Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
credit bureau. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this alternative approach
to lending money?
Computers are now embedded in many devices on which we depend, from traf-
fic signals to pacemakers. Software errors have resulted in injury and even death. When
bugs result in harm to humans, what should the liability be for the people or corpora-
tions that produced the software?
When employees use IT devices in their work, companies can monitor their actions
closely. For example, a company can track the number of calls per minute each of its
telephone operators is handling. It can document the number of keystrokes per minute
of its data entry operators. It can log all of the Web sites its employees visit, and it can
read the email they send and receive at work. How does such monitoring affect the
workplace? Does it create an unacceptable level of stress among employees?
IT is allowing more people than ever to work from home. What are the advantages
and disadvantages of telecommuting?
IT capabilities are leading to changes in the IT industry itself. Silicon Valley used
to be the epicenter of the IT industry, but improvements in the speed and reliability
of communication networks have led to a more decentralized landscape. Hotspots of
innovation now include Seattle, Washington (Amazon, Expedia, and Microsoft), Austin,
Texas (Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems, and Dell), Walldorf, Germany (SAP),
and Bangalore, India (Infosys and Wipro). US-based software companies are doing more
development in countries where salaries are much lower, such as India, China, and
Vietnam [7]. Will this trend continue? How many software jobs in the United States
will be lost to countries where labor is significantly cheaper?
Human rights organizations have criticized Foxconn, the contract manufacturer
that makes electronic devices for Apple, Amazon, Dell, and HP, for placing its Chinese
employees in unsafe working conditions and forcing them to work longer than the
Chinese legal maximum of 49 hours per week [47]. Should consumers of electronic
devices boycott products that are made under unsafe or illegal conditions, or would such
boycotts actually make conditions worse for workers in developing nations by depriving
them of an income?
The World Wide Web has provided an unprecedented opportunity for individuals
and nongovernmental organizations to have their points of view made available to bil-
lions. This could bring about new levels of citizen involvement and democratic reform.
On the other hand, some countries are making large portions of the Web unavailable to
their citizens. Will the Web prove to be a tool for democracy, or will it be muzzled by
repressive regimes?
We are living in the Information Age, an era characterized by ubiquitous computing
and communication devices that have made information much easier to collect, trans-
mit, store, and retrieve. These devices are the culmination of centuries of technological
