[Fwd: (ICT-JOBS): ICT and jobs: creator and/or destroyer?]
Bob Pyke Jr (mailto:repyke@akron.infi.net)
Thu, 21 May 1998 13:49:13 -0400
Message-ID: <35646917.732@akron.infi.net>
Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 13:49:13 -0400
From: Bob Pyke Jr <mailto:repyke@akron.infi.net>
Subject: [Fwd: (ICT-JOBS): ICT and jobs: creator and/or destroyer?]
To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
One of those Fyi things and how technology and the interent is changing
lives in the rest of the world.
Bob
Masaru Ishida wrote:
>
> I am coming from Japan and now working in the ILO in Switzerland. What we
> see nowadays in application of ICT tend to go beyond our imagination. For
> example:
>
> 1. Farmers, who live in a small southern island in the Pacific that is
> located a few hundred kilometers away from Tokyo,are now equipped with
> Internet. They grow strawberries throughout the year favoured by warm
> climate. They advertise fresh strawberries on the Internet,take orders
> direct from consumers,restaurants and retail stores, and deliver by
> regular mail flight to Tokyo while payment is remitted to his bank
> account. The farmers,who had been entirely isolated in a remote island
> until recently, can now have access to the big consumer market in Tokyo.
> On the other hand,the consumers in Tokyo,who used to buy rather expensive
> but half rotten strawberries at nearby stores, which were distributed from
> producers,cooperatives,wholesalers and retailers,can buy really fresh ones
> at cheaper price. Even fresh strawberries can be a comparative advatage
> for glosaries and restaurants as well. So this kind of business is now
> prospering.
>
> 2. Youg women work in the office or factories in which they learn how to
> use computers. Many of them retire when they get married and have babies.
> Their experiences,skills and knowledge that had been acquired during their
> work life tend to be entirely lost in marrige life. Now thanks to Internet
> those housewives even living in a remote country side can sub-contract any
> accounting and administration jobs at home from large and small companies
> located in big cities where labour cost is too high. Housewives enjoy
> working at home free from supervision of their boss at any time in the day
> early in the morning or late in the evening after they have finished child
> care and household work for their family. Intermediate agencies are
> growing to connect job contractors and sub-contractors so that jobs can be
> implemented in continuous and responsible manners.
>
> In this way ICT is providing a lot of new job opportunities even to
> farmers and housewives. It is not particularly limited to skilled workers
> and professionals. Evolution might be step and step in the beginning but
> gradually wide spread. Today a lot of young students are starting up their
> venture business using ICTs.
>
> Computer crimes are increasing unfortunately. Many suppliers advertise
> their products and services in Internet. They ask buyers to send money
> first in advance. But the products or services are never delivered
> afterwards. Appropriate consumer protection is badly needed.