Some personal names are linked to certain iconic products. In the arena of music instruments alone, there is a long and distinguished history of this: There are the Stradivarius violins and the Fender and the Les Paul guitars. If you had the opportunity, what would your name be linked with? What product or service would put your name on everyone's lips? In this Discussion, you will consider what your own company would do and how it would do it.

To complete this Discussion:

Post: Presume that you are going to establish your own company in the field of your expertise. Characterise briefly what the company should perform and how. Describe the organisational structure of your company. Then formulate its mission. The mission should express all your above ideas in one sentence.

Discussion: Taylor's standardised processes

Frederick Winslow Taylor, the great pioneer of industrial efficiency, made his observations and great strides towards a scientific understanding of production through watching workers in factories. In particular, he worked in the steel industry in the late 19th century, where men lifted and carried ingots of iron; the carrying capacity of varying shovels for different physical materials was important to him. Do his insights still apply in a post-industrial economy? In particular, does the field of information technology have anything to learn from Taylor's methods, methods created to do business in another century in a completely different economy? In this Discussion, you will consider the applicability of Taylor's principles to software processes.

To complete this Discussion:

Post: Consider the sentence: 'Taylor-like methods are not applicable to software design and development processes'.

Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Select a position which is close to your personal standpoint. Collect arguments supporting your position and refuting the opposite one. In every particular case, identify the idea(s) you are opposing. Explain why you consider it (or its specified part) wrong and why.