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1 Introduction

International business has been transformed by the power of instantaneous communication. The combination of computer and telecommunications has collapsed the time and distance factors that once separated nations, people and business organizations (Castells, 2000; Tapscott, 1996). This has been particularly true for the transnational corporation (TNC) which operates as a nationally based company with overseas operations in two or more countries. Strategic decision-making and the allocation of resources are predicated on economic goals and efficiencies with little regard to national boundaries. The TNC has become a salient feature of our present day global economic landscape (Albarran & Chan-Olmsted, 1998; Compaine & Gomery, 2000; Gershon, 2006).

This chapter will examine the subject of intelligent networking which provides the technologies and electronic pathways that makes international business communication possible. The intelligent network has become the vital nervous system that enables the TNC to be truly global in its design, structure and extended reach. One of the goals of this chapter is to fully understand the ways in which intelligent networks affect the spatial design and operations of the transnational organization. Special attention is given to four work-design principles including: (1) Virtual Communication, (2) Information Exchange, (3) Digital Media and Convergence and (4) Decision Support Analysis.

2 The Intelligent Network: Literature Review

Intelligence can be defined as the ability to reason, problem solve, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas and learn. Halal (1997) describes organizational intelligence as the “capacity of an organization to create knowledge and use it to strategically plan and adapt to its environment.” (p. 67). Intelligent networks, therefore, are the systems of communication that organize, transmit and display information with the goal of improving organizational performance. The intelligent networks provide three levels of functionality as illustrated in Fig. 1. They include: (1) Transmission, Display and Storage, (2) Decision Support Analysis and (3) Artificial Intelligence (see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
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Intelligent network: three level hierarchy. Source: Gershon (2017)

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The first level can be described as Transmission, Display and Storage (TDS). The role of the intelligent network is to provide the proper switching and routing of information between a sender and an intended audience. This can vary in size and complexity from a simple SKYPE video exchange to an international videoconference involving a project team from around the world. In both cases, the goal is to transmit information to an intended audience.

The second level can be described as Decision Support Analysis. Here the emphasis is on providing the user with critical information for purposes of information gathering, planning and decision-making (Huber, 1990). The intelligent network is responsible for providing the organization and its users immediate access to a whole host of internal and external data base services that might include investigating infectious diseases (i.e., U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention) or pursuing a criminal investigation of a suspected international terrorist (i.e., Interpol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security). Depending on how the information is organized and sorted, there is an abundance of information that can provide the user with critical analysis capability (Gershon, 2017).

The third level can be described as Artificial Intelligence (AI). The goal of the intelligent network is to make preprogrammed decisions. The network is designed to make recommendations to the user and/or take corrective action based on established algorithms. Once again, examples can vary in size and complexity starting with a proprietary software recommendation system built by electronic commerce companies like Amazon, Netflix and Apple. Such companies make personalized product recommendations (i.e., books, films and music) via their EC websites based on past selections. At a more complex level, automated intelligence refers to preprogrammed decision-making. As an example, modern aviation relies on a AI flight control management system in order to control the aircraft. The AI flight control system can control and automate all phases of a flight operation, including take-off and ascent, flight guidance (autopilot), descent, approach and landing.

2.1 Four Working Assumptions About Intelligent Networks

When engineers discuss the architecture of a network; they are describing how the physical parts of the network are organized, including: (1) Information pathways (network configurations), (2) Terminals (computers, smartphones etc.), (3) Software (applications and protocols) and (4) Data Enhancement Equipment (modems, laser printers, Wifi etc.) First, the intelligent network is not one network, but a series of networks designed to enhance worldwide communication for business and individual users alike (Gershon, 2011; Noam, 2001). Second, what gives the network its unique intelligence are the people and users of the system and the value-added contributions they bring to the system via critical gateway points. Today, the Internet has grown exponentially in size and complexity due to the many contributions of its users ranging from powerful search engines to unique web site design as well as the aggregation of content.

