Business, Information Technology and Society

A complete and readable introduction to the nature and impact of new information and communication technologies on business and society. This book assumes no prior study of either business or information technology. It provides ideal introductory reading on the nature and uses of business information systems for business undergraduates. Computing students will also find it an invaluable guide to the business and social implications of their subject. Although written from a British perspective, it emphasizes the global impact of new technology and draws upon examples from the USA, Europe, Japan and the Newly Industrialized Countries of the Pacific rim. Computing technology develops and is applied as a result of conscious choices both in society as a whole, and within the organizations that use it. It is also constrained by the wider society within which such organizations operate, and influenced by a variety of interactions between people, data, hardware and software, organizations and their social environment. This book emphasizes the need to ensure that IT is deliberately used to serve the public interest in society and the strategy of the organization concerned by considering all kinds of organizations, including manufacturing, services, the public sector and not-for-profit organizations.