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Elisavet M

Offshore Outsourcing's Next New Wave: How High? - 1 views

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    The emergence of Business process outsourcing has transfigured the ways in which companies in developed nations, expand their services globally to businesses in developing nations. Although the cost for labor to support the extension of company engagement in third world countries is acknowledged as being relatively low (a beneficial advantage to most established business corporations), it has come to the attention of the participants (Businesses of developed countries) that it is of major importance to fully recognize the boundaries of business practices, culture, and level of intellectuality and experience within the hired portion of developing nation populace. Companies of information technology services, such as Dell, have come to form heightened concern about such global barriers, having attempted to transition call center labor in India and then deciding upon the withdrawal of such communication employment (due to the lack of consideration of business and cultural differences that impact business results). Based upon the data provided by NASSCOM (Indian software and services trade association), the conclusions drawn positively indicate that Business offshore processing has an overwhelming potential to grow in the next couple of years; although there is much room needed for consistent business growth (developing businesses, such as BPO in India, must rise at least 30 percent), the progression lies mainly upon the driving increase of skillful and educated information technology workers within India. The stakeholders, Information technology businesses in developed nations, surely stand by their statement supporting the increased use of qualified employers in the business environment of developing nations' companies (considered to also be additional stakeholders), for this will lower the cost involved in the off shoring process. The main social and ethical considerations lie upon reliability of developing nations'
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    My entire post was not posted on diigo, so here is the continuation: business functions, as developed countries' companies increasingly form reliance and trust upon the promise of the elevating skilled labor class, for it is a major component that supports the foundation of software and hardware services and networks on a globally connected basis. The reliability built within the business partnerships and bonds established in two differing cultural environments, is founded upon the agreement of mutual advancement and progress in regards to the establishment of skill by developing nations' employees. Although, the system of globalization and cultural diversity surface the obstacle of continuous intellectual and business development for developing nations, it is the gesture of surpassing cultural and business ideology that will truly trial both stakeholders involved.
T Graham

Page 2 Bringing IT outsourcing closer to home - ComputerworldUK.com - 1 views

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    This article presents a unique view of outsourcing from the perspective of the big businesses turning to places like India to save money in labor. This article argues about the negative aspects of offshoring. The author Naoum argues that the negatives of sending IT labor to India outweigh the positives. Naoum writes that even though offshoring may save money in terms of lower costs to pay Indian workers many business owners are not aware of the hidden costs associated with this type of move. He goes on to give statistics of businesses who have sunk due to offshoring without researching all the costs. Naoum points out that business owners may be solely focused on the fact that they are saving some money but ignore that consequences that include the lowering of labor quality and "business innovation." The article mostly focuses on the American or European business owner who is considering offsourcing. The area of impact is business and employment because it involves first world businesses and the labor (employment) of skilled third world citizens. The issue raised in this article is that of reliability he is questioning the quality of IT business done in these nations and whether or not it is worth the extra costs. At the end of the article he suggests outsourcing somewhere a little closer where people are more skilled and the hidden costs are not a threat. For example he suggests outsourcing to Spain where 20% of the older workers are educated in the use of IT. Naoum also raises the issue of security in offshoring to a place like India. He uses the example of a business that outsourced to India and experienced a leak of sensitive information about its clients. Naoum brings an alternate view about outsourcing/offshoring, he points out the negative aspects that people don't usually recognize.
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    Seems like you missed the point of data security.
Mark Gakin

