Business and technology have coexisted for many years. In fact, their relationship is a symbiotic one that allows both to grow much faster than they would if left to their own devices. However, there are several ways that this relationship can be misused. Occasionally there are businesses that utilize their technology to allow goods that are in demand to be available at lower prices for the general public. One example of this would be Ford's Model T. When it first became available to the public, it was expensive. But as he made more money and the car became a higher demand product, he was able to lower the prices until the car was affordable to everyone. This is a business model emulated by business such as apple. Whenever a new version of the iphone is developed, it starts off at a certain price. However, if you wait for a few months, the price starts to slowly drop as the phone becomes more and more popular, the business no longer needs to charge so much for this product and is able to lower the price.
Some businesses use technology in the opposite direction though. There are many business who use the fact that they own a technology to charge more than necessary for the product. An example of this would be the apple laptops. Although macs are a completely different breed of technology, they are still $1500 more expensive then most PCs. This has a lot to do with the amenities that come with the Macbooks. These computers have many more functions than PCs do, but they are still extremely expensive. However, people are willing to buy these computers regardless of the price to have access to the technology.
Another aspect of business and technology that occurs is when it involves the state. Currently in the UAE, blackberry is facing issues about succeeding to government power. According to this CNN article, blackberry is the dominant smartphone in the UAE. Because of this the government is threatening to ban service in their country unless blackberry will allow them access to tap people's phone. These taps would allow the government to access people's texts, phone conversations and personal emails. This idea may be necessary to help the government find terrorist or criminal operations. However, this is a major invasion of privacy for the citizens of UAE. This whole situation is an example of misuse of technology. However, in this situation the government is forcing the business to misuse the technology that they own.
Technology is all over the business world. As you pointed out, I fully agree that technology in business offers both positives and negatives to society, community, and the world. Though the MacBook is so expensive, I own one and couldn't image my life without it. Whether traveling, uploading photos, or doing my online class--the MacBook is my handy dandy companion! It is scary that technology and all it offers can be used for corrupt deals, it is unfortunate that some companies over charge and that cheating or other negative factors happen because of technology. Hopefully the good outweighs the bad!
ReplyDeleteOne point not mentioned is when the technology gets used in a way that was not intended! Think of the internet and the WWW. ONE (Original) purpose of the Internet was to establish communication and command and control in the even of a nuclear war! The WWW was developed for researchers to share medical images over the internet!
ReplyDeleteI would also add the iPad to that macbook list! However, My Macbook is now 3 years old! if I had bought a PC I would have needed to purchase 3 new laptops by now to have the same power! The last time I opted for a PC I spent $2200+ and it was outdated the day I brought it home!
Best... Keep up the great postings
Dr. Armstrong