Overview 25 Years in the Technology Industry Essay

Overview 25 Years in the Technology Industry - Essay Example While technological change is an ongoing process, there are periods during which technological progress is especially rapid, resulting in new products and falling prices of existing products that have widespread uses in the rest of the economy. Such periods are generally identified with all-purpose technological revolutions. Earlier examples include textiles production and steam power in the industrial revolution, railroads in the nineteenth century, and electricity in the early twentieth century (the automobile could also be included, but its development was relatively gradual). The effects of such revolutions have generally occurred in three (often overlapping) main stages. First, technological change raises productivity growth in the innovating sector; second, falling prices encourage capital deepening; and, finally, there can be significant reorganization of production around the capital goods that embody the new technology. The growth of the information technology sector (IT) in the 1980s was an important development for the economy, but it spurred relatively little policy or media interest. True, IT was recognized as a driver of comparative advantage for the US and there were a few initiatives involving industrial policy and military preparedness, IT was of interest primarily to specialists. In the 1990's, however, things changed dramatically when the Internet became a topic of intense public discussion. Suddenly computers were not only a way to manipulate information, but also a way to communicate information. This led to a dramatic rise in the public and political awareness of the importance of information policy issues such as intellectual property, privacy, and security. A unique confluence of forces certainly came together in the 1990s: rapid technological advances in the information technology sector; widespread recognition that computers could be used to communicate information as well as process it; the rapid spread of a simple, inexpensive, and powerful wide-area computer network based on non-proprietary standards; and financial institutions ready to fund investment in advanced technology. These forces led to very rapid growth of the Internet. As firms and consumers flocked to the Internet in large numbers, it became evident that information policy issues, including importantly intellectual property, security, and privacy, required serious attention. Employment Statistics From 1993 to 2000 the number of workers in IT industries in the U.S. increased by close to 50 percent, almost two and a half times as fast as employment in non-IT producing industries. By 2000 there were some 5.4 million IT workers in the U.S., representing 4.9 percent of private sector employment. Number of Technology Firms Created The major companies that commenced operations during the boom period are listed below: Venture Capital The United States has the oldest and most developed venture capital industry in the OECD. Several successful high-technology companies in computers and communications, as well as in health-related sectors and services, were venture backed. Young high-growth firms also benefit from a continuum of complementary finance from business angels,

How Mediation can serve worker's compensation Essay

How Mediation can serve worker's compensation - Essay Example t in the presence of a facilitator to address their dispute and to examine significant ways of resolving it where the offender can fairly compensate the victim. Victim-Offender mediation programs are divided into a number of stages. In all programs however, the first step begins with the referral of an offender to the program, which is usually done by victim assistance staffers or prosecutors or parole officers or judges. Trained mediators are also sought. Before the trained facilitator meets with the victim and offenders for a mediation session, he meets each of them separately and hears the side of each individual. During this meeting, the facilitator explains the program to the individual and encourages the participation of the individual. Through these meetings, the facilitator gains the trust of the victim and offender and is able to create a rapport. After this separate meeting, the victim and offender agree to participate in the reconciliation program and a face-to-face meeting is scheduled by the facilitator. In regard to its history, the victim-offender reconciliation program was first established in Canada in 1974, and in 1978, it was established in the United States.2 Today, the United States has approximately 300 victim-offender reconciliation programs. The reason behind the program’s success in the United States is the fact that accepted the principle of restorative justice. The programs emerged from early dispute resolution programs that were the initial forms of restorative justice. The Victim-Offender Reconciliation Programs are categorized into four models. These are church-based programs, community-based programs, probation–based or system-based programs and dispute settlement centers.3 Church-based victim-offender reconciliation programs are based on biblical principles of renewal, reconciliation and pardon and use volunteers. They are viewed as the best by victim-offender reconciliation program advocates.4 This is due to the fact that