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ABSTRACT
The impact of information and
communications technology (ICT) on organisations has been widely discussed
in the literature. Its impact on individuals has been less extensively
studied, but much good work has still been undertaken. In contrast, the
impact of ICT on society as a whole has, as yet, to be examined in any
detail in the academic literature. This may be because the question is
highly problematic, posing many difficult conceptual and practical
questions. This paper is an initial and tentative look at this issue.
Starting from a discussion of what constitutes ‘the information society’,
the paper uses concepts from the balanced scorecard as a potential
framework for exploring the question of the societal value of ICT and
proposes a number of costs and benefits that might be components of such
an analysis.
Keywords: Information
society, information age, evaluation, value scorecard. |
