Ethics in Information Technology, Fifth Edition 9781285197159
Chapter 8
The Impact of Information Technology on
Productivity and Quality of Life
Self-Assessment Questions
1. b. It varies little among groups within the same country.
Discussion Questions
1. Discuss how the average annual percent change in nonfarm productivity has
varied over the past 65 years.
2. Briefly discuss the correlation between IT investment and U.S. productivity
growth.
The relationship between investment in information technology and U.S. productivity
growth is more complex than it seems. One possible explanation for this complexity is
3. Why is it harder to quantify the benefits of today’s IT investments than it was in
the 1960s?
In the early days of IT in the 1960s, productivity improvements were easy to measure.
For example, midsized companies often had a dozen or more accountants focused
4. Define the term telework. What technologies are essential for effective telework?
Telework (also known as telecommuting) is a work arrangement in which an employee
works away from the office—at home, at a client’s office, in a hotel—literally,
5. Would you accept a telework position in which you would work from home three
or four days per week? Why or why not?
Students’ answers will vary. Some of them may still want to follow the old school
method of working at an office, while there may be others who may feel more
6. What is the digital divide? Where does it exist? Why is it important to bridge the
digital divide?
The digital divide is a term used to describe the gulf between those who do and those
who don’t have access to modern information and communications technology, such as
cell phones, smartphones, personal computers, and the Internet. The digital divide
7. What is your opinion of the effectiveness of the E-Rate program? What facts back
up your opinion?
Students’ answers will vary. E-rate was created through the Telecommunications Act of
1996 and helps schools and libraries obtain broadband to the internet services to
advance the availability of educational and informational resources. The program
8. Which tool do you believe can be most effective in bridging the digital divide—the
personal computer or the smartphone? Why?
Students’ answers will vary. Some students may say that smartphones are more
effective in bridging the digital divide because the rapid and widespread use of cell
phones has resulted in an increased investment in the infrastructure required to support
9. The development and use of new medical technology has increased healthcare
spending. Should the medical industry place more emphasis on using older
medical technologies and containing medical costs? Which approach to dealing
with moral issues discussed in Chapter 1 would you use to analyze this question?
What decision did you come to as a result of your analysis?
10. The value of EHRs is being challenged by many in the healthcare industry. Why
is this? In your opinion, is the investment in EHRs worth it? Why or why not?
Students’ answers will vary. An electronic health record (EHR) is a computer-readable
record of health-related information on an individual. It is extremely convenient and
can be easily referred to in case of an emergency. However, EHR skeptics point out
11. Medical information that you obtain from Web sites must be accurate and
reliable. Identify three characteristics of a credible Web site.
What Would You Do?
1. Students’ answers will vary. Some students may feel that Robotic assistants should
be used only after extensive research or investigation has been conducted on the
2. Students’ answers will vary. Although, it wouldn’t hurt to learn from others who are
living with this disorder, people should not take medical advice from the group. Any
4. Students’ answers will vary. Some students may feel they should definitely defend
their strict approach and explain how it will benefit the hospital in the long-term, and
5. Students’ answers will vary. Students could create an online awareness campaign on
6. Students’ answers will vary. The company needs to relax the current policy of telework
7. Students’ answers will vary. Some students might support the suggestion and say that
everyone, whether rich or poor, should be given the opportunity to have access to the
8. Students’ answers will vary. The most basic data required to convince the board is to
9. Students’ answers will vary. The offer seems too good to refuse although one may need
a few questions to be answered before taking the plunge. Some of the questions may
include:
What will my hours be?
Cases
Case 1: Is the Tide Turning on Telework?
1. Students’ answers will vary. Students may state that cancellation of flexibilities in
company policies may sow seeds of discord, there may be those who agree with what
2. Students’ answers will vary. Since the goal of telework is to allow employees to be
effective and productive from wherever they are, some students may feel that
3. Students’ answers will vary. Students should carefully analyze the pros and cons of
granting telework opportunity to employees. One needs to consider the definition of
“exceptional circumstances” which entitles the employees to teleworking opportunities.
Case 2: Kaiser Permanente Implements Electronic Health Record (EHR) System
1. Students’ answers will vary. Some of the benefits of the HealthConnect system are as
follows:
It improves health plan subscribers’ satisfaction with the healthcare delivery
Concerns may include the system’s accuracy rate, the time it will take to learn the new
system, and whether it will cause unnecessary tests to be ordered. Despite the stated
benefits, there is always the risk of inaccurate information as the data can be modified
2. Students’ answers will vary. Some of the students may say that even though the
extensions and delays were unexpected, under the circumstances it was a wise
3. Students’ answers will vary. Students may emphasize that any research that could
Case 3: Decision Support for Healthcare Diagnosis
2. Students’ answers will vary. Considering the rapid advances in the technology students
3. Students’ answers will vary. Some students may state that the use of decision support