Vaporware: Helpful or Hurtful?

“Vaporware” are products that have not been released in the market and sometimes do not exist but they are advertised anyways to help generate publicity for a particular company.  According to “Strategic Management of Technological Innovation” by Mellissa Schilling on page 80, she mentions how “by building the impression among customers that a product is ubiquitous, firms can prompt rapid adoption of a product when it is available.”  One example of this is how Nintendo advertised Nintendo 64 well before it was ready to be released.  In this instance Nintendo was successful in convincing many customers to wait until its new system was released and not go out and buy another product.

           

I think this is interesting though because this concept can work in both good and bad ways for a company.  If they hold out on the product for too long they can lose almost all of their customers before the product is even released.  Also there have been many different vaporware products that have been announced yet they never surface at all. An example of this is WinFS which is supposed to have been a new file system that was said to be released with Windows Vista when it was released but never did.  Vaporware like this can help the company initially by promoting an image of innovation and advancement but if the products are not released on time, they can also lose the trust of their customers who are unable to gauge whether or not the next product from that company will actually be released.  I think the only time vaporware is a good tool is if the company is positive that it is a project that they will be undertaking and not just an idea that is not even within their grasps yet. 

Top 15 Vaporware Products

The Pentagon: Technology Cluster in itself

The Pentagon is one of the World’s largest office buildings in the world, and once you walk through the doors you see that it as if there is a city inside of the building.  Numerous amounts of businesses line the halls including grocery stores, RMVs, luggage stores, hair salons and much more.  Over 23,000 people work inside this complex and it seems to be a technology cluster in itself.  Inside, the businesses are linked directly with their consumers because of their close proximity and the exchange is made easier for everyone. This setup reminds me of the Science Park in Taiwan.  In that park there are over 400 technology businesses alone, along with everything else needed to sustain a city.  Although, the science parks are much bigger there are some similarities in how everything is confined in one area.  This is a great setup for the businesses that are in the Pentagon because they do not face too much competition because of the convenience factor.  It is a lot easier for someone that works in the building to make a purchase from them during a lunch break, rather than leave the complex. 

I think that the setup of the Pentagon especially enables the US Department of Defense to communicate a lot quicker rather than if they were spread out across Washington DC in different buildings.  Even though technology has become very advanced, being able to walk to any part of the building in 7 minutes and communicate with other offices with the touch of a button allows them to exchange knowledge more freely.  It also allows for better exchanging of tacit knowledge and an ability to interact without complications.      

Organizational Creativity: The innovative ideas you are looking for could be found where you least expect it.

http://www.newsok.com/your-business-coach-innovation-at-work-creativity-in-the-workplace/article/3493994?custom_click=headlines_widget


         According to the article “Your business coach: Innovation at work, creativity in the workplace” written by Steven Watts and published in NewsOk, there are currently many limitations being placed on individual's creativity, and if workplaces wish to get ahead they should try and foster the type of environment where new ideas are encouraged and rewarded. The article goes on to talk about how they should hire people with “diverse backgrounds and different knowledge bases,” so that creativity can flourish. This will increase the flow of ideas within a company and help to aid them in their pursuance of a highly innovative company.

        Strategic Management of Technological Innovation by Melissa A. Schilling talks about the importance of Organizational Creativity in Chapter 2. Implementing systems where employees are able to submit their ideas as well as give feedback on co-workers suggestions has become a great resource for companies.  Instead of relying on a team that is solely there to produce creative ideas, by tapping into the rest of the company’s resources they are opening up the doors for great improvements and innovations. Every person looks at a situation differently so when you take views from people from different parts of a company that all have different opinions and knowledge bases, each person can add a new perspective to the situation.  This creates a win-win situation because not only does the company benefit from this influx of new ideas, but it promotes a feeling of inclusion for the employees who realize that they are an integral part of the company.