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CD's posts-

One point from "The Social Impact of Technology" that I agree with is how the workers are no longer retained as efficiently. Technology isn't evenly shared with everyone in a business or in society. According to the article, power, wealth, and how much technology is available is tied together. I agree with this because big companies who have the power to produce more products with technology can have more products to sell to customers. While the technology is making the products, there is no true need for laborers anymore. This makes them expendable.

The second point that I also agree with is the control over land and food. Farmers can no longer produce their own seeds which is hurting the farmer and the product. The farmer can't save money because they are spending money on the seeds to grow crops. Animals are giving chemicals to make them grow faster and bigger than ever before. This makes the food we are eating more dangerous than it was 50 years ago. There is no such thing as organic anymore because of any chemicals being pushed into the food. I think this article was very correct in the statements being made. I also believe that it is an eye-opener to anyone who didn't know these types of things were going on.

SN'sposts -

I chose two points from the article "Technology Levels the Business Playing Field". The first point is the example of the cash register as an information technology leveler. The cash register was a big innovation in the 1880's when a bell was added when the money drawer opened.In the 1980's cash register became another computer application, but was still not an information technology leveler. Finally in the 1990's cash register became networked. Now even small stores where able to download records, create spreadsheets and manage their inventory and accounting more efficient.

I agree with that point, that small businesses can now compete with big enterprises, since they are able to use similar technology to guarantee business success. I chose this point, since I can see information technology leveler in every day life, when entering a small store or family business or buy from small businesses online.

The second point I chose from the same article is the impact of the Internet on the production side. The article states, that the internationalization of small and medium sized business is a plus for the American economy, since those businesses are driven by motivated business owners, who are mostly born outside the United States and have strong roots to their home country. These businesses survive through foreign labor and when they grow stronger, will hire American workers. They also connect through the Internet, via email, web pages and Internet phones.

I party agree with this point. I do agree that the Internet has an impact on the production side, since it allows even the smallest business to produce internationally, but I disagree with the fact that this would be just a plus for the American economy. Until the business is large enough to employ American workers, those American workers are still unemployed and who would guarantee that the foreign business really employs Americans and not friends and families from their own culture?