| **************************************** Decision Support News D. J. Power, Editor January 31, 2021 Vol. 22, No. 03 A biweekly publication on analytics and decision support from DSSResources.com and PlanningSkills.com Inaugural DSS newsletter issue was May 10, 2000, this is issue 539. In this issue 1) In Memoriam - Daniel J. Power, 1950-2021 2) Dan Power Obituary 3) Who are the Luddites? **************************************** 1) In Memoriam - Daniel J. Power, 1950-2021 It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Daniel J. Power, creator and editor of DSSResources.com. Dan started DSSResources.com as DSS Research Resources in 1995, before either Google or Wikipedia were created. The site moved to DSSResources.com in 1998 and he started this newsletter in May 2000. We will all remember Dan's kindness and his dedication to his students and the decision support research community. We include here his last column, which he finished shortly before he died. -- Alexander Power, on behalf of Dan's family **************************************** 2) Dan Power Obituary Dr. Daniel Joseph Power, 70, of Cedar Falls, passed away unexpectedly at home on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, from natural causes. He was born February 9, 1950, in Waterloo, son of LaVern "Joseph" and Maxine (Jindrich) Power. Dan graduated from West High School with the Class of 1968; then earned his Bachelor of Science in 1974 and his Master of Arts in 1977 from the University of Iowa; and his MBA in 1981 and his PhD in 1982 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His first faculty position was with the University of Maryland-College Park where he met the graduate assistant to a colleague with a neighboring office, Carol Pokodner. Dan and Carol were married January 12, 1985, at the Beth Torah Congregation of Hyattsville, MD. They moved their family to Cedar Falls in August of 1989 when Dan became Professor and Management Department Head in the College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa. In 1996, he served as Acting Dean for the College of Business and remained, to date, an active member of the Faculty. Dan's expertise was renowned and he served as a lecturer or visiting scholar abroad at universities in Italy, Spain, India, Ireland, Brazil, Columbia, Russia, China and Turkey. He was a widely published author of numerous journals and seven books. For the full obituary, please visit https://www.dahlfuneralhome.com/obituary/daniel-power **************************************** 3) Who are the Luddites? by Daniel J. Power Over the years, the word luddite has been used as a derogatory term to poke fun at those who resist technology change. "Oh, he is just a luddite" is a disparaging phrase that implies that a person's views can be ignored or dismissed. As technologists, especially in computing and information technology, it is easy for us to develop the notion that technology is inherently good and that greater use of technology is both desirable and inevitable. Adoption of information technology has had many benefits, but there have also been negative consequences and unanticipated undesirable side effects. The Luddites were "victims" of technology change more than 200 years ago. At the start of the 19th century, the Luddites were a secret oath-based organization of English textile workers who destroyed textile machinery as a form of protest. No one knows for sure but some sources indicate the group took their name from Ned Ludd (perhaps a fictional character), a weaver from Anstey, near Leicester. The Luddites protested against manufacturers who used machines in what they called "a fraudulent and deceitful manner" to get around standard labor practices. According to Andrews (2015), most Luddites "were trained artisans who had spent years learning their craft, and they feared that unskilled machine operators were robbing them of their livelihood." Many Luddites were owners of workshops that had closed because factories could sell the same products for less. But when workshop owners set out to find a job at a factory, it was very hard to find one because producing things in factories required fewer workers than producing those same things in a workshop. Luddites were fighting for fair treatment of workers more than they were waging a war against technology and progress, cf., Coren (2017). At the end of the 20th century the term was used more generally to refer to anyone opposed to industrialization, automation, computerization, and other new technologies. Modern day Luddites may be concerned about Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Smart factories taking jobs. Some of the concerns about job obsolescence are real. If you are still using a flip phone or can't sort out streaming services, some may call you a Luddite. Being called a Luddite means you are a radical and a renegade in a technology dependent World. The Luddite unrest ended with the shooting, hanging or transporting to Australia of protesters, cf., Andrews (2015). The movement was suppressed with the use of military force. Luddites are remembered by some of us. For example, Brain (n.d.) calls the Luddites "pioneers in this struggle against machinery replacing the work of men". So as decision support researchers and practitioners we can admit to being technologists, but we should look carefully and rationally at the consequences of recommending and adopting new technology. Society will benefit from more critical reflection and evaluation of the technological world we are building, cf., Frischmann (2018). So when someone promotes use of a new technology, ask who benefits and who may be harmed? Remember Ned Ludd! References at http://dssresources.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&id=533 ****************************************** Check Power, D., C. Heavin, J. McDermott & M. Daly (2018), "Defining business analytics: an empirical approach," Journal of Business Analytics, 1:1, 40-53, DOI: 10.1080/2573234X.2018.1507605 . Read this article at https://doi.org/10.1080/2573234X.2018.1507605. ****************************************** You may read this issue of Decision Support News online at http://dssresources.com/newsletters/542.php **************************************** Free book PDF: Power, D., Decision Support Systems: Concepts and Resources for Managers (2002) at https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facbook/67/ ****************************************** Sponsors Become a Business Expert Press author http://dssresources.com/news/3335.php New book: Power, D. and C. Heavin, Data-Based Decision Making and Digital Transformation, Business Expert Press, 2018 at URL http://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/data-based-decision-making-and-digital-transformation/. Power & Heavin (2018) argue "Digital disruption is accelerating. Implementing a successful digital transformation strategy requires that senior managers make trade-off decisions to reinvent a business. Equally important all decision makers must learn to ask the right questions, use data and computer support in decision making, and increase their knowledge and skills. Creating a data-centric culture and rewarding data-based decision making leads to successful digital transformation." ****************************************** You may leave the DSS News mailing list by sending an email to dssnews+unsubscribe@uni.edu ****************************************** About Decision Support News Decision Support News is copyrighted (c) 2021. The DSS News mailing list is hosted by the University of Northern Iowa in the spirit of cooperation with the network community. The opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the University or its employees. The University shall not be liable for any damages which may result directly or indirectly from errors or omissions in or application of information distributed via this group. Thanks to the University of Northern Iowa. |