Outsourcing: Its Effects on the U.s Economy and Leadership - 0 views

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    This article is about how companies use outsourcing and offshoring as a way to reduce costs and as a method for cheap labor. One of the articles' main points about outsourcing is that the decision to outsource is often in the interest of the company to reduce costs, divert or energy-saving measures aimed at making the skills of a particular company or for the more efficient use of labor, capital, technologies and resources. One problem that arises from outsourcing is that it takes much-needed jobs from the U.S. economy. It is not too different from offshoring, because both are beneficial for companies and used to cut costs. When a company chooses to offshore, it means that it does its business in another country. This 'other' country is usually a developing country because rates tend to be much cheaper there, which is exactly how businesses save money. One of the main issues, again, lies within the U.S. economy. Since US businesses are leaving to do business in other countries, the US economy is suffering quite a blow because less companies are becoming dependent on it. This is a big problem and could lead to an even bigger one for the business because third world countries cannot always be trusted. Even though they are saving so much more money by offshoring, the business they now perform is unreliable and could possibly be affected my many more problems. The main stakeholders in this issue are the businesses who are offshoring and outsourcing, the US government, and the countries the businesses now rely on. Also, depending on the company, people in America tend to suffer as well because since the main issue that arises is reliability, the users or owners of the product may not have the same service. For example, if Time Warner decides to station in India, the workers there may be inexperienced and the company will not be able to do anything about it. This means that when the users of Time Warner call their main number, someone in India will pick up. The probl
Carmen M

'Offshoring' advice upsets firms - 1 views

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    This short article talks about how leaders of the chamber commerce (An association of businesspersons and merchants for the promotion of commercial interests in the community)(answers.com) has recommended businesses in the UK to engage in offshoring, meaning taking their businesses outside. However, some greatly resented this and stated that it was "betraying" and "killing british skills"(Luckock). Members of the chamber commerce said that this could expand the business, and make it more competitive. The primary stakeholders in this case would be, the business owners, memebers of the chamber commerce, and the people that would be given the jobs due to offshoring. This is directly connected to business and employment. The companies owned by the men that dont want to go "offshore" are the business, while employment would be all the jobs that would be offered to those who need it if only the owners would agree to it. Lastly, while it does not say what IT would be used, it wont be technology that would be very complex. Especially, if you're sending these jobs offshore to certain countries whose people might not be exposed to all the technology that we have.
Mark Gakin

BBC NEWS | Technology | Smart spectacles aid translation - 5 views

  • Resembling glasses but lacking lenses, the headset uses a tiny projector to display images on a user's retina.
  • The firm said the gadget, dubbed Tele Scouter, was intended for sales people or employees dealing with inquiries from customers. NEC said the Tele Scouter was intended to be a business tool that could aid sales staff who would have information about a client's buying history beamed into their eye during a conversation.
  • translation aid
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    Quite an interesting new device for business and other uses.
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    Business and Employment - AoI\nPeople and Machines - S/E/Issue\n
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    I claim this article for my 2nd Portfolio!!!
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    oops, added it to the wrong group and cannot delete it.
Madeline Brownstone

BBC NEWS | Business | Twitter 'costs businesses £1.4bn' - 1 views

  • Staff who use Twitter and other social networking sites while at work are costing UK businesses £1.38bn every year, a report has said.
  • Although many businesses have banned the use of Facebook in the workplace
    • Madeline Brownstone
       
      I infer that Facebook bans can be enforced through proxy server settings.
  • Over three-quarters of respondents said that their employer had not issued them with specific guidelines with regards to using Twitter. "Without guidelines and usage polices businesses are leaving themselves wide open to a reduction in productivity, brand damage and security risks," Morse said.
    • Madeline Brownstone
       
      If company policies need to specify this site or that site, they will drive themselves crazy with writing and rewriting regulations. It is just not a practical solution.
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  • It added that companies should think about protecting the reputation of their brand. A third of workers admitted they had seen sensitive information posted on social networks. However, 84% said they felt it should be up to them what they posted online
    • Madeline Brownstone
       
      a secondary issue is inferred here. The author implies that there are some workers who revealy company business through social networking sites and that is potentially harmful for the company's reputation. A twist here: the company wants privacy!
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    Seem like this has potential as a lead article.
Karen M

