In this graduate course, you are expected to participate often and engage in deep levels of discourse. Please post your initial response as early as possible and continue to participate throughout the unit. You are required to post an initial response to the question/issue presented in the Forum and then respond to at least 3 of your classmates' initial posts. You should also respond to anyone who has responded to you.

• Describetheroleof informationtechnologyinglobalization
• DefinethedigitaldivideandexplainNielsen'sthreestagesof thedigitaldivide.
• Describe what the term information systems ethics means

Introduction

Globalization Issues

In Unit 8, we will look at the role of information systems in globalization, and its importance in our future. Organizations must develop systems and strategies to benefit from incoming opportunities and survive the challenges of competing in world-wide markets. Essentially, organizations must develop and manage international alliances and converge their cultural characteristics to navigate and meet the needs of each market to remain competitive. For example, the Internet has facilitated a vast communications system that allows an auto manufacturer in Germany to instantly collaborate with a distribution center in Greenville, South Carolina and sell the parts to anywhere in the world. While information systems are the global conduit for creating new products and services, for this collaboration to succeed, we must ask, what types of arrangements and management actions are needed for information systems to bridge cultural differences in these global partnerships. Being better than competitors, having a better product, having a less expensive product, or having better relationships with suppliers and customers will allow an organization to outpace the competition.

Digital Divide

The digital divide has been defined as the disparity in access to technology between different demographics. The question being asked is, can information systems technology reduce the digital divide. In this Unit, we will further discuss the digital divide and how its three stages affect society. For instance, does everyone have an equal opportunity to access the Internet or a computer? What is known is that the Internet, computers, and access to these resources are not created equal. Several studies have found that poor and minority groups in the United States are less likely to have Internet access than higher-income groups. Moreover, many sources estimate that a quarter of the United States is without broadband, and similar divides exist throughout the world. For certain, the digital divide must be eliminated or narrowed down so that everyone can access the available educational and commercial resources.

Information Systems Ethics

Information systems pose new sets of challenges for individual privacy and property. One of these challenges is the creation of ethical issues. Because we are awash in data, these ethical issues pose dilemmas of right and wrong choices. How these ethical quandaries are decided by individuals is an ongoing issue. Many of these issues center on property rights, obligations of accountability, and control of data and information. We all generate information about ourselves on our computers, mobile phones, social media, government records, and financial records to name a few. Additionally, the advancement of information systems has allowed organizations to gather, store, and analyze this data to generate profiles of individuals more easily. Because of this, corporations are being pushed to develop a corporate ethics code that addresses privacy and accountability. One thing is certain, as a society, we must decide the appropriate ethical code.

Reading Assignment

• Bourgois, D.T., Smith, J.L., Wang, S., & Mortati, J. (2019, August 1).Information systems for business and beyond (2019). Saylor Foundation.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=open-textbooks.Licensed undera Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0.
  • Read Chapter 11 and 12
• Information and data management. (n.d.). Systems Engineering Guide. MITRE.https://www.mitre.org/publications/systems-engineering-guide/enterprise-engineering/enterprise-technology-information-and-infrastructure/information-and-data-management