Financial University under the government of the
Russian Federation
The Course work at the topic:
"The information technologies and their role
in the modern economy"
Made by Varlakhin Ilya
group 1-2
1st year student on
the International Financial Faculty
Scientific director: Slobodyanik V. V.
Moscow 2013
The plan of the
course work:
Chapter 1: Information technologies (IT) the essence
and the main characteristics 6
Paragraph 1: The essence and origin of IT6
Paragraph 2: The main characteristics and the role
of IT;11
Chapter 2: The present-day development of IT: foreign
and Russian experience4
Paragraph 1: Foreign practices and main concepts5
Paragraph 2: Russian experience and main problems6
Introduction
Information technology is a very common phenomenon
in our modern society. This industry has already changed the world and
continue to play a key role in its further transformation. Without computers
and information technology has become indispensable. Not many truly
evaluate their influence on many processes in the social sphere, the
historic progress, as well as in the economy, which I would like to
dwell a bit more.
According to the definition adopted by UNESCO, Information
Technology (IT) is "a set of interrelated scientific, technological,
engineering Sciences studying the methods of effective organization
of the work of the people involved in the processing and storage of
information with the help of computer technology and methods of organization
and interaction with people and production equipment, their practical
application, as well as the associated social, economic and cultural
problems"
My goal is to reveal the essence of information technologies,
to tell about their origin and impact on the economy in Russia and also
in different countries of Europe. In my work, I will do a comparative
analysis of different statistical data and draw up a detailed report
on the impact of information technologies on the economic sphere of
human life.
I believe that my work is very relevant now, firstly,
due to the increased popularity of information technologies in general,
and, secondly, owing to the fact that the information as a resource
economy, is becoming the most important factor for economic development.
Because the one who owns the information, can predict the near and not-so-distant
future, thereby reducing his risk to a minimum, and the net profit to
the maximum.
Informatization of the economy, is the transformation
of information in economic resource of primary importance. This happens
on the basis of computerization and telecommunications, and ensure a
fundamentally new opportunities for economic development, the numerical
growth of labour productivity, solve social and economic problems, the
formation of a new type of economic relations.
Information technologies act as a kind of intermediary
at sale and purchase of goods, securities and exchange, play an important
role in advertising and executive services and auditing, equipped with
new modern information technology.
Information technologies play a significant role
in the information interaction between people, and also in systems of
preparation and distribution of mass information. These funds quickly
assimilate the culture of our society, as they not only provide great
convenience, but removed many of the industrial, social and domestic
problems caused by the processes of globalization and integration in
the world community, expansion of domestic and international economic
and cultural relations, migration of the population and the increasingly
dynamic movement of the planet. In addition already become traditional
means of communication (telephone, Telegraph, radio and television)
in the social sphere more and more wide use of electronic telecommunication,
electronic mail, facsimile transmission of information and other forms
of communication.
The interaction of information technology and business
is manifested in the following:
- IT technologies improve the efficiency and competitiveness
of almost any business;
- Now the whole business of moving to the Internet,
therefore, any company must have a strategy for a new reality;
- If the company does not have such a strategy - it
has no future.
Information technology as a tool to improve the efficiency
of the core business must use reasonable and rational. Positive effect
is achieved only if the management company has a clear idea about the
purposes of future actions. That is, if a tool that can bring value
to the business, it is necessary to foresee several steps forward, how
to develop the business and how it is necessary to develop the use of
information technologies to support successful implementation of the
business strategy. Otherwise, it is a very powerful tool, also expensive
and difficult to use, good business, unfortunately, will not bring,
and it will be wasted.
Work includes: introduction, two chapters, each of
which, in turn, is divided into two paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Chapter 1:Information technology:
their nature, origin and characteristics.
Paragraph 1: The nature and origin
of Information technologies.
Strict classification of information does not exist.
Distinguish statistical information, production and economic, commercial,
business, market, banking, stock market, a reference (including taxes,
prices and tariffs), scientific and economic, regulatory (governing
legal relations in the economic sphere), and other
Clear boundaries between these types of information
are missing. So, the concept of "business information" may
include: economic and statistical information (numeric economic, demographic,
social) in the form of dynamic series, models and assessments; commercial
information - information about the companies, firms, their associations,
as well as prices, the financial situation of companies, their relationships,
transactions, products, etc.; the exchange and financial information
- information on exchange rates, interest rates and securities quotations,
investments, prices.