BBC NEWS | Business | India faces battle for outsourcing - 0 views

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    This article is about the issues that India is now facing because they are the world leader in IT outsourcing. The IT system in this article is the call centers that are located in India. The area of impact is Business and Employment. Outsourcing provides jobs for the citizens of India. Their employment is at risk because of the fact that India now has to compete against other countries for the same outsourcing jobs. The stakeholders are the Indian workers, global customers, competitors, and the companies who are outsourcing. The Indian workers now need to work even harder to keep their jobs because there are other countries who are trying to step up their people so that they could be capable of doing the same work. For example, Africa is starting to become well-known in the world of outsourcing because they have the same amount of talent and can also speak English. India is no longer the first country that comes to mind when companies are thinking about outsourcing. Other countries are willing to do the same job for less money, leading for companies to choose them over India. There have also been cases where the customers are not satisfied by the calls that they make offshore. This would play into the decision of the company of whether they want to move their outsourcing site or not. One issue mentioned in the article is security. There have been instances in which a customer's financial information has been sold by unscrupulous employees. By outsourcing, the head company is putting a lot of trust in the company they hire to do the job. They are risking their customers' satisfaction by allowing foreign countries manage their operations. Although a call center may not seem really important in the company, the workers are still dealing with customers of the company and should make sure to keep them satisfied. If the customers are not satisfied, they would probably take their money and invest in another company who would give them a more secure experience.
sarah d

AML Case Study: New Way to Fight Fraud - 3 views

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    The IT system is the behavior-based software that uses artificial intelligence. the stakeholders are the bank implementing this software and the customers of the bank. The area of impact is business and employment, specifically banking. The issue with the use of this system is reliability. If this software is not reliable, then the customers at the bank are less protected from fraud. Also an issue that arises from the use of this system is security. The use of this system is to protect against fraud. However, if the computer becomes insecure, fraud would not be detected. 
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    This is a really interesting case. Although it's not robots that one can see that are being used, banks are using artificial intelligence to help them recognize patterns and catch fraudulent people. Small banks are the real stakeholders in this case, and they want to protect their customers and their finances. The automation of the fraud-catching has given the banks more time and makes it easier to handle all the paperwork necessary for a case.
Madeline Brownstone

BBC NEWS | Business | Bosses 'should embrace Facebook' - 1 views

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    ""In today's difficult business environment, the instinctive reaction can be to batten down the hatches and return to the traditional command-and-control techniques that enable managers to closely monitor and measure productivity. "Allowing workers to have more freedom and flexibility might seem counter-intuitive, but it appears to create businesses more capable of maintaining stability." "
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    An interesting twist on using social networking in the workplace
Madeline Brownstone

Tieto Gets Outsourcing Contract From Nokia Siemens - WSJ.com - 3 views

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    This article is primarily concerned with the announcement of two companies, Tieto and Siemens, joining in an outsourcing contract. According to the article this is done in order to increase the business benefits. In the perspective of business, the move is more profitable, and allows both companies to expand globally in term of the audience. The two companies are well known, especially for certain groups of people, so by joining some aspects of their business, they will be able to join their individual audiences. By the companies working together and using employers from both businesses then they will be able to generate a larger acceptance and recognition. Globalization makes this possible, and optimizes the profit and efficiency of both companies. However, it can lead to problems involving the jobs of the people who work at either of the two companies. Tieto, specifically, is using forty of the workers from Nokia Siemens. This means that jobs will be lost from the people who work at the original company. Instead of giving the jobs to people at the headquarters, the jobs will go to the people off site. This will benefit the companies, as it is the most beneficial business scenario, but will take a toll on the lives of the unemployed. However, the amount of jobs that are being added in one company and taken away in the other company is very small in comparison to a much larger company that needs to expand greatly. The use of VOIP and the internet itself allows the smooth interaction between the two companies and with the growth of IT, more and more methods will be introduced for the companies to interact without leaving their respective office. Because Nokia and Tieto have been partners for several years, they have been utlizing these methods of communication that are different from having everything on site and going to meetings in person. Yet, they have decided that the partnership, using outsourcing, is the best possible way for both companies to grow. Thus, outs
Karen M

Ease of use more important than price - 0 views

shared by Karen M on 15 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Cellphones, smartphones and other mobile devices
    • Karen M
       
