No technology in our history has spread as fast as computers and their digital technologies. In How Societies Embrace Information Technology, leading IT authority James Cortada examines how this phenomenon is shaping contemporary society, focusing on the role of corporations and governments. By revealing what history teaches about the adoption of information technologies, Cortada prepares business and government leaders to spot new trends and successfully develop strategies for implementing and managing emerging technologies. Coverage includes:

• Summaries of the new best practices based on sixty years of historical experience, all research-based

• How technology spread so quickly and completely across the globe

• A look at the decision-making process of managers in the private and public sectors

• How governments leverage IT to improve their national economies

• An examination of the "Information Age" and whether it actually exists

• The most current developments in IT

This authoritative reference is ideal for government policymakers and for private-sector managers who routinely make decisions to acquire and use information technology. It is also aimed at academics concerned with the sociology, history, economics, and the effects of IT on contemporary society, as well as business schools and engineering and IT professionals serving in management roles or interested in the managerial/user history of IT.

The author's royalties on sales of this book will be donated to the IEEE Computer Society's Educational Activities Board.