Depending on the area of knowledge in which the study
was conducted, information received numerous definitions: "Information
is the designation for the content obtained from the outside world in
the process of adaptation to it" (N. Wiener); "Is a denial
of the entropy" (HP Бреллюэн); "Is communication and
relationship, during which eliminates uncertainty" (K. Shannon);
"Is the transfer of diversity" (W. R. Ashby); "Is a measure
of the complexity of structures" (X. Mol); "This is the probability
of choosing" (A. M. Яглом and I. M. Яглом) and so on,
Each of the definitions reveals a particular facet of this concept.
The analysis of different definitions can see two
common features:
- Information is always associated with a process,
a movement;
- Information helps to clarify the situation.
Information in its ordinary sense has always played
a decisive role in man's activity. In contrast to the higher animals,
engaged sometimes quite complex activities based upon the information
generated and transmitted mainly through biophysical structures, human
activity as it develops increasingly regulated by the knowledge, that
is, special небиологической form of information. They
are stored, produced and transmitted with the help of symbolic language
systems in the form of abstractions, дескрипций, regulations,
norms and rules, that is, in the structures of culture and civilization.
After reaching a certain level and volume, knowledge begin to perform
the role of a decision-making matrix of activities and play the role
of its regulators.
Information is data, sifted for specific people,
problems, objectives and situations. Price includes: time of managers
and subordinates spent on gathering information and actual costs associated
with the analysis of the market, payment of computer time, using the
services of external consultants and other
In addition, special attention is paid to the concept
of economic information. Knowledge, information, data, generated in
the field of Economics and management, but also created as a result
of studying this sphere. Information economic reflects the macroeconomic
processes, movement of labor, goods and capital, the state and trends
of the market, production and consumption.
As the complexity of human activity volume of knowledge
required for its implementation, increases dramatically. In traditional
societies with slower changes in technique and technology of a relatively
small amount of knowledge to ensure the smooth implementation of relevant
activities, transmitted from generation to generation without significant
changes. With the transition to the modern stage of development, characterized
by the growing pace of technical and technological innovations, the
amount of knowledge required for their substantiation, development,
implementation and distribution, should grow exponentially (in other
words, in accordance with the exponential growth of the function y =
kx).
It is estimated that to increase the volume of material
production in 2 times it is necessary to fourfold increase in the volume
providing its information. In several activities of this curve of the
exponential growth of information, apparently, much steeper. Several
decades ago the scientific information necessary for the decision of
technological, and social samples doubles every 7-10 years, and in the
90s of the XX century such doubling occurs in 1-2 years. In modern conditions
of absence of necessary knowledge may not be an insurmountable obstacle
social and scientific and technological progress. To overcome the cognitive
(cognitive) deficit traditional methods of learning a man totally unsuitable.
Consequently, if businessmen need information, which
will be briefly described, contain a lot of useful information and,
most importantly, reflect the situation in the present moment-line monitoring
of the situation on various markets, each company must exist qualified
IT managers that need to constantly update and maintain such a database
of documents. So, we already speak about the emergence of the information
markets.
Before continuing, I would like to decipher the concept
that meets below. Information market system of economic, legal and organizational
relations on trade in information technology, information products and
services.
Information services - the actions of subjects (proprietors
and owners of information base) to ensure the users of the information
products. Under the information product (products) refers to documented
information prepared in accordance with user needs and intended to satisfy
the needs of users.
Structures that work in the information market, offer
the following services:
- Direct access to databases - on-line mode;
- Packet access to databases - mode off-line;
- Database on diskettes and CD-ROMs;
- Consultations by experts in information resources;
- Training of access to world information resources.
These services have their efficient use and complement
each other.
It should be noted that information is a basis for
decision-making in all spheres of human activity. It contributes to
labor productivity in various fields. This circumstance determines the
fact that the consumers (users) information services are specialists
in almost all spheres of production.
