Introduction
Perhaps one of the most fundamental stages of working towards the MSc Technology Management is deciding on a subject area for investigation. At every stage of my academic career with the Open University, I have been exposed to many facets of the behind-the-scenes-working of the computing and IT sector, as well as the frontline services and technologies that are familiar at the user end of the production.
Whether it is, for example, the behind-the-scenes-working of standards agencies that govern the worldwide web, such as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) or the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) which are both international bodies responsible for assigning the protocols that govern internet address and other protocols such as developing the architecture that makes the whole internet run as smoothly as it does crossing many international boundaries and various operating systems. Or learning the intricacies networking as taught in Cisco’s CCNA or delving into the depths in intellectual property and privacy.
In my postgraduate studies, I continued to increase in my understanding of the management of technology innovation, and systems thinking, which are specialised areas of management, ideally suited to better able to survive in the evolving technological environment that businesses and governments alike have to deal with. An example of how this can affect an online enterprise would be the introduction of the new data laws under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)enforced by the European Union (EU) which at times prevents me from accessing some Caribbean websites.
Nevertheless, I am excited to have reached as far as I have, and in this diary entry, I will be looking at the context of the working title for my proposal synopsis. So read on.
Area of Practice (AOP)
One of the postures that I picked up from my study of TU811- Thinking strategically: systems tools for managing change, is to identify what is your chosen area of practice. This could mean, in what category is your profession, or what area of practice interests you. I see myself as as consultant with particular interest in disaster management and recovery. Like so many world leaders and humanitarian and research organisations have caught the vision of the commonwealth of Dominica’s Prime Minister, Hon Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, to rebuild his country after the ravages of Hurricane Maria last year, as the world’s first climate resilient nation. Dr Skerrit, has received two honorary doctorates for his advocacy against the effects of climate change, and persistently calls on the developed world to pay their dues towards small island states who stand to suffer the most as the world’s ocean warm and the hurricanes become more frequent and ferocious.
As a hurricane survivor myself, as a youth, I experienced hurricane David on August 29th, 1979, I am woefully cognisant what my fellow dominicans have had to endure this past year, as the country continues to rebuild, and rehabilitate. The quest is to build back better, and the government has created the Climate Resilience Execution Agency of Dominica (CREAD) to spearhead this effort.
I am of the opinion that based on my current studies, that I can lend some useful insights towards this effort. Consequently, my working title, of which I am awaiting feedback when my supervisor is appointed early next year is;
DIMINISHING UNCERTAINTY TO ACCELERATE THE EXECUTION OF CLIMATE-CHANGE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH A SYSTEMIC INTERVENTION TO STRENGTHEN THE INNOVATION STRATEGY, OF THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE EXECUTION AGENCY OF DOMINICA (CREAD).
Setting the pace; Setting the goal
As you are already aware, this Dissertation Research Diary, is analogous to workshop where I can pound the raw data and rough ideas into shape before submitting them officially as part of any assignment due on the course. In a sense, this is an opportunity to give my initially thoughts flesh and breath into them a life of their own as blogs in their own right.
(Fig 1) A spray diagram depicting some potential subject areas that may make it into the T802 Research Project In figure 1 above, I begun the process of identifying subject areas from the postgraduate modules studies. This gives me a good idea of some the ground I will cover as seek to explore my chosen topic.
This dissertation will research the history of climate change adaptation in the Caribbean region, with emphasis on Dominica, and how CREAD will effect the technology transfer of the technologies and processes that will transform Dominica’s infrastructure and landscape to achieve sustainability, and also give the island the resources to withstand severe natural disasters, which are common in this region, and to rebound quickly from their effects.
The methodology I propose to use to gather data for this project, will comprise of primary research utilizing telephone interviews, email and social media questionnaires in conjunction with secondary research which will comprise of collecting books, published academic papers and other dissertations on key words searches such as ‘Dominica and climate change’ and Caribbean and climate change adaptation.’
My preliminary findings suggest that there is a gap in academic research on Dominica’s vulnerability and climate change adaptation efforts in the past, and more recently after Tropical Storm Erica did so much damage to the Eastern part of the island in 2015, that whole villages had to be evacuated and relocated. Some of the rehabilitation work on the rebuilding of homes survived Hurricane Maria, but 90% of other structures did not.
I will seek to explain how technology management and systems thinking can work together to inform the work of the CREAD to assess and implement measures to protect sectors, that are vulnerable to shock and or failure from natural and man-made disasters, such as Housing, Agriculture, tourism, education, health, transportation, telecommunications, air and seaport and utilities.
As part of my Primary research, I will not only target the key players in Dominica and the region in regard to disaster management and recovery, but also of the key organizations here in the UK and Europe, that have played a major part in Dominica’s ongoing recovery..
One would have thought, that after 6 years of being a mature, long-distance, undergraduate of the Open University (OU), which culminated with a BSc (Hons) Computing and IT in 2016, that at my age, 50+ that I would have had enough of spending my hard-earned earnings, studying books, contributing to online forums and writing up exams. To the contrary, after spending some quality time in deep reflection, I came to the conclusion, that a postgraduate qualification would be in my interest.
