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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Chapter 8
The Impact of Information Technology on Society
At a Glance
Instructor’s Manual Table of Contents
• Overview
• Objectives
Lecture Notes
Overview
Chapter 8, “The Impact of Information Technology on Society,” examines the effect that IT
investment has had on the standard of living and worker productivity. Also covered are how
Objectives
As students read this chapter, they should consider the following questions:
• What is the relationship between IT investment and productivity growth in the United
States?
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Teaching Tips
Organizations Behaving Badly
1. Introduce the term Electronic Health Record (EHR).
2. Introduce the term Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health
I. The Impact of IT on the Standard of Living and Worker Productivity
1. Begin the discussion by explaining that standard of living varies greatly among groups
within a country as well as from nation to nation. The most widely used measurement of
the material standard of living is gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. National GDP
A. IT Investment and Productivity
1. Introduce the term labor productivity—a measure of economic output that compares the
2. Explain that labor productivity is defined mathematically as real output per labor hour,
and growth in labor productivity occurs when output increases faster than labor hours.
3. Note that during the current business cycle, which started in the fourth quarter of 2007,
U.S. labor productivity has grown at an annualized rate of 1.1 percent—less than half the
4. Point out that innovation is a key factor in productivity improvement, and IT has played
an important role in enabling innovation.
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5. Discuss the relationship between investment in information technology and U.S.
Critical Thinking Exercise: Productivity Growth—What Difference Does it Make?
1. In order for an organization to remain competitive long term, it must be able to match or
exceed the productivity growth rate of other companies within the same industry.
Otherwise, it may be compelled to charge higher prices for similar products compared to
Quick Quiz 1
1. A(n) _____ is a comprehensive view of the patient’s complete medical history designed
to be shared with authorized providers and staff from more than one organization.
2. National ____ represents the total annual output of a nation’s economy.
3. _____ is a measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and
services produced (output) with the number of labor hours used in producing those goods
and services.
Teaching
Tip
Point out the difficulty in quantifying how much IT has contributed to worker
productivity.
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II. IT and Workplace Automation
1. Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and natural language
2. Note that computers and robots can perform a wide range of routine physical work
activities better, cheaper, faster, and more safely than humans. They are also increasingly
3. Explain that almost every job has partial automation potential, and research suggests that
4. Discuss some examples of work-related activities that are most and least amenable to
B. Artificial Intelligence
1. Introduce the terms artificial intelligence systems and artificial intelligence.
Machine Learning
1. Introduce the term machine learning—a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that involves
2. Note that machine learning is employed in a wide spectrum of computing functions in
which designing and programming explicit algorithms is not feasible. Machine learning
Ask students to read and discuss the following two articles/commentaries about
regulating artificial intelligence:
• “How to Regulate Artificial Intelligence,” New York Times,
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3. Spend some time discussing Watson, IBM’s cognitive computing system, which can
Robotics
1. Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the development and manufacture of
2. Point out that the use of robots is expanding and will likely continue to grow. Emphasize,
Natural Language Processing
1. Introduce the term natural language processing—an aspect of artificial intelligence that
involves technology that allows computers to understand, analyze, manipulate, and/or
Critical Thinking Exercise: Potential for Automation
1. Students’ answers to this will vary. Encourage students to break down the tasks they
perform in their job and analyze each one to determine which specific tasks are more
amenable to automation. Ask them to discuss which aspects of their jobs they consider to
2. For some additional guidance on how to find opportunities in a more automated world,
students can read the following article from the World Economic Forum, “The Future Is
Teaching
Ask students to share examples of natural language processing systems with
which they have interacted. What have their experiences been like? Have any
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Quick Quiz 2
1. _____ is a complex and interdisciplinary field in which experts ponder philosophical
issues such as the nature of the human mind and the ethics of creating objects gifted with
human-like intelligence.
2. _____ include the people, procedures, hardware, software, data, and knowledge needed to
develop computer systems and machines that can simulate human intelligence processes.
3. The term _____ refers to a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that involves computer
programs that can learn some task and improve their performance with experience.
