B211 Self-Test Week 3

Current Affairs Self-Test - Week 3

The following are excerpts from newpaper articles. Read the excerpts and answer the question below each excerpt.

Excerpt:
"OPTUS has mothballed its $900 million contract with Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia over the provision of high-speed internet services, shelving any big spending for at least two years.
The news is the final nail in the coffin for any fast ramp-up of third generation (3G) mobile phone services in Australia, in line with the delays overseas."

What does "3G" services provide that current mobile phone services do not?

Excerpts:
"AOL Time Warner says the US Justice Department is looking into its accounting practices, raising the possibility of a criminal case against the world's largest media company.
AOL Time Warner did not detail the Justice Department probe and agency officials declined comment. US securities regulators are already investigating the company's bookkeeping."

"In June, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, citing "accounting improprieties of unprecedented magnitude", filed civil fraud charges against WorldCom."

What "bookkeeping practices" are major Internet and technology companies like AOL and WorldCom alleged using that is causing concerns around the world?

Excerpts:
"TWO years after announcing Microsoft was "betting the company" on the ______ platform, chairman Bill Gates introduced phase two of the strategy to analysts and media at its headquarters today.
Mr Gates said the realisation of Microsoft's ______ strategy would take time, but he was already confident the decision had proven correct.
...
IBM was seen as the key competitor to the ______ platform, and Mr Ballmer acknowledged that J2EE had been successful in the vendor popularity stakes."

What is the platform mentioned above that Microsoft is heavily promoting?

Link to sample answers.

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