Assignment 3_Communicating with IT

Assignment 3: Communicating with IT

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Assignment 3: Communicating with IT

Information and communication technology is a force that is changing how people do thing in the 21st century. It influences all areas of the everyday life of people. It is impossible for people to perform their jobs effectively without technology. Technology has had a huge impact in the workplace within the past decade. The impact has been positive and negative. Technology has led to the development of technological tools that facilitate distant communication through the use of computers and handheld technological devices, which have led to the complete overhaul of the office setting. In addition, e-mail, Internet, and social networking sites have provided new communication avenues between businesses and their stakeholders. As such, it is pertinent to claim that technology has change the whole work environment, relationships, and how businesses undertake their activities.

Efficient communication is vital to the success of the operations of any organization. Traditionally, businesses communicated with their stakeholders through phone calls, mail, or meetings. However, advancement in technology has led to the development of new and more efficient means of communication. Businesses can communicate with their employees, customers, or suppliers using email and instant messaging without interrupting. Prior to this technological development business communication was cumbersome. Organizations had to type a draft document that went through various stages. The first draft had to be typed and edited using a typewriter. Reading and reviewing the document took time. The revisions were made by different people within the organization before typing the final copy. In addition, mailing the documents took time. The organization had to send someone to the bulkpost office to purchase stamps and mail the documents. Technology has helped in reducing all these activities, which has consequently increased the efficiency of communication (Rainer, Prince, & Watson, 2014). Businesses can send emails to their stakeholders, which would be received instantly. In addition, it is easier for businesses to set up meetings with their stakeholders.

Mobile technology also helps employees improve collaboration with their colleagues. In the contemporary world, companies have a global workforce. Mobile devices enable employees collaborate with their colleagues regardless of their location around the globe. Smartphones and Internet facilities facilitate the setting up of teleconferences and virtual meetings, which eliminate the need of the colleagues to attend the meeting physically. They can participate in the meetings from their comfort of their homes or office. Technology enables mobile users to join virtual meetings and participate as if they were physically present in the meetings. This has made it possible to solve urgent problems quickly and eliminate any work lag. As such, technology has led to the acceleration of the decision making process since communication can occur at any place and any time. In addition, improved flexibility helps in improving the productivity of the employees of an organization.

Technology has also reduced the need for job applicants to visit the business premises to complete an application. The applicants can send their resumes and other relevant documents online to the human resource department of the organization. Online applications enable the applicants to complete the application process from their home. This provides businesses with a wider pool of talent from which to look for the most suitable candidates to fill the vacant position.

Technology has increased the speed of communication. The increase the speed of communication and information has made the world look smaller and smaller, which has huge implication on how businesses undertake their operations. Technology has facilitated the storage of vital files in a computer instead of drawers. This information is easily accessible online. Businesses can communicate and send the files to people in remote locations through email.

Wireless communication technology is one of the technological advancements that have had the most significant impact on business operations. Wireless communication technology uses low-power radio frequency signals to transmit signals from one device to another without the need of wires. Therefore, it enables senders and recipients have access to information from remote locations. This use is vital in business operations since it enables the boss to keep in touch with the employees in the office from a remote location. Wireless communication has made it possible for more people to work from home. Laptops, cellphones, and other handheld mobile device, and wireless internet are the primary means of wireless communication. Wireless communication has led to several fundamental changes to data networking and telecommunications. They have made it possible to develop integrated networks. Wireless communication frees the user from the code, which facilitates mobile computing and communication from anywhere and at any time. In so doing, mobile computing technology has blurred the distinction between private and professional lives. Wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, make it easy for employees to work from home or while on vacation. Since people can work from the comfort of their homes or wherever they are, wireless communication compels people to work when they should not be working (Rainer, Prince, & Watson, 2014). On the other hand, people may also feel compelled to use the internet connectivity in the workplace for personal reasons. This shows that technology enables workaholics to work continuously while simultaneously providing slackers with the opportunity to slack.

Due to the growth in the wireless technologies, it is possible for organizations to provide their employees with access to networks in the workplace. This enables the customers, employees and other stakeholders of an organization access network and services from different locations. In the recent past, there has been an increase in the trend of businesses setting up mobile computing workplaces for the employees in addition to mobile computing to other functions of the organizations that are undertaken by other stakeholders such as suppliers and distributors.

The advancements in wireless communication makes information move faster and more reliably. This leads to the elimination of barriers of distance, which makes business realize that it is easy to outsource certain their job overseas. Outsourcing is the hiring of employees who work from outside the company remotely. The employees may even work in another continent. In the contemporary world, outsourcing has increased in such that various companies have uprooted their whole workforce and recruited new employees across the globe due to various reasons. Some of the duties that companies outsource include telephone customer service and computer programming. Outsourcing is a controversial issue as several parties believe that it takes away jobs from the domestic job market, which hurts the economy. From a business perspective, outsourcing is a good practice since is helps in cost reduction as companies can benefit from cheap labor and raw materials from the overseas operations.

Mobile computing has led to an increase in e-commerce. Access to e-commerce platforms via mobile devices is higher than through desktops. The percentage of e-commerce via mobile computing devices is expected to continue in the foreseeable future and would become the norm for online shopping as people gradually abandon their desktop computers. This has necessitated retail businesses to formulate strategies of taking advantage of mobile shopping and identify value in mobile advertising to reach more customers (Rainer, Prince, & Watson, 2014).