A third assumption is that intelligent networks do not operate in a vacuum. Rather, the use of intelligent networks are part of a greater human communication and organizational decision-making process (Monge & Contractor, 2003). As Berners-Lee (1999) points out, the Internet is as much a social creation as it is a technical one. Nowhere is this more evident than in the creation of social networking sites like Facebook which has been described by its founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, as a “mathematical construct that maps the real-life connections between people. Each person is a noderadiating links to other people they know” (Most Innovative Companies, 2007). As friends and acquaintances join Facebook, they become part of a larger social grid that matters to the individual. It creates value to the individual by adding to one’s social capital (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007). Finally, as intelligent networks grow and evolve, they often exhibit self-learning qualities in what can be described as network evolution (Gershon, 2011; Monge, Heiss, & Magolin, 2008). This is a crucial element in helping to explain what makes an intelligent network, intelligent. It also speaks to the importance of artificial intelligence.

2.2 Network Evolution

The principle of network evolution suggests that a network improves in value over time (Monge et al., 2008). The public switched telephone network, for example, has improved in value from a system once designed for voice communication to one that fully supports a variety of enhanced information services. Similarly, the success of the Internet today is due to a combination of factors, including hypertext linking, improved website design and powerful search engines. Google Inc. is the world’s preeminent search engine and was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. One of Google’s stated missions is to organize the world’s information. The power and networking capability of the Google search engine has proven highly adaptive and grown exponentially over time. The ever increasing amount of data now generates its own unique networking effect (Auletta, 2009). There is an automatic self-learning feature that is built into the system that facilitates the development of other Google software products (e.g., Google maps, key-word search, etc.). The more people use the Google search engine, the more powerful the network becomes. In sum, the Google network has become greater than the sum of its parts. There is an important self-learning feature that is built into the network.

2.3 Permeability

A second important network principle is permeability which allows information to flow in and out of the network system or organization. Intelligent networks, by definition, presuppose permeable boundaries; that is, structured entry points that allow users to access and contribute to the overall system design. The level of permeability varies according to the openness of the system. The intelligent network must adhere to an internal logic (i.e., system protocols) while having the capacity to grow and develop. This is particularly evident when it comes to the internal logic structure and accessibility of the Internet.

The Permeability Predicament

As noted earlier, the Internet has grown in size and complexity due to the many contributions of its users. The principle of permeability is central to this discussion since the Internet must allow easy access points for its users (e.g., personal computers, smart phones, computer tablets). At the same time, permeability also means opening up the system to any number of unwanted influences and outcomes. I call this the permeability predicament. What are some of the unwanted influences that affect network design and critical infrastructure? Such examples might include privacy invasion and network security threats (Gershon, 2011, 2017).

Network Security Threats

Both large and small businesses alike are highly dependent on their computing and information storage systems. A network security threat is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks against an intelligent network and the information contained in such networks. Such attacks are directed against critical infrastructure resulting in the destabilization of a network and/or violence against persons and property (Clayton, 2011). The goal is to intimidate an organization in furtherance of a political, military or social objective. Clark (2010) coins the term cyberwarriors to describe a new class of military actions taken by a country to penetrate another nation’s computer networks for the purpose of intelligence gathering and/or causing severe disruption. Companies like Target, Home Depot and Sony Corporation, to name only a few, have been the target of sophisticated hackers. For such companies, the problem translates into damage to reputation as well as lost productivity and operation time. The data breach that affected Target cost the company an estimated $148 million in lost sales as well as recovery costs. Consider what would happen if the financial record-keeping at American Express was suddenly and irretrievably lost. The enormity of accurately recreating the lost data would fully destabilize the company and have a cascading effect on the world’s financial markets. Hence the term, critical infrastructure. Select examples of intelligent networking and critical infrastructure can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1 Select examples of intelligent networking and critical infrastructure
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2.4 The Transnational Corporation

The transnational corporation is a nationally based company with overseas operations in two or more countries. One distinctive feature of the transnational corporation (TNC) is that strategic decision-making and the allocation of resources are based on economic goals and efficiencies with little regard to national boundaries. Through a process of foreign direct investment, the TNC actively promotes the use of advanced media and information technology on a worldwide basis (Behrman & Grosse, 1990; Compaine & Gomery, 2000; Gershon, 2006, 2013).

Most companies do not set out with an established plan for becoming a major international company. Rather, as a company’s exports steadily increase, it establishes a foreign office to handle the sales and services of its products. In the beginning stages, the foreign office tends to be flexible and highly independent. As the firm gains experience, it may get involved in other facets of international business such as licensing and manufacturing abroad. Later, as pressures arise from various international operations, the company begins to recognize the need for a more comprehensive global strategy.

