Cultural and technological determinants of development and the quality of life and work
Authors: Zjalic Ljubica 
Published: October 2010

Cultural and technological determinants of development exert substantial impact on life and work in present conditions. One should bear in mind the network integrated society that has resulted from information technologies. Orientation towards information technologies innovates life and work. Today, there prevails the opinion that education, knowledge and human resources (human capital) have as their priorities adoption of information technologies. Lifetime education is more important than economy. It makes easier to achieve development and contributes to its harmonisation with elements of some other processes. In addition, the labour market is the one that determines the necessary qualifications. One should recognise that investment in human resources is of the greatest significance for successful economic development, employment, social cohesion and stability. It is also a direct way that offers numerous and various opportunities in the social and cultural life, but it also reflects the need to develop co-operation with the family, industry and the people who play an active role in the field of culture. Since it functions in the world of global interdependence culture must be scientifically and technologically cultivated so as to give its contribution to the integration processes. There only remains the question what development, this even including technological development and information technologies in particular, request from a culture to offer. This, certainly, also includes mechanisms that will determine the quality of life and the future of culture. Culture was created by man in history, adopting and processing all its new products. For this reason, culture is regarded to bring ?additional value? to work and life of every individual, strengthening cultural identity, too. Cultural identity is a self-consciousness of a member of a group being historically created and developed in accordance with the criteria established in their relationship with other social groups. New technologies make knowledge globalised changing the mode of work. It is of importance to determine what kind of technological development suits the already shaped cultural identity of a nation. The international market encourages the processes within which countries learn and realise that cultural behaviour is also included in the facilities they create. It is only within the relationship to the others that one can become conscious of himself. The challenges of the information technology require to take care of the two pillars of education for 21st century - to study to know and to study to be able to work. This means that one should master the information and telecommunication technology, and work and live with it. In one society, this will create a spiral of economic growth and technological progress and it will be directed upward. The greatest test for human society in the 21st century is how to use the power of technology and how to find efficient solutions to relive three fourth of the poor population of forced migration (armed conflicts) to technologically far more developed areas. Actually, the most important thing is to make the nation respond to changes and shape its present life and work. Transnational companies that are the main creators and controllers of information technologies have much greater power than responsibility. They transfer not only capital but technologies, too, and enter the age with no national products or technologies or national industries. They will depend on the following four relevant markets: finance and capital, telecommunications and informatics, labour force and natural resources and ecology. In this way, globalisation will affect business expectations of individuals and, in general, the employment structure. Nevertheless, the national state will primarily remain the subject of identity for most people. The best way to create better living conditions is to establish modern institutions and successful economy in one?s own society. Knowledge becomes the basic resource of development. And as transition is an equitation with no definite result one should always improve the existing situation in order to find a better way from the one that is just being traced. The reason for this is the fact that market economy is always in transition. The best way to help (poor people) is to encourage economic growth. If any individual in a society has a chance to make success and the access to health care and education, and also a chance to find a job and make his own life, to recognise the relevance of every problem, than there could chosen the most optimal solution, since economy is the science of choices.