Management Information Systems I
Case Study 7
“Can Cars Drive Themselves—And Should They?”
Submitted
March 24, 2021
Case Summary and Key Issues
Believing to become a trillion-dollar market, every major automaker is eager to develop
autonomous vehicles. Companies such as; Tesla, Nissan, Mercedes, Ford have all invested
billions into the autonomous technology as it reached a point where no automaker can ignore it.
Companies such as Uber and Lyft believe driverless cars are a key to profitability as they don’t
have to pay for labor of drivers anymore. Although it’s not easy, a car taking over a human skill
of driving requires very powerful computer systems that must be able to process and analyze
large amount of data. Components include; sensors, cameras, lidars, gps, radars, etc. these parts
contribute to what a self-driving car needs to do to ensure a safe driving experience. Many issues
such as accidents resulting in death or injury, different factors that can confuse the computer
(weather, traffic, construction), have become a major concern as self-driving cars are being
developed ad tested. As these issues are taken into consideration, founder of Tesla Elon Musk
believes self-driving cars are the way to go and envisions that traffic accidents would be
eliminated as well and disabled, and elderly are allowed to have the ability to drive.
Case Study Questions
1.Managment challenges posed by self-driving car technology can include he high cost of
resource and research development and would overall have a higher financial cost than other
vehicles without this feature. Additionally, a main issue with the business models of the cars is
making the autonomous cars aware of street signs, road markings, construction, and pedestrians
using an algorithm. Computers maybe quick but they aren’t human and lack thinking and
problems solving skills that basic humans have which can been seen as a risk for a computer to
have full control. Moving on to organizational challenges, it may include the sharing of data
between two or more companies which is very critical in making a good self-driving car. As well
as the car owner’s privacy as most people connect phone via Bluetooth, their information could
be accessed in an unwanted way. Lastly, many challenges regarding technology have been the
main issues that arise with self-driving vehicles. Situations such as when a woman was struck
and killed by a self-moving car are what makes us question if a computer can or should be
allowed to operate in public like that. The compute couldn’t register the women as a pedestrian.
Also concerns about how the AI can’t pick up weather hazards such as rain, snow, ice, which
have major factors contributing to how a driver adjusts the speed of their car for the safety of
everyone.
2. This technology will be in high demand in the coming years, and the sector's growth rate will
be steadily rising. If the problems with technology, organization, and management can be fixed
of improved, I believe in will be a great investment in the future. Not only for investors and
companies because it will be in such a high demand, but a great investment for certain
consumers. For example, if a busy individual whose life revolves around work had a self-driving
car, they can be more efficient and on the ride to work can completed some work, get ready, or
even eat, saving them more time and being more efficient.
3. Intersections, crosswalks, bike lanes, and intersections are factors that the self-driving cars had
a hard time picking up on. There are so many maps and roadways that one generic map system
for all the vehicles is required, and whenever there is a wreck or road construction, the system
must be updated so that the machines can reroute their destinations if they are affected by the
problems. If these problems aren’t fixed and the AI cannot pick up and react accordingly to these
obstacles, society is going to have a big problem about self-driving vehicles.
4. At the rate at which technology is advancing, I don’t see why self-driving cars wouldn’t be
able to operate without human operators. No doubt in my mind will these companies find
solution for the technological issues and these cars will be on public roads in the future.
However, I do believe many individuals will not be happy with the decision, but not as any
individuals who cannot wait to invest in such a high-tech way of living.
Research and Commentary
Self-driving cars have the potential to and already been able to transform the transportation
industry. Newer cars on the market today are already integrating main factors that go into a selfdriving car such as parking and collision detection. We may have a long way to go in terms of
getting a perfect model reducing issues that have come up in the past years of testing, but it is
said that technology companies and automaker companies estimate that level 4 self-driving cars
can be seen sold in the market in the next several years. What is level 4 self-diving vehicle?
They’re are layers of autonomy that car technology can be classified under. Level 0: all major
systems are controlled by humans, level 1: systems, such as cruise control or automatic braking,
may be controlled by the car, level 2: the car offers at least two simultaneous automated
functions but requires humans for safe operation, level 3: the car can manage all safety-critical
functions under certain conditions, but the driver is expected to take over when alerted, level 4:
the car is fully-autonomous in some driving scenarios, though not all, and lastly level 5: the car is
completely capable of self-driving in every situation. If it is expected that level 4 cars can be
seen in the upcoming years, I believe somewhere in a near future we will live in a fully car
automated society.
Bibliography
Adams, E. (2020, September 25). Why we're still years away from having self-driving cars.
Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/9/25/21456421/whyself-driving-cars-autonomous-still-years-away
Noonan, K. (2019, September 30). What does the future hold for self-driving cars? Retrieved
March 24, 2021, from https://www.fool.com/investing/what-does-the-future-hold-for-selfdriving-cars.aspx
Self-Driving cars Explained. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/self-driving-cars101#:~:text=Currently%2C%20there%20are%20no%20legally,independent%2C%20self%
2Ddriving%20prototypes.
Walker, A. (2020, January 08). Are self-driving cars safe for our cities? Retrieved March 24,
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