2.5 The TNC and Foreign Direct Investment

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) refers to the ownership of a company in a foreign country. This includes the control of assets. As part of its commitment, the investing company will transfer some of its managerial, financial and technical expertise to the foreign owned company. The decision to engage in FDI is based on the profitability of the market, growth potential, regulatory climate and existing competitive situation. There are four primary reasons that help to explain why a company engages in FDI. They include: (1) Foreign market penetration (2) Proprietary assets and natural resources, (3) Research, production and distribution efficiencies and (4) Overcoming regulatory barriers to entry (Bartlett & Ghoshal, 1998; Behrman & Grosse, 1990).

3 Redefining Business Work Space

Today’s knowledge economy involves the full integration of transnational business, nation-states and technologies operating at high speed. It is a global economy that is being driven by free-market capitalism. It stands in marked contrast to many of the basic patterns and assumptions of the industrial age. The once highly centralized business has given way to the transnational organization that operates in multiple countries throughout the world. Instead of time and communication being highly synchronized, today’s working professional lives in a digital world of asynchronous and virtual communication that allows for the international collaboration of projects regardless of time zones, geographical borders and physical space (Tapscott, 1996). We have entered the era of global virtual teams where work is produced across multiple time zones and geographic spaces. We now consider four work-design principles that affect the spatial design and operations of the transnational corporation. They include: (1) Virtual Communication, (2) Information Exchange, (3) Digital Media and Convergence, (4) Decision Support Analysis.

4 Virtual Communication

The combination of computer and telecommunications technology has had a major effect on the spatial reorganization of activity for the transnational organization. Time and distance factors have become less important in determining where a company chooses to locate today. The term virtual communication can be used to describe the artificial space and network linkages connecting a disparate set of users using both computer mediated and telecommunications technology (Gershon, 2017). The technologies and software applications are varied and can include a combination of wired and wireless telephony, videoconferencing (full motion) and Internet based communication to name only a few. The communication, itself, can be both synchronous (real time) as well as asynchronous (different times).

We begin our discussion by exploring the term virtual network and what it means to communicate across time and space without the need for a physical connection. A virtual private network (VPN) is a computer network that that uses a public telecommunications infrastructure such as the Internet to provide remote users (or departments) secure access to their organization’s network. A VPN can range in size and scale of operation from theTNC that operates on multiple continents to a major medical hospital that must provide secure healthcare information to physicians and other medical professionals located in a variety of clinics and adjoining facilities. The major requirement is the ability to provide immediate and secure information available to the organization and its affiliate sites.

4.1 Global Virtual Teams

International project teams are the key to smart, flexible and cost effective organizations. A global virtual team represents working professionals from a TNC’s worldwide operations assembled together for the purpose of working on a common project goal or assignment (Martins, Gibson, & Maynard, 2004; Maznevski & Chudoba, 2000; Lipnack & Stamps, 1997). In such teams, traditional face-to-face communication is partially or fully replaced by electronic forms of communication, including videoconferencing, desktop video, (SKYPE, Facetime etc.), web-based shared documents (Google Docs, Dropbox etc.) and electronic mail. The TNC’s use of global virtual teams as part of a larger effort to share international expertise across the entire organization. The global virtual team offers up certain distinct advantages, including collaborative research and design work, reduced travel costs etc. (DeSanctis, Poole & Dickerson, 2000).

Advancements in communication technology and intelligent networking have elevated the principle of teamwork to a whole new level in terms of collaborative effort. At the same time, the use of global virtual teams brings with it a unique set of challenges. Foremost, are issues pertaining to trust involving differences of culture, geographic dislocation, complex problem solving and the effective collaboration of ideas. Specifically, how does one creatively engage a group of people that one has never physically met and trusting that everyone is equal to the task? (Ramirez & Zhang, 2007; Evaristo, 2003; Jarvenpaa, Knoll, & Leidner, 1998; Potter & Balthazard, 2002). The global virtual team presents both opportunities and challenges in terms of utilizing the principles of virtual communication in tandem with intelligent networks.

4.2 Videoconferencing: Tools and Applications

One of the standard tools for the global virtual team is the videoconference. The videoconference provides an electronic meeting format using video images and audio sound. People are typically linked together at two or more locations via a telephone codec or satellite. The videoconference permits the exchange of information, data and/or drawings between two or more people at separate locations. The organizational videoconference has become a standard feature of transnational communication and serves as an alternative to face-to-face meetings. This can include both to point-to-multipoint videoconferences using structured conference meeting rooms as well as Internet-based conferencing.

Videoconferencing offers the transnational organization some distinct advantages, including (1) information exchange, (2) increased productivity, (3) cost savings and (4) employee training. First and foremost, the TNC videoconference is about information exchange. This gives the large scale organization a level of productivity and efficiency that would otherwise be unavailable. The TNC videoconference can link together marketing and engineering teams and, thereby, eliminate the need for travel, hotel and lodging expenses associated with travel. It also contributes to increased productivity since key management people are in the office and not in transit. Videoconferencing companies like Cisco and Polycom have tried to simplify the conferencing process by introducing easy meeting set ups, as well as making the design of the conferencing rooms (including table shape, wall colors and back drop) look as though all participating members are seated in the same room. This stands in marked contrast to older videoconferencing systems that required dedicated and expensive room-based facilities that were difficult to set up (Passmore, 2007).

Alternatively, an Internet-based videoconference can provide a low cost way to electronically link members of the transnational organization. Today, nearly all desktop, laptop and tablet computers are equipped with a webcam and microphone. Software applications like SKYPE, Facetime and Go to Meeting make international project meetings and consultations a fairly routine exercise. In addition, a prearranged webinar can provide transnational employees with a timely method for obtaining educational training and information updates. Typically, the webinar is scheduled ahead of time and involves an information specialist as well as written materials as part of a larger information package.

5 Information Exchange

Intelligent networks are at the heart of international business finance. The transfer of goods and services is premised on information exchange; that is, electronic communication that executes and verifies that a transaction has occurred. A credit card transaction provides a good illustration of intelligent networking and the principle of information exchange. A successful credit card transaction sets into motion a three-way information exchange between the consumer, the retailer/store and credit card company. A related term is exchange efficiency which is an important concept found in management theory. It has to do with creating the optimum conditions through which a consumer can obtain a product or service. Traditional examples of exchange efficiency can be seen with speed lanes in a supermarket, thereby, allowing customers to move quickly through the checkout line. Similarly, the principle of exchange efficiency can be seen with companies who specialize in E-Commerce shopping such as Amazon.com, Zappos and Booking.com to name only a few (Gershon, 2017).

5.1 Electronic Commerce

Today, electronic commerce has taken the principle of exchange efficiency to a whole new level in terms of retail trade. E-commerce represents the ability to buy and sell products and services electronically via the Internet. They include business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C). Of particular note, is B2C electronic commerce which involves selling products and services directly to consumers via the Internet. B2C comes in two general formats, including traditional retailers (e.g., Sears, Target, etc.) as well as those companies whose primary business model depends on the Internet as the basis for retail trade (e.g., Amazon.com, Apple and Netflix). B2C electronic commerce has fundamentally changed how retail trade is conducted in terms of information gathering, production and distribution. It has created an altogether new business model that maximizes the potential for instantaneous communication to a world-wide customer base. This is particularly evident in the field of music sales and distribution. The speed and efficiency of producing Internet delivered music using MP3 file-sharing software, has fundamentally changed the cost structure of music recording and distribution on a worldwide basis. Specifically, the combination of the Apple iPod and iTunes media store created the first sustainable music EC business model of its kind (Gershon, 2013). It has redefined the way music and video entertainment is distributed to the consumer and given new meaning to the term exchange efficiency.

5.2 Supply Chain Management and Business Process

Supply chain management (SCM) is a complex business model that considers the entire set of linking steps necessary to produce and deliver a product to the end consumer. SCM philosophy is grounded in the belief that everyone involved in the supply chain is both a supplier and customer and requires access to timely, up-to-date information. The goal is to optimize organizational efficiency by meeting the needs of both suppliers and customers. SCM forces companies to move away from an organizational structure designed around functional silos toward one designed around the end-to-end flow of business processes. A well-designed SCM system requires the ability to give real time information to an extended network of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers (Tarn, Razi, Yen, & Xu, 2002). SCM makes it possible for companies like Dell Computers to engage in just-in-time manufacturing and Amazon.com to offer direct-to-home delivery of goods and services.

