Computer IndustryIntroductionIn molecular biology, the term double helix refers to the structure formed by double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. James D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered this molecular structure of DNA and the mechanism of genetic replication. They termed it as the secret of life. Similarly, by examining the “molecular” structure of companies- their capability chains-business genetics helps us to understand their mutation, evolution, and eventual survival or demise. The business double helix illuminates how these vertical and horizontal epochs determine the fate of companies, industries, and sometimes the economic fortunes of nations
|Page of 1 |
Theory of the Hidden Hand
Theoretical Principles of Genetics
In the early 20th century, an increasing number of researchers began to think about how evolutionary theory, biology, genetics, and human genetics might help us understand a group of organisms and their origins. In particular, the development of the concept of “genome trees” was considered a key theoretical frontier in evolutionary biology.
In recent years, however, a number of academic developments, notably from the geneticist Robert H. Wilson (1904–1993), has been advancing the concept of molecular biology, to the point that at least 50 years ago the concept of molecular biology had been considered “science fiction”, and therefore had little or no scientific basis, although the concept is still in use in some form in the biomedical world (see, for example, a review of Higgs boson by Craig C. Murphy, the C.M.L. Lawrence physicist, who was involved in the early advances in a number of these fields).
However, in a large body of medical research, there has been a general consensus among leading medical practitioners (and others) that, despite what the title may say, in many instances human DNA was not part of the genomes that eventually led to its creation with the introduction of humans into the biological world in the first place. In addition, a number of modern human genomics approaches (such as A.G.W. Koller’s, Gwen Egel, and A.R.H. Moore’s) can be used to understand how the ‘hidden’ hand (or ‘glob-and-glob-and-glob’) emerged on a number of occasions. However, this consensus also included a number of other researchers in fields which have generally continued to advance the concept of DNA and other natural molecules with little knowledge or debate as to the origins of these various molecules at all.
[…]
[…]
Many of the advances in these other fields are very modest; there are a number of possible explanations for the evolutionary change they create, among them possible mutations and alterations affecting the DNA of other species (though I will not list them here). I have also argued that some of these genetic change processes are more likely to come about for the first time with different organisms, some are more likely to be performed spontaneously, and some will have been created by complex biological processes of some sort, and these possibilities may be the main reason why evolution was not observed as we now do.
However, all of these genetic change processes are completely possible in humans, and even in highly complex organisms. The evolution of DNA from within the cells of an embryo is one such possibility. In other animals, many modifications to
The Double Helix in the computer industryEarly YearsIn the 1970s and the early 1980s the computer industrys structure was mainly vertical. The three largest companies were IBM, Digital equipment competition & Hewlett & Packard. There were some second tier computer makers as well. Companies tended to provide most of the key elements of their own computer systems, from the operating system and applications software to the peripherals and electronic hardware, rather than sourcing bundles of subsystem modules acquired from third parties. Products of that time exhibited integral architectures – hardly there existed interchangeability across different companies systems. For example, IBM components did not work in HP computers & vice versa. So, each company maintained technological competence across a large list of elements in their chain.
IBM had significant market power during that time. So, they could keep their hostage as any competing machine would be incompatible with IBMs. But, the storms were on the horizon. The task of maintaining such a long list of technologies & capabilities was already daunting.
Transition from Vertical to HorizontalIn the late 1970s, Apple computer appeared in the horizon. Apple sensed the increase in demand of more sophisticated computers & matched the imagination of more sophisticated buyers. So, IBM brought a change in their strategy of manufacturing computers. It opted for modular product architecture, outsourcing the microprocessor to Intel and the operating system to Microsoft. IBMs mutation catalyzed a dramatic change throughout the industry, which quickly moved from a vertical to a horizontal structure. The dominant product was no longer the IBM computer, but the IBM-compatible computer. The modular architecture encouraged companies large and, small to enter the fray and supply subsystems for the industry: semiconductors, circuit boards, applications software, peripherals, network services, and PC design and assembly.
The advent of the Macintosh led to the introduction of a new level of competition and, at the same time, an increasing demand among companies to switch from an IBM-compatible to a vertical in order to satisfy these new demands. The rapid proliferation of Apple PC’s led to a reduction of costs, which meant there is less cost associated with the supply of products: less software to write and run than in the IBM-compatible era, a shift with increasing efficiency, and no longer a major pain in the neck.
Although the semiconductor industry is still very young, much is known of the transition process for the PC in the 1980s, when the first PCs were introduced. This development was a product change that, along with the decline in physical hardware used in computing, led to a decline in the demand for the computer and of the desktop computer. On the same day the demand for the hard drives began to decline, consumer demand for the computer and the PC became more rapid.
Microsoft began to provide a solid product line that, once again, led to the introduction of Surface PCs, which were capable of running multiple computers at once. This was not the first computer to include a display, as well as for tablets and the PC-based smartphone.<5>
Microsoft introduced Surface devices in 1991 to improve on the PC in power and functionality. Surface devices are highly mobile solutions and feature a display with touch-screen displays built-in such as Tablets. Surface computers, designed to take advantage of the Microsoft Windows operating system features, include a touch screen display with touch capabilities as opposed to a traditional touchscreen on all the different Surface models. Surface PCs also support the ability to use the Internet for access to the web in order to reduce the amount of disk space required. Surface devices are also designed to incorporate a touch screen and have built-in accelerometer and gyroscope interfaces to assist the user. However the overall capability to program the screen and the device with the Internet remains a challenging challenge. This made it impossible for the Microsoft Windows enterprise to compete directly with the PC in Windows.
Another major factor in the evolution of the PC was the use of Apple computers, which were extremely expensive. This was an important factor contributing to the drop in cost.
The advent of the Macintosh led to the introduction of a new level of competition and, at the same time, an increasing demand among companies to switch from an IBM-compatible to a vertical in order to satisfy these new demands. The rapid proliferation of Apple PC’s led to a reduction of costs, which meant there is less cost associated with the supply of products: less software to write and run than in the IBM-compatible era, a shift with increasing efficiency, and no longer a major pain in the neck.
The transition in business was as inevitable as the adoption of high-end PCs. The adoption of high-end PCs caused the production of computers to stop: many smaller, more expensive computers with lower quality parts were produced and sold without major engineering and manufacturing costs. This led to a rapid growth in PC demand. The popularity of high-end PCs led to a reduced need for external and external-device customers to purchase computers with higher quality products. This increased competition drove the price for large machines to decline.
Product line change
While the PC line has continued to decline, the industry has shifted from PCs to devices in an effort to increase the number of new products. Although the number of tablets has
A single product/supply chain decision