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About Nicholas Carr (the author of It doesn’t matter)

Nicholas Carr is a famous writer whose major areas of focus are on the social, economic, and business implications of technology. He was born in 1959 in and is a resident of America whose prowess in writing has led to his publishing of several books and articles on technology, business, and culture. Among the many books, he is known for includeThe Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains which was a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. Others include ‘It doesn’t matter’ which has garnered a lot of controversial reactions from many readers, authors and scholars though the HBR staff voted it the best article to appear in the magazine in 2003.

It doesn’t matter: Nicholas Carr’s Position

In the book ‘it doesn’t matter’, Nicholas says that information technology has been a very important and integral part of business today. For a brief period, infrastructural technologies have opened opportunities for forward-looking companies to gain strong competitive advantages. Time after time, their availability has increased, and their costs have decreased. As time goes by It has become prevalent, ubiquitous, and part of the status quo. People have become used to IT and are no longer considered something unique for anyone. According to him, information technology has become a common feature in a non-proprietary technology infrastructure and has therefore lost its significance in the provision of a competitive edge or strategic advantage for business growth and profitability at the company level. Though used by organizations, from a strategic business standpoint, It gradually become invisible and do not longer matter anymore. He points here that if a company is to be profitable, IT does not matter anymore. The company’s vision and strategy are all that matters. If this can get interpreted from a non-biased standpoint, what Carr means is that IT is no longer a strategic resource for companies. They should also focus on others things and not overspend on IT alone as a feature to lead them to success.

My position
I do not agree with Carr’s position. Saying that IT does not matter is not correct. My differing side from his argument gets based on the fact that IT has today become an integral part of the organization which has helped it in conducting very many daily duties and transactions. IT infrastructure is imperative as it speeds and makes efficient many activities of the company taking care of duties that a man could do in the whole day within seconds. Today, managers make deals with others business partners at the comfort of their desks. Marketing of products has also been made easier through IT which does so through creating social threads via social media. Today, one does not have to appear physically in the shops but only does the ordering from the comfort of his/her home and relax waiting for delivery. IT has created a lot of opportunities and transformed the vast world into a small global village. Thanks to IT that communication between two people located in extreme corners of the Arctic and Antarctic can speak and do business. Apparently, its use is still needed today as was in the past. It matters and is very crucial.

Introduction
Brazil is classified as a developing nation due to its Human Development Index score. Brazil is a large nation located in South America. It is well endowed with various natural resources. The Human Development Index score is determined by specific criteria including education, Life expectancy, availability of technology, availability of healthcare and income. Since 2015, Brazil has experienced a high increase in its Human Development Index score. Today, it is classified as a “high” HDI nation. This means that it is in the upper quadrant that contains the upper tier of developing nations.

Question 1
Brazil has previously experienced financial problems. The financial problems emerged due to dictatorial government and corruption. Both the IMF and World Bank interfered with the aim of reducing inflation and improving exchange rates. For a long time, the government of Brazil worked closely with the two institutions in its efforts to settle the foreign debt, but the country’s debt situation only deteriorated (Remmer, 2004). Prior to obtaining any help from the IMF and World Bank, the country had to accent to its state of affairs, which involved executing the Structural Adjustment Programs. The program involved taking measures including minimization the growth in the money supply, liberalizing its foreign exchange, eliminating subsidies, minimizing government spending and removing price controls among other measures (Chossudovsky, 2003).

The IMF and World Bank have offered various economic developments. The efforts have been criticized for neglecting the needs of the poor majority and prioritizing multinational corporations and wealthy lenders in the industrialization. In Brazil, the IMF and World Bank has intervened in domestic politics by supporting one side in the heated social debate. As a result, the institutions have interfered in the most political of decisions involving the allocation of national resources (Santiso, 2001). Hence, they have undermined Brazil’s national democracy.

Brazil has had to adhere to the conditions set by the institutions so as to sustain its economy. When Brazil liberalized its foreign market, the country recorded a considerable growth in imports. This is not healthy for the country’s advancing economy (Danaher, 1994). The significance of IMF conditions could help Brazil through access to outside markets for its agricultural products. However, Brazil still faces market barriers for its products (Mosley et al., 1995). The broad market opening affected Brazil’s trade deficit and devalued its currency. Under the guise of advancing “free trade,” financial stability and market liberalization, the two institutions have forced a reduction in education, health care, and other social services thereby increasing inequality and deepening poverty.

On the other hand, IMF and World Bank have assisted Brazil stabilizing its economy and eradicating its debt crisis. Through Washington Consensus sponsored by the two institutions, Brazil implemented a fiscal policy, aimed at development programs, reducing government salaries and cutting down public sector investment.

Question 2
For Brazil, healthcare is a priority. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that health facilities are available and funded. Healthcare is a constitutional right in Brazil. The Health Ministry carries out national health policy while both the government and private sector are responsible for the provision of healthcare. The effects of a healthy population on the economy are clear. First, a nation with a healthy population finds it attain sustained growth. The provision of primary healthcare enables prevention of diseases for the benefit of the economy (Santiso, 2001).

Secondly, the healthcare performance is linked to economic prosperity. A healthy population can achieve better productivity. Thirdly, a healthy population has a higher life expectancy. This is necessary for economic development. Investment in healthcare is important for economic growth given that healthy workforce is more delivers consistent production. The fourth is that a healthy population reduces the burden of illnesses and costs associated with health issues. This benefits the rapid economic growth. In order to achieve these, the Brazilian government provides a universal healthcare system that allows citizens to afford private healthcare. The system is non-exclusive and accommodates everyone, including visitors (Falleti, 2010). The problem with its health care system is that a substantial amount of spending on healthcare is private.

Question 3
Brazil has faced a number of difficulties in its healthcare financing. This has been linked with low investment from the government. Despite the situation, the country does depend much on foreign aid to support the provision of healthcare to its citizens. Foreign aid is largely used for servicing its debts. The British government is a key supporter of Brazil. The country has made a substantial step towards the reduction of HIV/AIDS and has surpassed the expectations of the World Bank Brazil has emerged as a leader in the exchange of expertise and resources among developing countries. Brazil’s portfolio of domestically developed interventions, including the public production of ARVs and CCTs has positioned the country’s aid’s regime to capitalize on improving the national balance sheet. In 2015, Brazil enacted new legislation requiring international private investors to purchase and operate healthcare facilities in the nation. Investment in healthcare by foreigners has become desirable due to a reduction in value of domestic currency.