It is worth highlighting that the world practice
development of the information market shows that entrepreneurial and
management activities need more to promptly supplied information about
the General economic climate; statistical information for economic and
social nature, necessary for the analysis and forecast of the medium-term
and long-term trends; business news about events occurring in the markets;
legal information, regulating economic activities; commercial information
about the market participants - enterprises-suppliers and customers
about the product.
A significant share of the said information
can be presented in the media market only with the help of electronic
communications, and its effective use is possible when performing transactions
in electronic form. The market of electronic transactions includes:
a system for electronic Bank operations; electronic exchange; a system
of ticketing and reservation of places in hotels, ordering goods and
services.
In Russia electronic banking transactions are implemented
using Western technologies. One example is the system of SWIFT that
enables commercial banks to immediately connect to participate in the
electronic international settlements. In addition, a system of electronic
banking transactions between the Central Bank of Russia, its territorial
offices, Central banks of the CIS countries and leading commercial banks.
Some commercial banks use the Western system operations on credit cards
of international and American companies, such as VISA, Mastercard, American
Express.
Many modern specialists are several approaches to
the definition of the structure of the information market, and on the
basis of their claims, they represent the infrastructure of the information
market in five main sectors:
1) Scientific and technical production in the form
of project, technological, methodological developments in various sectors;
2) Objects of artistic culture in the form of text,
visual and audio;
3) education Services - all kinds of study;
4) Management of data and messages: political and
economic information, statistical data, information about market situation,
advertising messages, evaluation and recommendations for the adoption
of decisions;
5) Household info: General messages, information
on the consumer market, information about the labor market.
However, this structure is missing several aspects,
without which it is impossible to review the information society in
the complex. One of the supporters of this idea, candidate of economic
Sciences, - Petrova, Elena. In its opinion, the proposed structure requires
addition of 3 aspects:
- a Technical - all hardware and technical base of
Informatics;
- software - all the software products of Informatics;
- communication - all types of computer networks and
their ability to transfer information, all kinds of telephone and facsimile
communication.
Information market, despite the different concepts
and different views on its infrastructure, exists and develops, it means
that you can talk about business information products, services, by
which we mean not only the trade and intermediary, but also production.
Paragraph 2: the Basic characteristics
and the role of information technologies in the economy.
We have highlighted some of the basic concepts in
the field of information technology with regards to the economic sphere.
And now is the time to determine the main characteristics of the information
technologies and their influence on development of economy. It has long
been no secret that information is a priority factor of production,
and the need in it, it ceases to be a free commodity. However, most
of the circulating in the information society is consumed as a public
good, the cost of training and dissemination of which the state undertakes.
This means that this part of the information is in two characteristic
properties of a public good, namely:
- Uncompetable: increase the number of consumers does not entail
a reduction of value delivered to each of them;
- Unexcludable: restriction of access of consumers to such good
is almost impossible.
Indeed, firstly, information and knowledge is not
decrease, as they are used because their use does not limit the possibilities
of other consumers synchronously apply for their own purposes the same
information, which is durable and retains the usefulness after consumption.
Purchase a certain amount of knowledge in any way diminish the ability
of another person to acquire this knowledge, you cannot say, for example,
the portion of ice cream or a bus.
Secondly, although the information generated by the
conditions of the commodity economy, may be the subject of property
and exchange, and as such its distribution may be restricted and on
the conditions defined by the rights of ownership, such restrictions
apply only to a fairly specific types of (secret or proprietary information)
and leave ample opportunities for dissemination of information on which
generates new knowledge.
Artificial rarity information is usually short. Secret
information becomes available, or destroyed, as is the case in the military-strategic
sphere. The period of the existence of the patent also last forever,
and sooner or later the information contained herein is distributed
among key stakeholders not only by leaks, but also completely legal
way. It is characteristic that the ownership of the information it can
maximize the distribution, as it serves as a source of income for the
owner of such rights. The consumption of information is identical to
the formation of new knowledge, according to many researchers, knowledge
is increasing and self-regulated, they have intensified as they are
used.
