The Czech Republic's Evolving IT

The Czech Republic has seen an explosion in research and development as well as changing technologies since the end of the second world war.

MYRO-CZ a toll system owned by Kapsch, was set up in 2007 and it is a free-flowing toll system that spans 1300 kM. This system enables the tolling of moving vehicles in unimpeded conditions and uses suspended microwave antennas to track the movement of cars. The system is fully automated and does not require the input of the driver at all. This system also allows for the management and future planning of traffic.

In 2009 the Czech Ministry of Culture decided to digitize Czech culture and art. There are three objectives of the project:

1. digitisation of important sections of Czech literary production on the territory of the CR, written in Czech or dealing with the Czech Republic;
2. long-term storage of documents in a secure digital depository; and
3. making digitized documents accessible in a uniform, user-friendly interface with user personalization options.

In April 2012 Mazak opened a new Technology Center in the Czech Republic. This new center will help train skilled workers in advanced manufacturing. It will also help attract customers from across Europe to see the newest machine tools and machining techniques.

Czech Computer Security Issues

The Business Monitor International (BMI) believes that the growth of the information technology market in the Czech Republic will be a flat growth curve. This stagnant growth is due to the uncertain economic and political climate in the Czech Republic as well as the rest of the European Union.

Unemployment is expected to remain high and this will hold back the investment and consumer demand in the information technology market. Despite the poor economic conditions in Europe, the Czech Republic's business investment environment continues to be more robust than the rest of the Europe markets.

With the advent of new technologies, new opportunities for the development of the Czech society are made available; however, it also brings new requirements concerning the security of ICT's and the whole society. The Czech Republic's growing dependence on ICT's increases the vulnerability of the state and its citizens to cyber attacks. These attacks may have potential types of criminal, economic, or terrorist motives and may be potentially used to destabilize the Czech society. The Cyber Security Strategy of the Czech Republic attempts to solve these issues.

Response to News Source

The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to two researchers, Serge Haroche from France and David J. Wineland from the United States. Their research has allowed them to manipulate and measure individual particles while preserving the quantum-mechanical nature of the particles. "The Nobel citation said such advancements, which allow researchers to directly observe individual quantum particles without destroying them, were previously thought unattainable." The work done by both researchers has potential application in quantum computing and could lead to the development of much faster  and more powerful supercomputers.  This has many implications for the business world as well as the computer science world because it will allow for the simulation of many new events. 

Business Abroad - China

One of the most important things to take away from Mr. Todd about doing business abroad was to "not be a dog trying to learn new tricks", but rather to keep a perspective on your own beliefs and to do what you know is right. Mr. Todd brings to light a potential issue when conducting business abroad: bribery.

The Department of Justice's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, "prohibits corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business." But what do you do when the port authority will not let your goods on a ship to be transported? Do you bribe the port authority because it is considered "common practice" in China? Or do you become a whistle blower and report the corrupt activity? When the electric authorities offer to cut your firm's utility bill by 50% if you pay 25% of your bill to them directly: Do you do it allowing you to cut costs? These are just a few ethical dilemmas that Mr. Todd pointed out that he had to deal with when doing business in China. It is good to learn about these types of situations from a person that has had to deal with them first hand.