5.3 Just-in-Time Manufacturing

Most companies have access to excellent hardware and software capability that enables them to operate in a global business environment. The distinguishing factor often centers on speed and turn around time. Faster product cycles and the ability to train and produce worldwide production teams have transnationalized the manufacturing and distribution process. It is the ability to apply time-based competitive strategies at the global level that enables the TNC to manage inventories across borders. At the heart of time base competitiveness is just-in-time manufacturing which allows a company to meet an order in the least amount of time. Just-in-time manufacturing relies on the use of supply chain management and enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) for the purpose of tracking customer orders. ERP tends to focus on internal business processes within the boundaries of a single organization (Zheng, Yen, & Tarn, 2000).

Dell Computers and Just-in-Time Manufacturing

Dell Computers was established by Michael Dell in 1984 and has grown to become one of the world’s preeminent manufacturers of desktop and laptop computers. By 1996, Internet sales had taken off and the company realized that computer savvy shoppers preferred the convenience of custom ordering what they wanted directly from Dell and having it delivered to their door. During this time, Dell had become master innovators involving two important business processes. The first process was customization using a just-in-time manufacturing capability. Dell built computers to customer order and specification, thereby, eliminating excess inventory and the need for storage. Because of Dell’s build-to-order philosophy, Dell has evolved a highly sophisticated manufacturing and logistics capability. The second important process was direct-to-consumer sales delivery thus avoiding costly investment in retail store infrastructure. It was a process model that other computer manufacturers would later adopt (Fields, 2006).

6 Digital Media and Convergence

Digital media is at the heart of today’s communication revolution. Digital media represents the artistic convergence of various kinds of hardware and software design elements to create entirely new forms of communication expression (Gershon, 2017). From electronic commerce (Amazon.com) to music and video streaming (iTunes, Netflix), digital media has transformed the business of retail selling and personal lifestyle. Digital technology improves the quality and efficiency of switching, routing and storing of information (Wirtz, 2011; Wirth, 2006). It increases the potential for manipulation and transformation of data. Digital technology makes it possible to achieve convergence between different electronic media forms, including voice, data and video communication.

Electronic Commerce and Amazon.com

Amazon.com is a transnational media and electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Company founder, Jeff Bezos, incorporated the company in July 1994. Today, Amazon.com is the largest EC retailer in the world. Amazon.com started with online books given the large world-wide demand for literature, the low price points for books, as well as the large number of titles available in print. In its formative years, Amazon focused on business-to-customer (B-to-C) electronic commerce. The challenge was to become more fully diversified in terms of product and service offerings. In time, they incorporated customer reviews and leveraged such information as a way to sell more products and services as well as improve the customer experience. In addition, Amazon has greatly expanded its third-party marketplace, where merchants worldwide can set up their own virtual stores on Amazon.com and sell their products alongside Amazon’s—all the while leveraging Amazon’s large customer base and credit-card-processing services (i.e., exchange efficiency). Both retailers and individual sellers utilize the Amazon.com platform to sell goods. Large retailers like Nordstrom and Target use Amazon.com to sell their products in addition to their own web sites.

Amazon Kindle

In November 2007, Amazon launched its Amazon Kindle; an E-book reader. Today, most analysts agree that Amazon probably sold its original Kindle hardware at breakeven or a small loss to subsidize media sales. With the original Kindle, Amazon pioneered the sale of digital books, and as a result owns over 90 % of their distribution. By July 2010, Amazon E-book sales for its Kindle reader outnumbered sales of hardcover books for the first time ever. In September 2011, Amazon announced its entry into the computer tablet market with the introduction of its Kindle Fire, which runs on the Android operating system. The Amazon Kindle is much more than an E-reader. It represents the foundation for an entire media ecosystem (Matthews, 2012). Specifically, the Kindle Fire is a computer tablet, media store, a platform for digital media sales as well as a publishing imprint. The goal is to make all of Amazon’s media offerings part of the Kindle digital media ecosystem. This includes: (1) Digital books, (2) Mp3 music and software products, (3) Amazon Instant Video (videostreaming), (4) Software apps. and (5) Advertising. The Amazon Kindle is a decade-long investment in a media planning, product design, development and distribution.

7 Decision Support Analysis

Decision theory is concerned with identifying the values, risks and uncertainties associated with important decisions. The goal is to find the best tools, methodologies and software to help people and organizations make better decisions. The most systematic and comprehensive software tools developed in this way are called decision support systems (DSS). A properly designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from a combination of business intelligence documents, including relational data sources, financial performance data and personal/experiential knowledge in the field (Russell & Norvig, 2003).

