The Essential of Innovation: Amtrak Tech - Essay Example

In recent years, there has been vast progress in the field of technology. The command of technology in economic development has emerged to be inevitable all over the international arena. The technology of a company consists of two basic types of technologies, i.e. hard and soft technologies which are categorized based on the sources. For instance, the sources of technologies that are identified to be education-oriented, system-oriented, and network-oriented can be referred to as soft technologies. Soft technologies can be categorized according to their application field also. In a similar context, hard technologies are categorized as those which are developed with the application of natural science and are allied with the physical world (Jin, 2002).

Both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ technologies are used for managing the teams of launched national as well as global products in Amtrak Tech. Hard technology deals with the electronic means used in the communication process that focuses on making use of fax machines, computers, digital coders, and decoders along with various defense equipment; whereas, soft technology is the logical technology that surrounds an individual such as technological intelligence along with institutional mechanisms possessed by its employees worldwide (Amtrak Technologies, n.d.).

However, it is worth mentioning that there are a few barriers that affect the technology implementations in Amtrak Tech. Lack of vision is often regarded as the first barrier where the company fails to adopt new technologies from a futuristic point of view. It is in this context that leadership quality needs to be maintained on a regular basis. Inadequate availability of the required funds can also be identified as an important barrier to technology. Hence, Amtrak Tech should always check for the availability of funds to grow toward technology advancements. The infrastructure of the company is also quite important in this respect. There should be enough spacing to set up new machinery and thus promote progress in the hard technology segment (Cathleen Norris & Elliot Soloway, 2011).

In the modern-day context, it is quite necessary to continuously advance in the targeted sector, i.e. the technology sector in the case of Amtrak Tech. It is worth mentioning in this regard that both the hard and the soft technologies used by the organization in its national and international operations are principally related to knowledge systems and majorly focus on innovations. Therefore, the protection of both hard and soft technologies can emerge as a crucial challenge for Amtrak Tech in its global operations to preserve its competency. In this respect, the company should focus on the continuous attainment of updated information regarding the various stakeholders’ needs including the environment, customers, employees, and even the shareholders to enhance its soft technology contributions. The enhanced knowledge can be further utilized to focus on technology advancements in the hard technology sector (Unfccc, 2006; Jin, 2005).