4. _____ is a branch of engineering that involves the development and manufacture of
mechanical or computer devices that can perform tasks that require a high degree of
precision or that are tedious or hazardous for human beings.
III. The Impact of IT on Health Care
1. Explain that the rapidly rising cost of health care is one of the twenty-first century’s
major challenges. In 2015, U.S. healthcare spending hit an estimated $3.2 trillion (17.8%
2. Spend some time discussing the three primary causes of increased healthcare spending:
the continued aging of the population, government policy, and lifestyle changes.
3. Point out that the development and use of new medical technology, such as new
A. Computerize Patient Records
1. Introduce the term electronic medical record (EMR), which is a collection of health-
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2. Note that the information in an EMR is not easily shared with others outside of the
healthcare organization where the data originated.
5. Introduce the term personal health record (PHR), which includes those portions of the
EHR that are routinely shared with the patient—such as personal identifiers, contact
information, health provider information, problem list, medication history, allergies,
immunizations, and lab and test results.
B. Clinical Decision Support
1. Introduce the term clinical decision support (CDS)—a process and a set of tools
2. Explain that effective use of CDS systems increases the quality of patient care while at
C. Computerized Provider Order Entry
1. Introduce the term computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system, and explain
D. Telehealth
1. Telehealth employs electronic information processing and telecommunications to
support at-a-distance health care, provide professional and patient health-related training,
and support healthcare administration.
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Critical Thinking Exercise: Automated Clinicians
1. Students’ answers to these questions will likely vary, but clearly, extensive testing would
be required before the robotic physician assistants could be rolled out to all patients. To
start, a pilot project could be used to test the robots’ interactions with patient volunteers.
Start-up issues will almost certainly include some patient resistance to interacting with a
Quick Quiz 3
1. A(n) _____ is a collection of health-related information on an individual that is created,
managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within a single healthcare
organization.
2. A(n) system enables physicians to place orders (for drugs, laboratory tests, radiology,
physical therapy) electronically, with the orders transmitted directly to the recipient.
3. _____ employs electronic information processing and telecommunications to support at-
a-distance health care, provide professional and patient health-related training, and
support healthcare administration.
Teaching
Tip
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each form of telemedicine.
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4. _____ requires the presence of patients and healthcare providers at different sites at the
same time and often involves a video conference link between the two sites.
5. _____ involves acquiring data, sound, images, and video from a patient and then
transmitting everything to a medical specialist for later evaluation.
Discussion Questions
1. For the average worker, does higher productivity result in higher wages? Clearly, higher
wages mean a higher standard of living. Is there a relationship between GDP and the
average earnings of workers?
Additional Projects
1. Research and write about paper about which career fields are expected to be the least
impacted by automation over the next 20 years. Do the industries and jobs that will be the
most insulated from automation have anything in common? Are they high-wage jobs or
Additional Resources
1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (https://www.bls.gov)
2. “The National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan,”
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Key Terms
artificial intelligence systems: The people, procedures, hardware, software, data, and
knowledge needed to develop computer systems and machines that can simulate human
intelligence processes, including learning (the acquisition of information and rules for using the
information), reasoning (using rules to reach conclusions), and self-correction (using the
outcome from one scenario to improve its performance on future scenarios).
electronic health record (EHR): A comprehensive view of the patient’s complete medical
history designed to be shared with authorized providers and staff from more than one
organization.
electronic medical record (EMR): A collection of health-related information on an individual
that is created, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within a single
healthcare organization.
live telemedicine: A form of telemedicine in which patients and healthcare providers are
present at different sites at the same time; often involves a videoconference link between the two
sites.
machine learning: A type of artificial intelligence (AI), involves computer programs that can
learn some task and improve their performance with experience.
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personal health record (PHR): Information from the electronic health record (EHR) that are
routinely shared with the patient —such as personal identifiers, contact information, health
provider information, problem list, medication history, allergies, immunizations, and lab and test
results.
store-and-forward telemedicine: The acquiring of data, sound, images, and video from a
patient and then transmitting everything to a medical specialist for later evaluation.
telehealth: Employs electronic information processing and telecommunications to support at-a-
distance health care, provide professional and patient health-related training, and support
healthcare administration.