Final answer:
Emerging technologies can invalidate patents quickly, worsen the digital divide, and increase security risks, which may have adverse effects on registrants in sectors like biotechnology and semiconductor design. The impacts on business sizes are debated, with technology either enabling small firms to expand or leading to monopolies. Ethical considerations and government involvement in technology investments also pose challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
Emerging technologies can potentially have a material adverse effect on registrants in high-technology industries like biotechnology or semiconductor design. The rapid pace at which technology advances can render patents almost irrelevant, given that new inventions and methodologies quickly supplant older ones, thus, devaluing the importance and protective power of patents.
Moreover, emerging technologies can widen the digital divide, creating a gap between the technological haves and have-nots. This issue occurs both locally and globally and raises concerns about the equitable distribution of technological advantages.
Additionally, there is an increased risk to security including the loss of privacy, the possibility of total system failure, and vulnerabilities due to technological dependence. For example, technology is critical to the safe operation of nuclear power plants, but its malfunction, like what happened at Japan's Fu-kushima plant, can lead to disastrous outcomes.
With respect to business operations, technology plays a role in determining whether smaller firms can compete effectively or whether the market will favor larger, dominant firms. This ongoing battle influenced by information and communications technologies is of interest to economists, businesspeople, and policymakers.
Finally, there is a consideration as to how much responsibility corporations should take for social, economic, and environmental challenges posed by new technologies, and the difficulty in establishing ethical practices in this realm. The government's role in supporting investments in new technology is also a pertinent issue that may be inevitable for progress and to address these concerns.