BUSN4100 Business Research Methods

Introduction

With the change in the technology, technological changes are taking place in the environment. The self-driving car is one of the outcomes of the changing technology. Self-driving cars are automated cars or a robotic vehicle which are being designed for traveling between destinations without a human operator. The concept of self-driving cars has gained much attention due to the features offered by this technology. The concept of the self-driving car started in 1920. Self-driving cars have full control and permit the driver to conduct other tasks (Levinson, 2015). For being a self-driving car, a car must be capable of navigating without the intervention of human to reach the destination. A vast array of sensors is being used in the self-driving cars for understanding the environment around the vehicle and using the information for navigating towards the destination without human assistance. Different companies are engaged in development and testing of the self-driving cars. These companies include Audi, BMW, Google, General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford and Volvo (Eriksson, 2017).

According to Heineke, et. al. (2018) self-driving cars are seen as the greatest revolution in the transportation. It is expected that the concept of self-driving cars will change the transportation industry. Self-driving cars use cameras, sensors and advanced software for the interpretation and responding to the traffic and surroundings on the road. There are various advantages and disadvantages attached to the use of self-driving cars. Main advantages of using self-driving cars are reducing the number of road accidents, freedom to passengers for conducting other things, mobility for the disabled people, children and elders, reduces efforts and cost, reduces traffic congestion, enhances the highway capacity, reduces the consumption of fuel, contributes to human productivity, better compliance with traffic rules, higher speed limits and provides more versatile cars which are lighter in weight (Litman, 2013). Main disadvantages of using self-driving cars include chances of getting hacked, sensor failure chances, chances of accidents increases, vanished job opportunities, cost hidden behind the implementation of new technology and struggles while seeing in inclement weather (Goodman, 2016).

Area and purpose of the research

The chosen research area is an area of technology where changes are taking place very frequently. Self-driving cars are the latest innovation in the transportation industry which is expected to create an impact on the society. The motive behind this innovation is to ensure the safety of the passengers by reducing the cases of road accidents (Eriksson, 2017). Data will be assembled and presented regarding the trending concept “Self-driving cars”. Different aspects of self-driving cars will be covered in this research for enhancing the knowledge and analyzing the various reasons behind this innovation in the transport industry.

Constant innovations are taking place in the automobile industry which has given rise to the concept of self-driving cars. It will take some time to bring the self-driving cars on the roads all around the globe but it is expected that this innovation will affect the society at large. A major concern of the transportation industry is related to the safety and security of the passengers. Constant innovations are taking place in the industry with a motive to enhance the safety and security of the passengers (Muoio, 2016). This research program will focus on developing knowledge of the trending concept of self-driving cars. Different aspects related to self-driving cars will be discussed in this research program. This research will develop knowledge of the trending concept which has been widely targeted all around the globe.

Impact of this innovation will be seen in the society. This technology will be beneficial for the different groups of the society. The motive behind this innovation is to enhance the satisfaction level of the different groups of the society. Different groups who will get benefited with this innovation are elders, disabled people, people who do not know how to drive and children (Surden & Williams, 2016). Stakeholders for this research program will be the different groups of the society who will get to know about the concept of self-driving vehicles and benefits of self-driving cars to these groups. This research will help in spreading knowledge regarding this concept.

This research program has been conducted on the topic “Self-driving cars”. The concept of self-driving cars is gaining much importance due to the various advantages attached to the concept. This research program has been initiated with an objective to analyze the concept of self-driving cars. The discussion will be made regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using self-driving cars. Different factors will be discussed which are responsible for increasing popularity of the concept of self-driving cars. The focus will be on using quality journals or sources for the accumulation of the required information for the research topic. Relevant data will be presented so as to develop regarding the research topic.

Research questions

Research questions are framed for forming a base on the basis of which data regarding the topic of the research will be assembled. Research questions for this research program are listed below:

Primary Question

• What is the trend of the concept of self-driving cars in the current environment?

Secondary Questions

• What are the pros and cons of using self-driving cars?
• Which factors have increased the demand for the self-driving cars?

References

Eriksson, M. (2017) The normativity of automated driving: A case study of embedding norms in technology. Information and Communications Technology Law 26(1): 46–58.

Goodman, P. (2016) Advantages and Disadvantages of Driverless Cars [Online]. Available from: https://axleaddict.com/safety/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Driverless-Cars [Accessed 28 February 2018]

Heineke, K., Kampshoff, P., Mkrtchyan, A. & Shao, E. (2018) Self-driving car technology: When will the robots hit the road? [Online]. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/self-driving-car-technology-when-will-the-robots-hit-the-road [Accessed 28 February 2018]

Levinson, D. (2015) Climbing Mount Next: The Effects of Autonomous Vehicles on Society. Journal of Law Science and Technology, Vo. 16, No. 2, pp. 787-809.

Litman, T. (2013) The New Transportation Planning Paradigm. ITE Journal, Vo. 83, No. 6, pp. 20-28.

Muoio, D. (2016) 6 scenarios self-driving cars still can't handle [Online]. https://www.businessinsider.in/6-scenarios-self-driving-cars-still-cant-handle/articleshow/53860742.cms [Accessed 28 February 2018]

Surden, H. & Williams, M. A. (2016) Technological opacity, predictability, and self-driving cars. Cardozo Law Review 38: 121–181.