      These are the IT systems that are going to be discussed in this article.
  • small business owners attach a high value to the benefits of staying in touch with clients and colleagues at all times, wherever they are,
    • Karen M
       
      These are the benefits of using smartphones. However, the Social and Ethical Issue may be "Equality of Access" because it is possible that not everybody could afford one of these phones.
    • Karen M
       
      This also shows us the Area of Impact, "Business and Employment." Business people are the ones who use the phones in order to stay connected with their clients.
  • Dependable, easy-to-use and high-quality mobile solutions pay for themselves quickly by enabling small businesses to be more responsive, efficient and productive, and allowing them to do more with fewer resources.”
    • Karen M
       
      This is a description of the IT systems.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • ‘Maintenance’ and ‘Reliability’
    • Karen M
       
      These elements need to be worked on in order to make these phones even better.
  • business benefits of being in touch with clients and other business stakeholders are perhaps even more important than they are for their larger competitors.
    • Karen M
       
      This explains the benefits for the people who are being affected by these smartphones.
T Graham

Our New Robot Overlords Technological progress doesn't have to be a job killer - 2 views

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    The stakeholders mentioned in this article include businesses and their employees. The social and ethical issue is people and machines. The area of impact is business and employment. In this article the IT system is never specifically referred to but the author make several references to "technological advances" that involve artificial intelligence enabled software. The issue raised in this article is the issue of technological advancements relating to artificial intelligence becoming a threat to people's jobs. In the article the examples of manufacturing and low skill labor but more significantly A.I.'s threat to white collar jobs. With the invention of software that can sift through documents at speeds that humans could never challenge, lawyers and their document analysis skills are less in demand. Radiologists are quickly losing their jobs to machines that can analyze medical scans faster. This new danger to not only blue collar jobs but also white collar jobs is alarming to the public. The article provides a one sided point of view that rejects the issue of machines taking jobs from people. The author argues that machines do us the favor of taking over boring jobs that no one wants. What the author fails to recognize is the fact that a lot of these jobs (especially the low skill ones) are want working class citizens depend on to pay their bills and feed their families. If machines are taking jobs that require none or very little education they are threatening the livelihoods of a large part of the population of this country. This issue could pose a big threat to the survival of the lower and middle classes.
sarah d

Profit Outweighs Risk in Juárez Factories - 0 views

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    This article is about the United States outsourcing manufacturing jobs to Mexico. Some companies in El Paso are also thinking of outsourcing to Juarez. At the same time, there have been more than 2500 killings due to drug issues, forcing thousands of residents to flee and businesses to close. The stakeholders are the retail businesses and the residents forced to find safety somewhere else. Assembly line workers, being paid $1.60-$2.00 an hour are also stakeholders in this situation. The system of outsourcing jobs, has created violence as well as low standards of living for the assembly-line workers. The issue at hand is how globalization and cultural diversity changed the way business is done. By outsourcing jobs, businesses are willing to accept higher profits, even with bad working atmospheres and internal tension.
Mariam B

Intel and J.P. Morgan Chase to Expand Indian Operations - 1 views

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    Intel is a company that develops processing technologies such as chips that are put into computer hardware. However recently they have decided to outsource certain necessary business operation to India instead of in the US. Additionally Intel has agreed with an investment banker named Morgan Chase, to invest about 1 billion of the company's money into this plan. Intel already has many of it's workers in India however wants to expand the business by increasing its workers within the company. Workers will be needed to help expand the company a long with workers both qualified and graduates due to the increased opportunities and positions. The reasoning as to why Intel continues to offshore work to India is because they are able to find high quality workers and can get work done at cheaper/lower costs. The organization affected mainly is Intel who is able to make a profit through investing in the workforce in India. Additionally the people who are in India that are given the jobs are able to benefit because more jobs are becoming available. The negative side to this is that, they are not paid as much as Intel workers in the US. Additionally another stakeholder is the U.S government itself that frowns upon the idea of offshoring jobs due to the knowledge that by doing this, job oppertunities available to Americans will decrease. The social and ethical issues and impacts of these are related to globalization and its impacts on both the country (India) and the United States. Although workers are given jobs the pay that they receive is not as much as a worker in the U.S would. This is done for the economic benefit of the country Intel itself, allowing them to create a greater profit by off shoring jobs to India. However those who are highly qualified and trained are able to find a job at Intel that matches their level of training. Thus they become employed if they need money. A positive impact to globalization is getting rid of the digital divide in a sense because fr
Santiago P.

