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Impact of the Digital Divide - Economic
People with Internet access are able to take opportunities, such as...
  • shopping bargains - able to search web sites for the 'best buys'.
  • participate in online auctions.
  • buy from overseas companies.
  • buying goods at any time of the day - not limited to shopping hours.

 

Businesses can increase their profits by setting up web sites and selling their goods or services to anyone in the world. This globalisation of markets has had a big effect on businesses world-wide.

Greater use of ICT may ensure firms increase their overall efficiency - cutting costs, speeding up transactions, greater control over stock etc..

The success of one business has a knock-on effect to all the supplier businesses. Successful businesses also have an effect on local wealth by supplying jobs.

Where there is a lot of use of ICT hardware there will also be a number of jobs and services needed to support the technology.

 

  

 
A widening digital divide between countries may lead to a widening economic divide between industrial developed countries and the poorer ones. The rich countries get richer...the poor countries cannot compete...