The Year 2000 Problem
Computers' Year-2000 problem (Y2K), whereby some computer software won't recognize any digits as representing years in the 21st century, may well strike hoteliers particularly hard due to hotels' reliance on date-sensitive data (room reservations, for example). Moreover, unless hotels' software is updated, Y2K will manifest itself sooner among hotels than in many other industries, as hotels begin to book rooms in the year 2000. Hoteliers can (1) choose to do nothing (i.e., wait and see what actually happens), (2) debug their existing computer applications, or (3) purchase and install all new systems software. Some methods to remove the Y2K problem include these five techniques: size expansion, data encoding, date shift, soft windows, and hard windows. Replacing existing application software with new, Y2K-compliant computer software will resolve the problem. That approach, however, means that all of a hotel's related computer-program requirements be accounted for—which is an enormous undertaking. Moreover, new computer systems are costly, and “off the shelf” business software rarely is of much help to hoteliers. As a result, hotels' computer systems and software most often require extensive customization. Time is short; hoteliers don't have until 2000 to solve their Y2K problems, since a hotel's existing reservation system may not be able to recognize reservations for the year 2000 (“00”). In practical terms, the time required for software development and testing is substantial. Therefore, hotels need to handle the Y2K issue immediately.
The Year 2000 Problem: Ethical Implications
As the end of 1990s draws ever closer, organizations are “making the dash to the year 2000 finish line.” Unfortunately, this is no small task. Moreover, the year 2000 concerns of many organizations will not end on January 1, 2000. Systems failures will inevitably occur, and experts predict that the year 2000 (Y2K) problem will lead to numerous lawsuits costing enterprises vast sums of money. With the rise of litigation, it is likely that ethical questions will also be raised about organizations' handling of their year 2000 problems. Among the relevant ethical issues that will be considered is did system developers and their organizations have an ethical obligation to address the year 2000 problem? This question is of great importance whether the developers work for in-house information systems (IS) departments or for software and hardware vendor organizations. This paper takes a detailed look at this issue. This paper also focuses special attention on a typology of factors, derived from models of ethical decision making, that have served to inhibit or facilitate organizational responses to the year 2000 problem. The goal of this analysis is to recognize and remove the obstacles that remain to an effective Y2K response, so that organizations can not only become year-2000-ready, but also become better prepared to ethically, technically, and effectively manage their information assets. In so doing, organizations will be pursuing the prudent, ethical course of action that minimizes their legal exposure, and protects the long-term interests of their stakeholders.
Industrial product adoption in a technology push industry
Abstract Studies of the industrial adoption of innovatious have frequently concluded that managerial attitudes are a crucial determinant of adoption behavior. However, these studies have usually offered hypotheses rather than rigorous tests. Equally important, these studies have not specified the characteristics of those managers whose attitudes exert a particularly strong influence on the firm's adoption policy.