Why IT Jobs Are Never Coming Back - Computerworld - 0 views

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    I chose this article because I found that it especially related to the field that we are currently studying in. It is that of ITGS, Information Technology. IT jobs are more and more frequently being offshored to nations like India. There is an obvious issue relating to Business and Employment, or in this case, a rising unemployment. The main stakeholders are the IT workers, who, with the hopes of entering a strong workforce, are having their jobs offshored by multinational companies like IBM and HP (these companies are also primary stakeholders). The primary social and ethical issue involved is that of equality of access. This is due to the fact that access is becoming more widespread - access to technology, computers, databases, servers - all throughout the world. There is no longer "the need to be local", as the article states. People's jobs can be moved to a cheaper place, where it won't be so expensive for the company to keep its workers. Offshoring is not only creating higher levels of unemployment, but helps worsen the U.S. economy while it strengthens foreign economies.
T Graham

Credit Cards At Risk from High-Tech Pickpockets? - CBS News - 2 views

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    In this article Walt Augustinowicz has shown and proved many people in the public how they can be pick pocketed with out a single finger being laid upon them. They can have their credit cards, debit cards, and passports information stolen quite easily with a simply passing by of the scanner. With this advanced technology that makes paying for things easier, also makes it easier for others to pay for their things using the same card. The card number, the expiration date, the type of card, and even the person's name can be found out. This can show how the social/ethical issue involved is thus privacy - security is another possible issue. The IT system is the RFID tags/microchips. The stakeholders are the people whose information is getting stolen and the people who are stealing the information - people who make the RFID tags/microchips are also possible stakeholders. The area of impact is politics and government - but also can be business and employment. People's private information is at stake and electronic pickpockets can easily steal the information and order products.
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    This article talks about the security concerns related to RFID technology. RFID technology is susceptible to theft because it broadcasts radio frequencies about the information embedded in the card. This makes it very easy for thieves in possession of a card reader. A person with intent to steal information could just walk past a card carrier with a card reader and pick up the theft victim's credit card numbers, expiration dates and sometimes even the card owner's name. 20% of the card information that was stolen in an experiment has RFID chips. RFID technology increases the chance of identity theft, even passports have RFID implemented in them, this makes them very vulnerable. Passports carry very sensitive information and anyone with a RFID card scanner could wake pass a passport carrier and gain his or her personal information. The stakeholders in this issue include the card carrier or passport carrier whose security is endangered, the information thief who is gaining unauthorized access to a person's personal information and the businesses such as Visa or MasterCard whose reliability is being endangered. This is a security issue that has hampered the positive buzz surrounding RFID technology and its convenience.
Mariam B

Another Day, Another RFID Trial-Debate about using RFID on DVDs - 0 views

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    This article discusses the issue of individual security and invasion of ones privacy through the use of RFID tags. With RFID tags on almost ever retail item, customers who are main stake holders, are questioning the motives of these tracking codes. A major item that is being tracked is a DVD from when it is first put into its cover and sent to the store, till the costumer purchases it. However the question remains, What is the purpose of this? Is it necessary to track how the costumer uses the items that they buy? Other stake holders include the large business corporations such as Walmart, who use these RFID codes to profit from studying the purchases and trends in other stores and areas. Additionally another stakeholder that is seen as a threat is the government who may eventually be able to spy or track down individuals based on these RFID codes on the items that they purchase. This issue relates to business and employment because companies are able to economically profit through this even though the individual privacy remains a threat. These RFID tags allow businesses to profit because they can use the codes to efficiently organize the purchasing of stock and selling of items. The RFID can be considered a network that allows the hardware which is the actual code to work. Without the network tracking and creating the code, the device is unable to function. Although the customer is able to open the wrapper such as in the case of buying a DVD and throw it away, the thought still remains of what will happen in the future with these tags? There is constant dispute and consideration on how the alternate user who is the customer that purchases these items, may become a victim of privacy invasion.
Karen M

