Technology: A Global Economic-Social Force

2. Chapter 13 Technology: A Global Economic-Social Force The Explosive Force of Technology The Emergence of High-Technology Business Technology in Our Daily Lives Special Issue: The Digital Divide

3. The explosive force of technology Technology The application of science, especially in industry or commerce. • Change is the dominant feature of technology • Technology’s effects are widespread. • Technology is self-reinforcing.

4. Figure 13.1 Phases in the development of technology

5. Factors fueling technological growth Economic expansion and worker productivity • During the 1990s, U.S. businesses poured more than $2 trillion into computers, software, and other technology products. This helped sustain the economic boom that carried global business into the 21st century. • During the late 1990s, productivity grew at almost twice the rate of the previous two decades. Thus, businesses could afford more technology and workers were more adept at accepting technological improvements. Research and development investment • Private R & D budgets steadily increased in the late 1990s, but dropped in recent years. • The U.S. government annually provided more than $60 billion to support technology-based research and development.

6. Technology and E-commerce E-commerce Business exchanges that consist of buying and selling goods electronically. • Web pages advertised businesses’ products and services over the Internet. • Following the explosion of the Internet, e-commerce offered businesses a way to raise new capital and reduce their costly overhead. • Global financial markets were also revolutionized by the Internet by lowering the cost of saving and borrowing for investors.

7. The top 10 global web portals Figure 13.2

8. Figure 13.3 Surfing the global Internet wave

9. Technology in our daily lives • The Internet A global electronic communications network linking individuals and organizations. • M-commerce Commerce conducted via mobile or cellular telephones. • Broadband access Refers to an Internet connection that permits high-speed data transfer. • Technology and education • Medical information via the Internet

10. Figure 13.4a Significant developments in the evolution of the computer 1977 Apple II is introduced to consumers. 1981 IBM PC is introduced to consumers. 1984 Apple Macintosh introduces consumers to the mouse and graphical user interface. 1994 Commercial users go online and the World Wide Web is born. Source: See “The Course of Change,” The Wall Street Journal, November 16, 1998, p.R4.

11. Figure 13.4b Significant predictions in the evolution of the computer 2001 Satellite network revolutionizes high-speed data communications around the world. 2003 Voice recognition is incorporated into handheld personal computer technology. 2005 Access to the Internet is available to all in developed countries. 2007 Internet sales account for all business-to-business transactions and 25 percent of all retail sales. 2008 Telephones provide translations, making cross-language communication easier. 2008 Electronic cash arrives, making handheld currency obsolete. 2010 Supercomputers perform as many calculations as the human brain. Source: See “The Course of Change,” The Wall Street Journal, November 16, 1998, p.R4.

12. The power of the Internet for learning Key recommendations from Congressional report: • Make powerful new Internet resources widely and equitably available and affordable for all learners. • Build a new research framework of how people learn in the Internet age. • Revise outdated regulations that impede innovation and replace them with approaches that embrace anytime, anywhere, any pace learning. • Protect online learners and ensure their privacy. • Sustain funding that is adequate to the challenge at hand.