Page 451 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

eobf_I 7/5/06 3:04 PM Page 428

Interpersonal Relations

Internet technology has also had an impact on busi- some cases, readers can post comments to forums, which
ness and industry by supporting telecommuting. Rather the blogger monitors.
than commuting to work, employees work from home via The ease of use and instantaneous communication of
telecommunications (e.g., e-mail, video streaming, and the Internet are generally seen as significant enhancements
online portals). Overhead costs are lowered if office space to society, but there are some negative aspects. The term
and equipment can be reduced, and the flexibility for the CyberEthics refers to the ethical use of the Internet. For
employee can be a benefit. example, music or movie files are easily copied from com-
pact disks or downloaded from file-sharing and peer-to-
Changing Education. Additionally, Internet use has peer sites such as BearShare, e-donkey, Napster, and
changed the face of education. Nearly every school in the Kazaa. The Recording Industry Association of America
United States has computer technology and Internet access. (RIAA) attempts to combat piracy—the illegal duplica-
Students use Web browsers to search for information, tion and distribution of any recording—via lawsuits and
teachers use online databases to access lesson plans and fines. The RIAA reported that worldwide, the industry
learning resources, and schools build Web sites that provide was losing $4.2 billion to piracy each year.
homework information, school calendars, and other impor-
tant information for parents, faculty, and students.
CONCLUSION
Distance learning or online education has also made
great strides. High schools, colleges, universities, and for- The personal computer will continue to evolve, but
experts predict other Internet-smart appliances would
profit providers are supplementing their face-to-face
become standard. Wristwatches will provide Internet
classes with Web-based learning environments, such as
Blackboard, WebCT, and e-College. Students can down- access and support computer applications such as Word.
load activities, participate in synchronous chat groups or Televisions will anticipate viewers’ program preferences
asynchronous discussion forums, work collaboratively and record shows it thinks they may like. Kitchen appli-
with other students on group projects, take tests, and post ances will be programmed by Internet-based command
centers that will download recipes, inventory current
their homework for evaluation. Some courses are offered
ingredients (how much milk is left?), and print shopping
totally online without any face-to-face interaction
lists. Like the explorers who discovered new continents,
between the student and instructor.
Internet users are just beginning to discover the full
impact of the medium on information, space, and time.
Changes in Information Transfer and Communication.
The Internet is one of the most innovative and productive SEE ALSO Electronic Commerce; Electronic Mail;
technologies in history. The Internet can send information Intranet/Extranet
from virtually any place on the globe to any other place in
seconds. This communication tool has dramatically
BIBLIOGRAPHY
changed the concept of the “speed of business.” In effect,
Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.org
the Internet has created a sense of time compression. No
longer do large documents need to be mailed by expensive
overnight carriers. Electronic files are sent as e-mail attach- Lisa E. Gueldenzoph
ments in seconds or documents can be posted to Web sites Mark J. Snyder
where they can be downloaded by thousands of recipients.
Distribution has also been affected. Rather than mailing
1,000 newsletters to an organization’s membership, Listservs
enable the message to be sent to one address. The message INTERPERSONAL
is sent to the Listserv address (e.g., “listserv@abc.com”), and RELATIONS
anyone who has signed up or been added to the Listserv SEE Human Relations
instantly receives the information.
A very popular new Web-based communication tool
is the Weblog (or “blog”). Used by both companies and
individuals, blogs are diaries posted to a host site that can INTERSTATE
be accessed by anyone. Some commercial blogs are
designed for customer use. They offer free product advice, COMMERCE
technical assistance, drivers and downloads, and product Interstate commerce is the transportation of products and
data to attract new customers. Microsoft’s product devel- services from one state to geographic points in other
opers use blogs to encourage interest in their work. In states. This involves the transportation of goods and serv-

428 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION