Deck 8: The Impact of Information Technology on Productivity and the Quality of Life

Question 1

A potential disadvantage of telework is that can create potential security issues.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Telework, or telecommuting, focuses on enabling workers to work from home.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

While over 812 out of every 1,000 people in the United States own a computer, that figure drops to less than 20 out of 1,000 in the Middle East and Africa.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Some work roles and some individuals are not well suited for telework opportunities.

Question 5

The program manager of Khanya feels that the greatest contribution of the Khanya project was that it proved that ICT can be implemented successfully on a large scale in Africa.

Question 6

There is seldom much lag time between the application of innovative IT solutions and the capture of significant productivity gains.

Question 7

It is harder to quantify the benefits of today's IT investments on worker productivity than during the early days of IT in the 1960s.

Question 8

A potential disadvantage of telework is that some teleworkers may suffer from isolation and may not really feel "part of the team."

Question 9

Most countries have continually been able to produce more goods and services over time-not through a proportional increase in input but by making production more efficient.

Question 10

The digital divide exists not only between more and less developed countries but also within countries-among age groups, economic classes, and people who live in cities versus those in rural areas.

Question 11

Investment in IT is by far the single most important driver of worker productivity.

Question 12

It is difficult to quantify how much the use of IT has contributed to worker productivity.

Question 13

The E-Rate program is one example of a government program that has been well run and free of abuse, fraud, and scandal.

Question 14

There is a simple and direct relationship between investment in IT and U.S. productivity.

Question 15

The standard of living is about the same among groups within a single country although it varies greatly from country to country.

Question 16

The Western Cape province initiated the Khanya Project to address the shortage of teachers in the region, to bridge the digital divide by providing access to computer technology to all schoolchildren and educators, and to prepare the Western Cape for the new "knowledge economy."

Question 17

The digital divide does not exist in the United States.

Question 18

The decade of 1990-2000 demonstrated the greatest rate of increase in worker productivity in the history of the United States.

Question 19

One of the goals of the Education Rate (E-Rate) program is to help schools and churches to obtain access to state-of-the-art services and technologies at discounted rates.

Question 20

There really is no such thing as a digital divide.

Question 21

It is estimated that more than 1 billion personal computer will be connected to the Internet by 2010 leaving some 5.5 billion people unconnected.

Question 22

Although the healthcare industry depends on highly sophisticated technology for diagnostics and treatment, it has been slow to implement IT solutions to improve productivity and efficiency.

Question 23

As of 2007, what percent of all U.S. heads-of-household have never used e-mail?

A) about 10%
B) about 15%
C) about 20%
D) about 25%

Question 24

The development and use of new medical technology, such as new diagnostic procedures and treatments has increased spending and "accounts for one-half to two-thirds of the increase in healthcare spending in excess of general inflation."

Question 25

Mobile phones have many distinct advantages that lead industry observers to think that it will be the cell phone that ultimately bridges the digital divide rather than the personal computer.

Question 26

The goal of telework is to allow employees to be effective and productive from _____.

A) home
B) hotel
C) client's office
D) wherever they are

Question 27

The most widely used measurement of the material standard of living is _____.

A) number of personal computers per 1,000 population
B) gross domestic product per capita
C) average number of calories consumed per person per day
D) average life expectancy

Question 28

_____ is one of the advantages of teleworking for organizations.

A) Telework allows for the continuity of business operations in the event of a disaster
B) Allowing teleworkers to access organizational data and systems from remote sites creates potential security issues
C) Informal, spontaneous meetings become more difficult if not impossible
D) Increased planning is required by managers to accommodate and include teleworkers

Question 29

The use of telemedicine is a natural extension of medical practices followed for decades and really does not require addressing new legal and ethical issues.

Question 30

Of the roughly 1 billion Internet users worldwide, only _____ are estimated to live in less developed nations.

A) 200 million
B) 100 million
C) 10 million
D) 20 million

Question 31

Although quick to invest in IT, the healthcare industry has been a laggard in adopting mobile and wireless technology.

Question 32

Today, organizations are trying to improve IT systems and business processes that have already gone through several rounds of improvement. This makes it difficult to measure significant improvements in _____.

A) productivity
B) cost/ benefit ratios
C) gross domestic product
D) quality

Question 33

An electronic health record is a summary of health information generated by each physician encounter in any healthcare setting.

Question 34

The use of medical web sites have become quite sophisticated and can be used as a reliable substitute for professional medical advice and diagnosis.

Question 35

In the United States, labor productivity growth has averaged about _____ percent per year for the past century.

A) 1%
B) 2%
C) 3%
D) 4%

Question 36

Store-and-forward telemedicine does not require the presence of the patient and care provider at the same time.

Question 37

In the United States, it is estimated that there are roughly _____ employees who telework more than eight hours per week.

A) 8 million
B) 10 million
C) 14 million
D) 16 million

Question 38

The comprehensive use of Electronic Health Records has spread to well over 50% of all U.S. hospitals and physicians.

Question 39

U.S. regulations make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers and to start and end business activities compared to many other industrialized nations. This flexibility makes it easier for markets to relocate workers to _____ firms and sectors.

A) larger
B) higher value
C) lower cost
D) more productive

Question 40

Labor productivity in the United States remained relatively high despite a(n) _____ level of investment in IT from 1999 to 2004.

A) growing
B) near zero
C) increased
D) reduced

Question 41

The two basic forms of telemedicine are _____.

A) store-and-forward and live
B) store-and-save and simulate
C) capture-and-save and record
D) receive-and-send and save

Question 42

The _____ program was launched in recognition that the ability to use computers and access the Internet is a requirement for succeeding in the U.S. educational system and global workforce.

A) E-Rate
B) Ed-Tech
C) One Laptop Per Child
D) ITC

Question 43

In a Commonwealth Fund study of 41 Texas hospitals that treat a diverse group of patients, researchers found that when physicians electronically entered patient care instructions, there was a _____ reduction in the likelihood of death related to some procedures.

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%

Question 44

In the United States and in most developed countries, the standard of living has been improving over time. However, its rate of change varies as a result of ____________________ that affect prices, wages, employment levels, and the production of goods and services.

Question 45

_____ This is one advantage that a cell phone has over a personal computer that leads industry experts to believe that it will be the cell phone that will ultimately bridge the digital divide.

A) Cell phones are more portable and run more complex applications than personal computers.
B) Cell phones have many technical-support challenges that must be overcome.
C) Cell phones are more costly to own and operate.
D) The infrastructure needed to connect wireless devices to the Internet is easier and less expensive to build.

Question 46

A patient should _____ because of something he or she reads on a medical information Web site.

A) never seek out the advice of a professional medical practitioner
B) discontinue use of a prescribed medication
C) never disregard professional medical advice
D) discontinue following medical advice

Question 47

_____ is the European country with the smallest percentage of population using the Internet.

A) Italy
B) France
C) Spain
D) Poland

Question 48

National _________________________ represents the total annual output of a nation's economy.

Question 49

_____ is the European country with the greatest percentage of people using the Internet.

A) The United Kingdom
B) France
C) Italy
D) The Netherlands

Question 50

During the initial phase of Khanya, which means ____________________ in IsiXhosa, organizers hope to provide each school with a computer lab of 20 to 40 PCs and peripherals that will be networked and linked to the Internet.

Question 51

_____ created a competitor to the OLPC laptop computer called the classmate PC.

A) Dell
B) Intel
C) Microsoft
D) Cisco

Question 52

As part of the $787 billion 2009 economic stimulus plan, the federal government earmarked $33 billion in incentives for healthcare providers to implement government certified, interoperable _____ systems by 2015.

A) Electronic Drug Dispensing
B) Electronic Health Records
C) Electronic Medical Billing
D) Electronic Physical Referral

Question 53

The healthcare industry invests about _____ in IT for each worker, compared with nearly $15,000 per worker in the banking industry.

A) $20,000
B) $5,000
C) $7,500
D) $3,000

Question 54

A University of Chicago study found that the E-Rate program led to _____ in California students' scores in the six subjects covered by the Stanford Achievement Test.

A) no change
B) a small improvement
C) a small decrease
D) a large improvement

Question 55

_____ of the roughly 1.0 billion people around the world who earn less than $1,000 USD per year have access to a computer.

A) Nearly 0%
B) Less than 2%
C) Less than 5%
D) Less than 7%

Question 56

One Laptop per Child is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide children around the world with low cost computers costing less than _____ to aid in their education.

A) $50
B) $100
C) $150
D) $200

Question 57

A 2006 Institute of Medicine report concluded that more than _____ preventable medication errors per year cost the United States about $3.5 billion annually.

A) .5 million
B) 1.0 million
C) 1.5 million
D) 2.0 million

Question 58

By using ______________________________, a single computer can be shared among multiple users, each user connects to the computer through a device that is smaller than a paperback book, and each takes turns sharing the computer.

Question 59

A 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine found that 98,000 Americans die annually due to preventable medical errors. A 2009 Consumers Union report claims that we have _____ the number of such deaths.

A) dramatically reduced
B) somewhat reduced
C) made no change in
D) somewhat increased

Question 60

____________________ is defined as the amount of output produced per unit of input.

Question 61

The E-Rate and Ed-Tech programs were designed to help eliminate the ____________________ within the United States.

Question 62

The increase in productivity during the 1950s soared to an average of 3.6 percent per year as modern management techniques and automated technology made workers far more ____________________.

Question 63

The ______________________________ awards up to $270 million in grants to state education agencies each year through the Ed-Tech program.

Question 64

_____ a Taiwanese multinational manufacturer of computers and computer components that launched the Eee notebook computer costing $200 to $400.

Question 65

The ______________________________ tracks U.S. productivity on a quarterly basis.

Question 66

The ____________________ is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide children around the world with low-cost laptop computers to aid in their education.

Question 67

The estimated number of personal computers in the ____________________ and Africa is less than 21 per 1,000 people.

Question 68

High-tech access can give a country's industries a _________________________ over its less fortunate neighbors.

Question 69

Selling more goods to increase capacity and use of existing resources would ____________________ the value of the output produced by a given amount of input.

Question 70

Managers may have a harder time monitoring the quality and quantity of the work performed by ____________________, wondering, for instance, if they really "put in a full day."

Question 71

Cost savings and reduced head count are examples of ____________________ benefits.

Question 72

The _________________________ Act requires that each state have an Enhancing Education Through Technology (Ed-Tech) program.

Question 73

Telework can decrease an organization's carbon footprint by reducing daily ____________________.

Question 74

The ____________________ is a term used to describe the gulf between those who do and those who don't have access to modern information and communications technology.

Question 75

Progressive management teams use IT, as well as other new technology and capital investment, to implement ____________________ in products, processes, and services.

Question 76

Although many new diagnostic procedures and treatments are at least moderately more effective than their older counterparts, they are also more ____________________.

Question 77

____________________ is a country with less that 1 personal computer per 1,000 people but over 140 cell phones per 1,000 people.

Question 78

IT investments sometimes yield ____________________ benefits such as improved quality, reliability, and service.

Question 79

One reason for the complex relationship between investment in IT and productivity is that there is a ____________________ between the application on innovative IT solutions and the capture of significant productivity gains.

Question 80

Organizations should prepare guidelines and policies to define the types of positions and ____________________ who represent ideal telework opportunities.