Public Transportation Industry Analysis Instructions

Conduct and report on an investigation of the typical technology used to support the Public Transportation industry.

For the Public Transportation industry, first create a general industry business analysis overview. The analysis should include the most significant financial, competitive and other relevant business factors. This overview will set the stage for the industry technical analysis.

In the analysis, examine:

Competitive Environment

• What is the size of the Industry (dollars, units sold, etc)
• Sales trends, seasonality, economic sensitivity
• What are the sub-industries/segments.
• What are the roles in the market
• Who are the leaders and what are their market shares?

Industry Environment

• Who are the primary customers?
• Who are key suppliers
• What is the market stability?
• Key Issues and regulatory concerns (especially as they affect technology)

Financial Aspects

• Average annual expenditures in the industry for IT – if available
• IT Expenditures as a percentage of revenues. – if available

Applications & Technologies

• Commonly deployed systems
• Industry specific applications & technologies
• Leading developers of applications

Standards as they apply to technology

• Use/influence of standards in the industry
• Industry Standards Bodies and Working Groups

Trends and Innovation

• Technology trends in the Industry
• Recent innovations and game changers (disruptive technologies)
• Where are the hot spots in the industry (customer interest, new innovations, deep thinkers, or other)?

The technology of focus is not the technology the industry uses in its products.  It is the technology the industry uses to run its business and build its products. Companies deploy massive amounts of design route and vehicle automation tools, alternative fuels, telematics and logistics management systems, and other technologies which should be covered in the analysis.  The paper should talk about:

• How much is being spent on these things
• How they are financed
• Implications of where technologies are located

The paper should also discuss:

• who are the leading suppliers of these technologies?
• What systems and applications are used to support the business and help them obtain their business objectives?

The Industry Technology Analysis can be submitted in either an APA format or as a Slide presentation, in either case all sources need to be documented, and a significant amount of graphics in their report is encouraged.