Virtual Organization – Towards a Theory of Societal Transformation Stimulated by Information Technology
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“Before Internet (BI), the historian Stavrianos (1976) wrote, “The Western world today is re-experiencing the decay and despair of its early post-Roman centuries.” Despite opposite causes – technological stagnation in the Roman Empire versus unbridled technological development in the modern West – both periods bear similar marks of decline…”
Reviews:
“…is a meditative and thought-provoking discourse on how modern information technology molds and transforms society itself… Virtual Organization is highly recommended reading which delves deeply into serious and complex forces driving the growth and change of our modern society.” – Library Bookwatch Review
“Does what few, if any, works on information technology and its impact on society do — it goes beyond mere descriptives to offer a carefully argued theory of how it is that this technology has so dramatically and permanently reshaped social institutions the world over. Like Karl Marx and Adam Smith before him, Mowshowitz turns to the forces of production as the key to understanding the essence of this technology. The neo-feudalistic picture of society that emerges is surprising and provocative. This book is a “must read” for anyone interested in technological innovation and the future of society.” – Dorothy McKissick President, Jacquard Corporation
“With historical analogy, and interdisciplinary acumen, Abbe Mowshowitz dissects the global virtual organization which, if not checked, is likely to usher in what he calls virtual feudalism. With concepts borrowed from mathematics, computer science, and international business, Mowshowitz shows that the new virtual organization has the hallmark of displacing the nation-state as the main wielder of authority and appropriator of social services and basic needs of the citizenry…. An intriguing book which puts it into a class by itself.” – Elia Zureik Professor of Sociology, Queen’s University
“Mowshowitz has an enviable knack for bringing social and historical factors to bear on our understanding of the consequences of technological change…. Some of his views of potential outcomes may be shocking and disturbing, but they cannot be ignored. In other writings he has pointed out the need for “radical criticism” as a necessary perspective on understanding technology and guiding society. In this book he has clearly taken his own advice. The result is a very refreshing and stimulating view of the future and the issues we must face.” – Murray Turoff, Distinguished Professor Information Systems Department, New Jersey Institute of Technology