We live in an economy based on information and knowledge. The computer

, the mobile phone , and the Internet are all instrumental in the continuing development of the Information Age. Previously , in the Industrial Age , raw materials and physical labor were the key ingredients in the creation of wealth. Today, however, wealth depends on the development and exchange of knowledge. Individuals in the workforce offer their knowledge , not their muscles. Knowledge workers get paid for their education and their ability to learn. More recently , we are hearing the term information worker (i-worker) to describe those who work with information and technology. Regardless of the terminology, knowledge and information workers engage in mind work. They deal with symbols: words, figures , and data. Some knowledge workers in the US worry over the outsourcing of their jobs to skilled workers in other countries. Outsourcing overseas is a reality. Jobs that can be condensed to a set of rules are likely to go first either to workers abroad or to computers. Although we cannot predict the kinds of future jobs that will be available , they wil1

undoubtedly require brainpower and education. Existing jobs , in both good and bad times, give way to shifts in technology and competition. Recessions are followed by recoveries , and the economy adjusts , as it has always done in the past. In the current climate of outsourcing and changing job requirements , workers need to be flexible , to learn continually, and to have strong basic skills.

As a knowledge and information worker , you can expect to be generating , processing, and exchanging information. Whether you work in m-commerce (mobile technology businesses) , e-commerce (Internet-based businesses) , or bricks-and-mortar commerce, nearly three out of four jobs will involve some form.of mind work. J obs that require thinking, brainpower, and decision making skil1 s are likely to remain plentiful. To be successful in these jobs , you wil1 need to be able to think critically, make decisions, and communicate those decisions.

Management and employees will be working together in such areas as product development , quality control , and customer satisfaction. All workers , from executives to subordinates , need to think creatively and critically. Even in factory production lines, workers are part of the knowledge culture. One of the secrets of a well-known carmaker’ s success in the past , said a chief executive of the Japanese carmaker, "is that the company encourages every worker , no matter how far down the production line , to consider himself or herself a knowledge worker and to think creatively about improving his particular corner of the organization. "

Mark the following statements True or False according to the information provided in the text.

1. Today , the development of economy is based on information and knowledge.

2. In the Industrial Age , raw materials and physical labor were the most important in

the creation of wealth.

3.In the Information Age , the creation of wealth depends on the development and

exchange of information and knowledge.

4. In the Information Age , people in the workforce offer more of their knowledge ,

rather than just their muscles , to do their jobs.

5. Knowledge workers are a team of workers formed by people in the management of a

company.

6. Information workers get paid for their education and their ability to learn , and they

engage in mind work , dealing with words , figures and data.

7. Outsourcing of knowledge workers' jobs overseas is not a reality in the US.

8. Knowledge and information workers work at jobs that require thinking , brainpower ,

and decision making skills.

9. To be successful as a knowledge worker , one needs to be able to think critically,

make decisions , and communicate those decisions.

10. All workers , from executives to subordinates , need to think creatively and critically, but those far down the production line should not regard themselves as knowledge workers.