7.1 Decision Theory and Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the study and design of intelligent agents or networks. AI is closely tied to the study of decision theory in mathematics and computer science. The goal of artificial intelligence is to develop new approaches to reasoning and problem solving. What all AI systems share in common is the ability to reason, problem solve and take corrective action based on preprogrammed assumptions and information inputs (Kurzweil, 1990). There are two distinguishing features that characterize all AI systems. First, the AI system must have the ability to scan its external surroundings. Second, the AI system must have the ability to evaluate a situation and initiate an appropriate decision/response. This is referred to as adaptation (Holland, 1995). The decision must be rationale (Russell & Norvig, 2003). In practical terms, AI systems can be both simple and complex in design. The movie rental service, Netflix, for example, exhibits simple AI features to the extent that it knows how to create recommended film viewing lists based on user inputs as well as a preprogrammed algorithmic based rating system. Alternatively, an automobile collision avoidance system is designed to react to situations that humans can not or choose not to, due to driver error. An automobile collision avoidance system (ACAS), will automatically initiate stability control; including the use of anti-lock braking and sensing systems to determine the optimal requirements to support driver safety and prevent accidents. What is important to remember is the degree to which the AI system makes preprogrammed choices on behalf of the user. In principle, the AI system can make faster calculations and decisions than humans involving high speeds as well as reacting to unexpected changes in the external environment.

7.2 Intelligent Agents

From Douglas Engelbart’s original prototype of the computer mouse to present day voice recognition systems, one of the promising areas of human/computer interface design and artificial intelligence can be seen in the area of intelligent (or software) agents. An intelligent agent (IA) is a software program that organizes information in support of personal and professional decision-making (Kurzweil, 2000). Think of the IA as a virtual secretary whose job is to maintain the user’s calendar, organize appointments, prioritize incoming information and scan relevant websites for important news and information items. All of the essential software elements for IA presently exists. What remains is the task of making them fully integrated.

In keeping with the principle of network evolution, the IA will use knowledge and past experience as the basis for growth and improved decision-making. This could include everything from a simple Amazon product alert to aiding in a complex research project using voice activated information exchange. Each successive generation in voice recognition software is better able to adapt to the user by keying on select words and phrases and storing it in its internal memory. Apple and Google’s voice activated search application software that responds to verbal queries is merely the tip of the iceberg. In practical terms, this is just the first step in combining artificial intelligence and voice activated information exchange.

8 Discussion

The chapter looked at several ways in which the intelligent network affects the spatial design and operations of the transnational organization. Special attention was given to four work-design principles that affect the spatial design and operations of the transnational corporation. They include: (1) Virtual Communication, (2) Information exchange, (3) Convergence and Digital Media and (4) Decision Support Analysis. A central argument is that the intelligent network is not one network, but a series of networks designed to enhance worldwide communication for business and individual users alike. What gives the intelligent network its unique intelligence are the people and users of the system and the value-added contributions they bring to the system via critical gateway points.

Intelligent networks, by definition, presuppose permeable boundaries; that is, structured entry points that allow users to access and contribute to the overall system design. The same gateway points also means opening up the system to any number of unwanted influences and outcomes. Such unwanted influences and outcomes can include network security threats, privacy invasion, and copyright infringement of posted Internet material. We refer to this as the permeability predicament. Providing structured gateway points to the network is at the heart of making the network qualitatively better and more efficient. The downside risk is giving users with bad intentions access to the same network on-ramps.

The stakes become that much higher when dealing with cyberterrorism and critical infrastructure systems.

8.1 Redefining Business Work Space

Social/scientific terms like knowledge economy, information society, or digital age do not lend themselves to precise definition or meaning. What is beyond dispute, is the role of intelligent networks in helping to advance strategic decision making in support of international business communication. The knowledge economy involves the full integration of transnational business, nation-states and technologies operating at high speed. The once highly centralized business has given way to the transnational organization that operates in multiple countries throughout the world. Instead of time and communication being highly synchronized, today’s working professional lives in a digital world of global virtual teams, videoconferencing and cloud computing that allows for the international collaboration of projects regardless of time zones, geographical borders and physical space. Voice, data and video communication speak the common language of digital communication. Information is digitally organized; reduced to 1’s and 0’s on computers while racing at high speed across a variety of transmission pathways. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Internet itself. The Internet has become steadily woven into all aspects of work and leisure. The intelligent network has become the vital nervous system that enables the transnational organization to stay virtually connected. It has become the all important network engine that drives globalization forward.