Thus, information and knowledge have the characteristics
of a public good and, therefore, there are prerequisites for their removal
from the field of commodity-money relations. However, despite its character
as a public good, can and should also be seen as a benefit unique, and
there is no knowledge that is not knowledge personalized. This determines
the possibility of the production and sale of information as a commodity
on the information market.
Production costs of information are not comparable
with results of its application, as soon as «sometimes a very small
investment can lead to a lot of knowledge, while attempts to get new
knowledge through major investments sometimes end in complete failure,
that if the explicit knowledge transform in written tacit knowledge,
unexpressed remains the property of the individual and cannot be explained».
Firstly, although the information generated by the
conditions of the commodity economy, may be the subject of property
and exchange, and as such its distribution may be restricted and on
the conditions defined by the rights of ownership, such limitations
relate only to sufficiently specific to its types and leave ample opportunities
for dissemination of information on which generates new knowledge, the
ownership of the information does not contradict the possibility of
its maximum distribution, but assumes it spread as source of income
of the owner of such rights.
Secondly, the consumption of information is identical
to the formation of new knowledge. This means that every time we consume
what the quantity of information we generate new knowledge. After analyzing
the information, the person passes the information through the prism
of their own ideals, opinions and subjective points of view and, therefore,
each time receiving information, we will divide it into something new.
Thirdly, the information might not be attributed
to such characteristic as expendable in the traditional sense of the
term. The use of information leads to the emergence of new information
and new knowledge, without restricting the possibilities of other members
of society synchronously apply for their own purposes the same information,
which is durable and saves the cost of after use. Knowledge can be used
not only person that reached them, but those who received part of their
information.
And finally, fourthly, a modern technological revolution
has made the information more easily replicated good, creating an additional
amount which demands costs, seeking to zero and fulfilling in most cases
the consumer.
The qualitative characteristics of the goods «information»
can also be attributed properties such as objectivity; the reliability,
relevance, adequacy.
Information is objective, if it does not depend on
someone's opinion, the information is reliable if it reflects the true
situation. Under the information relevance understand the importance
and relevance of the information for the present time. The adequacy
of information means a certain level of adherence created with the help
of the received information image of the real object, process, phenomenon.
Also, it is worth noting that such goods as "information"
has to have some usefulness, and hence a price equivalent to this utility.
However, the user can not advance to objectively assess the usefulness
of the information. First evaluates its potential usefulness, whereas
the real utility and then use value he can evaluate only in the process
of consumption, use, processing.
The quality of the goods «information» is not always
obvious and often determined solely subjective, from the point of view
of the customer, which is very rarely mass. It should be noted that
it is semantic characteristics of information are crucial in making
decisions about buying it. General characteristics of the goods «information»
is presented in the table below.
Characteristics of information |
Evaluation parameters |
Amount of information |
1. Technical dimension: number
(bits, bytes), transfer rate,
range of distribution etc.
2. Market-based measurement: sales
unit of service (for example, time
use, copy) |
Semantic characteristics |
1. The quantitative side:
adequacy - failure
2. The qualitative aspect: adequacy - failure
3. Psychological side: foreseeability - unforeseeability |
Summarizing some results of the first Chapter, we
note that information technology deduce humanity to a new level of economic
development. This is largely determined by the change of the main economic
factors , namely, the replacement of labor as an economic factor that
has come to dominate after the industrial revolution in the 19th century,
the brand-new economic factor - information, providing a completely
innovative approach to the distribution of resources (information),
the competitiveness of companies, to the level of profitability that
can be achieved with the help of information.
Chapter №2:The present-day
development of IT of foreign countries and Russia especially.
Paragraph №1: Foreign practices
of IT and their influences on Economy
The experience of developed countries shows that
skilled managers, in fact, are the guarantee of success of the innovation
project. In these countries, the preparation of specialists in the field
of innovative activity is not limited only by the knowledge in educational
institutions, but also training in corporations and firms engaged in
introduction of scientific and technological developments. Such approach
allows to carry out preparation of specialists on management of innovative
projects, having the certificates of the world level.
Also, the development of commercial components of
the information infrastructure of science and scientifictechnical sphere
can be realized according to following directions: