The Social Impact of Information and

Communication Technology

Sudhendu Bali4 August, 2010

Guest FacultyUniversity Institute of Applied Management Sciences,

Panjab University, Chandigarh

Explain the benefits and drawbacks of the use of information and communication technology in: manufacturing, industry, commerce, medicine, the home, education tele-working.

Computers and Employment

Has machinery displaced workers? Steam engine turbines – Industrial revolution. Factory workers and robotics.

Have computers replaced workers? Have more jobs have been created by the new

technology (computerisation)? What has happened to clerical workers over the

last 20 years? Have their skills changed ?

More jobs:Computer manufacturers,

delivery drivers, call centre employees, etc.

More jobs:Computer manufacturers,

delivery drivers, call centre employees, etc.

Skills:Constant retraining

needed

Skills:Constant retraining

neededMore flexibility:

No longer jobs for life

More flexibility:No longer jobs for life

Working patterns:More flexible

employment/working, more part time working

Working patterns:More flexible

employment/working, more part time working

Telecommuting:Working from

home

Telecommuting:Working from

home

JobsJobs

New jobs:Programmers, web

designers, ICT teachers, etc.

New jobs:Programmers, web

designers, ICT teachers, etc.

Fewer jobs:Filing clerks, shop

workers, postal workers; manual/repetitive jobs

replaced

Fewer jobs:Filing clerks, shop

workers, postal workers; manual/repetitive jobs

replaced

The Changing Nature of Employment

What has happened to the Farm and Factory workers?

What are the Service industries? How do computers assist employment in the

Service industry? Consider: banking, travel, supermarket etc.

Has computerisation given greater job satisfaction? Consider: engineering, architecture, accounting

etc.

Changing Locations of Work

Where did the population move from/to during the Industrial revolution?

With Communications technology is this being reversed?

Where does data processing need to be done, in the office or at the end of a ‘phone line? Consider Telecom and Airline and Banking using

call centres, where are these centres?

Tele-working What is Tele-working? What are the benefits of Tele-working?

Consider: environment, commuting, working hours, commitments, space saving, team-working in a network.

What are the problems with Tele-working? Consider: management, organisational loyalty,

social isolation, separation of work with leisure time.

Would you do any form of Tele-working? Consider doing school-work at home and e-

mailing it to your teacher.

The Other Side What happens to older workers who may find it

difficult to re-train to adapt to the new technology?

What happens to people that do not have access to the new technology?

What about people who try to ignore the new technology?

What can happen when people rely on technology? Consider: back up systems for breakdown, fault

handling, natural accidents, malicious damage.

Using ICT to Run a Small Business

What could the following software packages be useful for? Spreadsheet Graphics Word Processing Desktop publishing Database Accounts E-mail Internet browser

Other:Paperless office, teleconferencing

Other:Paperless office, teleconferencing

Robots:Used on production lines – repetitive/hazardous jobs,

reduces human error, increases efficiency

Robots:Used on production lines – repetitive/hazardous jobs,

reduces human error, increases efficiency

Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM):

Control of the manufacture process by computer

Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM):

Control of the manufacture process by computer

Internet:Drastically changed

the businesses operate

Internet:Drastically changed

the businesses operate

BusinessBusiness

Computer Aided Design (CAD):

3D designs, scale drawings, interface with manufacturing machines

Computer Aided Design (CAD):

3D designs, scale drawings, interface with manufacturing machines

Teleworking:Fewer desks needed – hot desking, workers

control the times they work, etc.

Teleworking:Fewer desks needed – hot desking, workers

control the times they work, etc.

IT in Banking

How is IT used in Banking? Consider: telephone banking, Internet banking,

ATM’s, Debit cards, Credit cards, MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) e.g. cheque processing, Direct debiting, etc.

How is IT used with a Store Card?

Internet Shopping

Home Banking:Customers use the

internet or telephone to administer their

account

Home Banking:Customers use the

internet or telephone to administer their

account

Cheque Processing:Cheques are scanned, account numbers read (MICR) to identify the

account

Cheque Processing:Cheques are scanned, account numbers read (MICR) to identify the

account

EFT:Credit/Debit card details sent for

authorisation, from retailers or ATMs

EFT:Credit/Debit card details sent for

authorisation, from retailers or ATMs

Credit/Debit Cards:Magnetic stripe holds

the card details which are read when

swiped

Credit/Debit Cards:Magnetic stripe holds

the card details which are read when

swiped

Cash Machines:Automated Teller

Machine (ATM) – “hole in the wall” access to

bank accounts

Cash Machines:Automated Teller

Machine (ATM) – “hole in the wall” access to

bank accounts

Smart Cards:Chip and Pin – data held on a small silicon chip rather than

magnetic stripe, customer enters a pin rather than signs

receipt

Smart Cards:Chip and Pin – data held on a small silicon chip rather than

magnetic stripe, customer enters a pin rather than signs

receipt

Money and Banking

Money and Banking

Automated Payments:Bankers Automated Clearing House (BACS) – Credits, e.g.

salary payments, etc.; Debits, e.g. direct debits, loan

payments, etc.