Visa Introduces a Credit Card on a Phone - NYTimes.com - 1 views

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    In this article, RFID is being used in the business world. People are now able to purchase phones with the capability of making purchases by moving it over the terminal. RFID technology allows people to stop using credit cards, making the process of buying something even more convenient. The stakeholders are the credit card companies, the people using this new technology, and the stores with the terminals that read RFID. Credit card companies need to have a good security system to ensure their customers and users that their information will be kept safe on the RFID chip. The people who are switching to this new technology are risking their private information for convenience. The stores with these new RFID terminals are also risking their customers' private information because there is a possibility that their system could be hacked. The area of impact is Business and Employment. Businesses are switching to this new technology because it is convenient for them as well as their customers. The main issues that arise from using RFID are security and reliability. The RFID terminal needs to be reliable so that every customer is able to use the RFID chip on their phone to make purchases. The security issue is that a hacker may be able to get into the system to read customers' private information. It may also be possible for a hacker to carry around a portable terminal that would be able to store people's private information on it for future usage. The security system described in this article sounds like a good start, but more needs to be done to keep up with the technology that is growing along with it.
Karen M

Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software - 4 views

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    The stakeholders in this article are lawyers, clients, the software developers, and law firms. The social and ethical issue is people and machines, more specifically, the fact that software is replacing the work of "armies of expensive lawyers." The area of impact is business and employment. The issue here is that law firms are now starting to use this new software in order to replace spending a lot of money of many lawyers to get the same job done. Law firms are able to save their money by investing in this software instead of multiple lawyers. They are also able to save time because the software is able to go through information faster than humans are able to. Clients are also able to save their money because they are paying law firms less to get the same job done. This is a chain reaction. The software developers are also able to make more money now that this is becoming more popular because they are able to continue building on and improving the software they have now and then selling it later on. The issue is that lawyers are being replaced by this new software. A job that used to take 500 lawyers, could now take 1 lawyer, along with this new software. This is an important issue to pay attention to because eventually it might lead to unemployment, even though there are no signs of it now.
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    This was a pretty interesting article and I actually enjoyed reading it. You seem to have hit all the points and from the article what really stood out to me was when Bill Herr said,"People get bored, people get headaches. Computers don't." This is basically the issue that we are faced with when losing jobs. For those jobs that are repetitive is is more efficent and time saving to have a robot rather than a person doing the job. You hit this point by saying, "A job that used to take 500 lawyers, could now take 1 lawyer, along with this new software." Though I wonder if this is completely a bad thing. You say it is and important issue because it can lead to unemployment, but isn't it also the case that new jobs would arise? Would those jobs be able replace or be more than what was lost?
nicholas n

BlackBerry denies India email access deal as struggle continues | Technology | guardian... - 0 views

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    This is a news report that RIM(research in motion ) I denying claims that India is now able to access the messages that many send through RIM secure network. This access includes company messages. However RIM refutes these claims and states they don't have access to any of this information. This is one part of a greater story India's government is not the only government that had problems with RIM due to lack of equality of service and the fact that RIM has the best encryption on their messages. There are many stakeholders such as RIM who are running a business that desires to make a profit and realize on their reputation on security, any company that uses blackberry service. The government that wants to have access to the messages to protect their national security, and finally the average consumer that loves using blackberry for their everyday lives. for the primary stakeholder which is RIM social and ethical issues are security, and reliability and integrity. Security refers to the protection of the blackberries encrypted network. The reliability and security concerns RIM's reputation for their secure networks. the primary scenario in this case is business and employment from various points of view, and the IT system is the blackberry cell phones.
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