Preface ix -- 1 Introducing the Big Picture 1 -- The presence of information technology 2 -- Megatrends at work 7 -- How societies use technology to shape their world 19 -- Notes and references 24 -- 2 How Computers Spread Around the World So Fast 27 -- Definitions and issues 29 -- Government-supported/private-sector-driven model 33 -- National champion model 37 -- Asian private-sector-driven model 39 -- Planned economy: public policy model 42 -- Industry-driven model 48 -- Corporate diffusion model 51 -- Application diffusion model 57 -- Technology-standards diffusion model 59 -- Patterns, practices, and implications 61 -- Notes and references 65 -- 3 How Governments Leverage Information Technologies to Improve Their National Economies 71 -- A brief historical reminder 72 -- Economic development in a connected world: the big picture 75 -- How governments use it to encourage economic development 77 -- What motivates governments to encourage their citizens and economies to use it? 91 -- Emerging strategies for the most advanced nations compared to rapidly advancing nations 96 -- The special role of labor 100 -- Global recession, twenty-first century style 102 -- Implications for public officials 106 -- Implications for business leaders 112 -- The way forward with policies and practices 116 -- Notes and references 122 -- 4 How Managers and Officials Decide What Technology to Use 129 -- The kinds of decisions made by managers 131 -- Types of justification 135 -- Managerial practices 138 -- Some possible less effective practices 143 -- Special role of industries 149 -- Path forward 151 -- Notes and references 157 -- 5 Adding Up the Results So Far: Do We Now Live in the Information Age? 163 -- Why naming an age is a useful exercise and so hard to do 165 -- What historians can teach us about the process 167 -- The case against the information age 173 -- Can we coexist on the frontiers of a new age? 175 -- Lessons for management and a strategy for change 179 -- Concluding thoughts 185.

Notes and references 186 -- 6 An Expanding Role for Scientists and Engineers 191 -- The rise of the computer scientist 192 -- Their role in modern society 197 -- When scientists and tech folk take things into their own hands 201 -- When technologists go green 204 -- Their future world 212 -- An old role made new 218 -- Notes and references 220 -- 7 Looking Down the Road into the Twenty-First Century 223 -- How to see the future of an industry 225 -- Knowing how information technology is evolving 233 -- A strategy for managers and public officials 240 -- Special role of the computer science community 247 -- The ultimate trend 252 -- Notes and references 254 -- 8 Keeping Up: Bibliographic Essay 257 -- The big picture 257 -- How computers spread around the world 259 -- Governments leveraging it for economic development 260 -- Deciding what technology to use 261 -- Living in the information age 263 -- Role of technologists 264 -- Into the twenty-first century 265 -- Index 267.

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A truly global look at IT deployment and useNo technology in our history has spread as fast as computers and their digital technologies. In How Societies Embrace Information Technology, leading IT authority James Cortada examines how this phenomenon is shaping contemporary society, focusing on the role of corporations and governments. By revealing what history teaches about the adoption of information technologies, Cortada prepares business and government leaders to spot new trends and successfully develop strategies for implementing and managing emerging technologies. Coverage includes:. Summaries of the new best practices based on sixty years of historical experience, all research-based. How technology spread so quickly and completely across the globe. A look at the decision-making process of managers in the private and public sectors. How governments leverage IT to improve their national economies. An examination of the "Information Age" and whether it actually exists. The most current developments in ITThis authoritative reference is ideal for government policymakers and for private-sector managers who routinely make decisions to acquire and use information technology. It is also aimed at academics concerned with the sociology, history, economics, and the effects of IT on contemporary society, as well as business schools and engineering and IT professionals serving in management roles or interested in the managerial/user history of IT.The author's royalties on sales of this book will be donated to the IEEE Computer Society's Educational Activities Board.

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