Automated Payments:Bankers Automated Clearing House (BACS) – Credits, e.g.

salary payments, etc.; Debits, e.g. direct debits, loan

payments, etc.

Electronic Funds Transfer

Manufacturing

How are computers used in manufacturing? Consider: order processing, stock reports and

replacement, progress tracking. Project management – budgets, on-time.

What is CAD (Computer aided Design)? What is CAM (Computer aided Manufacture)?

Medicine Give some example where computers are used in

the Health service? Consider: records, databases, computerised medical

devices, monitoring, expert systems (diagnosis), surgery.

What is an expert (knowledge-based) system? Consider: image capture and processing.

What is robotic surgery? Consider: operations.

How important are computers for the disabled? Consider: blind, deaf, special devices, implants.

The Patient at the Center of Care

Courtesy of Paul Wallace, Kaiser

Monitoring/Diagnosis:Heart rate, blood

pressure, etc.Expert systems, CAT

scans

Monitoring/Diagnosis:Heart rate, blood

pressure, etc.Expert systems, CAT

scans

NHSnet:Project to connect all

GP surgeries, networked to

hospitals

NHSnet:Project to connect all

GP surgeries, networked to

hospitals

NHS Direct:Web site for

information on health care, treatments, conditions, etc.

NHS Direct:Web site for

information on health care, treatments, conditions, etc.

Hospital Administration:Patient attendance, print

labels, allocate beds, order food, make appointments,

send letters, staff rotas

Hospital Administration:Patient attendance, print

labels, allocate beds, order food, make appointments,

send letters, staff rotas

Pharmacy records:Contra-indications,

stock

Pharmacy records:Contra-indications,

stock

Medical Training:Simulation software, on-line data sources

Medical Training:Simulation software, on-line data sources

HealthHealth

Patient Records:Held electronically, rather than paper

files

Patient Records:Held electronically, rather than paper

files

Education

Why are there so many computers in schools? How do computers assist with teaching and

learning? What is an interactive teaching package? How should the Internet be used to assist

learning? How can computers help with distance learning?

Letters:Mail merge not typed

on a typewriter

Letters:Mail merge not typed

on a typewriter

Timetables:Generated by

computer

Timetables:Generated by

computer

Computer Aided Learning:

On-screen learning materials, computer aided

assessment

Computer Aided Learning:

On-screen learning materials, computer aided

assessment

Registration:OMR registers, scanned to update central database,

produce absence lists

Registration:OMR registers, scanned to update central database,

produce absence lists

Reports:Produced

electronically, e.g. mail merge

Reports:Produced

electronically, e.g. mail merge

Records:Details of all pupils

held on file, reduces administration

Records:Details of all pupils

held on file, reduces administration

Teaching:Interactive

whiteboards, internet, projectors

Teaching:Interactive

whiteboards, internet, projectors

EducationEducation

Dependence on IT & Communications

How are individuals dependant on IT? Routine chores: money, shopping, holiday, Scanners and imaging systems, Traffic control, and car parking, motorway, Flood warning systems, Computer controlled braking, fuel, on cars, Personal use, data, accounts, education, Electrical devices in the home, washing machines, video

DVD players, microwaves, etc, Telephone lines for Internet communications.

Mobile telephones:Can send voice,

image, text, data (from a linked

computer)

Mobile telephones:Can send voice,

image, text, data (from a linked

computer)

Fax:Sending an image of a

document electronically

Fax:Sending an image of a

document electronically

Tele/Video Conferencing:people in different locations

communicating as if they were in the same location

Tele/Video Conferencing:people in different locations

communicating as if they were in the same location

E-mail:Message sent from 1

person to another using computers connected

to a network

E-mail:Message sent from 1

person to another using computers connected

to a network

WWW:World Wide Web –

collection of pages with links to other pages

(hyperlinks)

WWW:World Wide Web –

collection of pages with links to other pages

(hyperlinks)

Internet:Largest WAN,

international network of computers connected by

communication lines

Internet:Largest WAN,

international network of computers connected by

communication lines

Connection Methods:

Cable, radio/microwaves, infra-red, satellite,

etc.

Connection Methods:

Cable, radio/microwaves, infra-red, satellite,

etc.

Networks:LANs or WANs

Networks:LANs or WANs

CommunicationCommunication

How are organisations dependant on IT? Consider the type of organisation:

Supermarkets, Hospitals, The emergency services, The utility companies, Schools, Air traffic control, Nuclear power stations.

What would be the consequences of failure on the organisations above?