The increase in the number of mobile devices used by customers has also made business seek for methods of leveraging this trend. Since a significant percentage of customers perform their searches online via mobile devices, companies strive to ensure that they have responsive and user-friendly websites since the Internet provides a cheap method of reaching the customers. Many businesses use the Internet as their major medium of communicating with customers. Use of mobile apps to conduct various activities through mobile computing devices is the most common trend among users of mobile computing devices. Businesses have taken advantage of this trend to develop mobile apps that enable them to communicate with their customers or provide them with various services. For instance, real estate companies have introduces 3D apps that enable customers to view the layout of a property before purchasing it (Liu & Rong, 2015). Mobile technology also makes it easy for customers to communicate with businesses and convey their concerns and feedback on the quality of products and services easily. Customers can use the apps to provide quick responses. These interactive methods facilitate the development clear communication channels between businesses and their customers, which helps in improving the competitiveness of the business.

The mobile trend has helped in streamlining business operations. Cloud computing is one of the technological advancements that have streamlined business processes. Mobile technology has facilitated the access of cloud computing technology. For instance, one can access a vital file stored in the cloud from any location via a mobile computing device that has internet connectivity. Cloud computing also enable customer care executives of organization to have access to data that at any time regardless of their location. In addition, they can also be updated on the customer requirements. This enables the customer care representatives provide more accurate and relevant services to customers (Rahimi et al., 2014). As such, mobile technology helps in speeding up business process and increasing their accuracy thereby ensuring that there is a more efficient communication process.

Mobile computing devices also enable businesses to provide better marketing strategies since customers use mobile computing devices to search for products and services. For instance, several stores have beacons that use Bluetooth to provide customers with personalized offers and discounts to their mobile computing devices. Businesses know their customers by tracking their movement in stores using beacons. The beacons may also provide the company with vital data and statistics on the customer, which would help in driving sales up. In addition, several businesses offer free WiFi to their customers. This enables the businesses to collect valuable customer data that may subsequently be used to provide personalized services to the customers. These features help in improving customer satisfaction. When the customers are satisfied by the quality of services or products offered by a business, they are highly likely to recommend the company to other people (Rainer, Prince, & Watson, 2014).

It is vital for companies to consider various factors when implementing mobile computing technology strategies. Data security should be one of the major considerations of the companies. Businesses should have malware tools that suit the mobile technology strategy of the company. The security tools and features prevent unauthorized access of the vital information. Enforcement of policy and respecting the privacy of information are also some of the issues that businesses should consider during the implementation of mobile computing technology strategies (Hammouri, Abu-Shanab, & Manasrah, 2016). In the contemporary world, most companies have a Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) policy. The policy should detail how employees of the company should handle sensitive data to prevent unauthorized people from gaining entry into the company’s private network. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the organization should develop a strategy for securing the mobile systems of the business. It is also vital to note that technology should not be overused in business communication since it may make messages start losing their importance due to communication overload. In addition, personal use of communication technology within the business make the organization valuable time that would have been spent doing productive activities (Rainer, Prince, & Watson, 2014). Therefore, it is vital for organizations to develop rules on the use of communication technology. Mobile computing and the Internet have also made it easier to start small companies. However, it is vital to consider copyright issues to ensure that the business is not using the intellectual property of another person or to ensure that another party does not benefit from the creative work of the business.

Connectivity is also one of the issues that businesses should consider when implementing a mobile computing strategy. Employees require network connectivity to undertake their tasks. Therefore, it is vital for organization to ensure employees have a reliable connection failure to which they would not have access to information they require to perform their roles effectively. In addition, most mobile computing devices do not have the capacity to store power for a whole day. If there are no chargers, the employees may not finish their tasks on time.

In conclusion, the mobile computing technology has revolutionized business operations regardless of how one perceives it – whether at device level, access level, security level, or information technology level. Mobile computing is DNA of digital business. It promises to continue revolutionizing how businesses undertake their operations. Artificial intelligence a recent technological advancement that can be accessed through mobile computing devices would revolutionize business operations even further (Agrawal & Zeng, 2015). Therefore, it is vital for any business that aspires to continue being competitive to ensure that embraces mobile technology in its daily operations.

References

Agrawal, D. P., & Zeng, Q. A. (2015). Introduction to wireless and mobile systems. Mason, OH: Cengage learning.

Hammouri, Q., Abu-Shanab, E., & Manasrah, A. (2016). Examining the Impact of Privacy, Security and Law on Trust in Mobile Computing. Saba Journal Of information Technology and Networking (SJITN)-ISSN: 2312-4989, 4(1), 29-43.

Liu, G., & Rong, K. (2015). The nature of the Co-evolutionary process: Complex product development in the mobile computing Industry’s business ecosystem. Group & Organization Management, 40(6), 809-842.

Rahimi, M. R., Ren, J., Liu, C. H., Vasilakos, A. V., & Venkatasubramanian, N. (2014). Mobile cloud computing: A survey, state of art and future directions. Mobile Networks and Applications, 19(2), 133-143.

Rainer, R. K., Prince, B., & Watson, H. J. (2014). Management Information Systems. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.