"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure" - this comment from one of the contributors pinpoints the target of this publication - to acknowledge vulnerability in our society and identify various means of "coping" with it. The topic of social vulnerability may be approached from many different directions. For some people, the starting point is a particular system that, because of its size and complexity is unreliable and therefore generates vulnerability. It may be the design, implementation or integration of sophisticated technological devices within the system which reduces its reliability. From another perspective, social vulnerability is ultimately a subjective experience of individual people, the starting point being the quality of life of the individual, not the system. In this way, instead of facing uncertain reliability, society is confronted with "certain unreliability" - a general sensation of powerlessness and vulnerability in an age dominated by the use of complex information and communication technology.
The issue has, at the same time, three distinct aspects: that of the reality of risk, of the perception of risk and of the ability of the individual to act. The papers incorporated in this volume achieve a reconciliation of the different perspectives and work towards the provision of some tentative first answers to the major question posed: "how" do we meet the "challenge" of social vulnerability in an information age?
"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure" - this comment from one of the contributors pinpoints the target of this publication - to acknowledge vulnerability in our society and identify various means of "coping" with it. The topic of social vulnerability may be approached from many different directions. For some people, the starting point is a particular system that, because of its size and complexity is unreliable and therefore generates vulnerability. It may be the design, implementation or integration of sophisticated technological devices within the system which reduces its reliability. From another perspective, social vulnerability is ultimately a subjective experience of individual people, the starting point being the quality of life of the individual, not the system. In this way, instead of facing uncertain reliability, society is confronted with "certain unreliability" - a general sensation of powerlessness and vulnerability in an age dominated by the use of complex information and communication technology.
The issue has, at the same time, three distinct aspects: that of the reality of risk, of the perception of risk and of the ability of the individual to act. The papers incorporated in this volume achieve a reconciliation of the different perspectives and work towards the provision of some tentative first answers to the major question posed: "how" do we meet the "challenge" of social vulnerability in an information age?
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Elsevier Science & Technology
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Für Beruf und Forschung
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Maße
ISBN-13
978-0-444-89878-4 (9780444898784)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Herausgeber*in
Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities, University of Brighton
Group H.E.C., Jouy-en-Josas, France
Part 1 Conceptual analyses: constructing a vulnerable society, M. van Lieshout and M. Massink; the social construction of "major risks", R. Laufer; whose risk? whose challenge? questions of power and vulnerability in a designed world, C. Beardon and M. Hales; I.T. paradigms and inherent risks, K. Brunnstein; the new vulnerability - some ideas to face it, D. Naulleau. Part 2 Methods: using risk-analysis as a tool for decision making - experiences from real life, C.J. Coumou; using web analysis in health care organisations, G. Louw; EDI - risks and vulnerability in new inter-organizational systems, C. Lobet-Maris. Part 3 Organizations - case studies: dependency of healthcare organisation on their information, A.R. Bakker; benefit and risk assessment of computerized health cards - a case study, T. Nguyen Nam et al; information technology in health care - tension and change in the UK national health service, J. Owen et al; information technology's ideology makes its use risky, J. Schopman; overcoming disability - an overview of social and technological developments, D. Whitehouse; I.S. and the public sector - new risks, P. Nilsson; electronic service delivery and the inner city - the risk of benign neglect, W. Dutton; the Swedish church has implemented information technology and is in need of education at the managerial level, S. Zetterqvist. Part 4 Tentative responses: certification in the Australian I.T. profession, A. Underwood; people risks related with informatic services professions and professional liability insurance, P. van Houtte; vulnerability and privacy - are we on the way to a risk-free society?, J. Holvast. Part 5 AGORA - sand-silver-gold plates: the "best" idea as promoted in the public AGORA, J. Berleur et al. Part 6 Provisional conclusion: measures additional to the IFIP-WG9.2 "Paper of Positions", J. Berleur et al. Part 7 The 2nd Namur award lecture: information and communication technology - achievements and prospects, R. Petrella.
