the number correct the students would say would go up even more. I think that the students felt comfortable about lying and cheating because in their minds there was no way they would have gotten caught. But in the long run this type of behavior will only catch up with people.

Assignment 1

Redbox is a kiosk where people rent DVDs for one dollar a day. The innovation of the company has made it one of the top places to rent DVDs. There are over 22,000 redbox machines in operation currently. If a person wants to rent a DVD they walk up to any machine and scroll through the selection of movies. Then they swipe their credit card and the DVD comes out from a slot on the machine. Once the person has watched the DVD, they can take the movie back to any redbox location. Their credit card will be charged a dollar for every day they kept the DVD.People can also reserve a DVD online and select a redbox location to pick up the DVD. Nowadays wherever people seem to go, there is a good chance a redbox is nearby. The distribution of the machines all over the country is amazing.

Redbox has put pressure on companies like Blockbuster and Movie Gallery to compete with them. Blockbuster has closed many stores due to the fact people are now using redbox. People are no longer willingly to spend six dollars on a movie they rent for only a couple of days. Movie Gallery is no longer in business and this can be partly credited to redbox's innovative business model. Redbox is now crossing over to video games and it will be interesting to see how this affects video game rentals in the future. Redbox has found a niche in the market where people love to watch movies and who also want to save money.