Communication Technology in Business - Research Paper Example

Communication Technology in Business EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report proposes implementation of modern communications technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs and create a better business standing competitively and in relation to stakeholder relationship development. Personal digital assistants, smartphones, e-mail systems, wireless networking, Internet chat rooms and web-based meetings are described as proposed systems to create a more valuable business. The complications of having outdated communications systems are significant and evidence suggests there are more benefits than costs to adopting the proposed recommendations for communication technology. Communication Technology in Business TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………. 5 2. THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES……………………….. 5 3. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES………………………………. 7 4. COSTS AND BENEFITS COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS………… 10 5. SWOT ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………………... 12 6. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………….. 13 REFERENCES Communication Technology in Business LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: SWOT ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………. 12 Communication Technology in Business 1. INTRODUCTION Businesses that do not maintain adequate communications systems face significant breakdowns in efficiency, cultural development, customer satisfaction, and even profitability. This is why organizations require planning and implementation of communications technologies to ensure that business leaders and support employees have the ability to compete in a rapidly-globalizing business world. Communications technologies provide for instant communications and real-time data transfer, thus creating more predictable business systems and also better knowledge exchange. The ability to communicate between organizational employees, managers and executives greatly improves the ability to meet vision and mission goals associated with the business. In health care, especially, communications technologies improve patient care and also avoid errors that can cost the organization considerable profits. Technology in communication has changed the way businesses communicate with each other. Web based meetings, Personal PDA’s, E-mail, Internet chat rooms and cloud computing are essential for keeping our business viable in today’s growing technological world. This report highlights the need for communications technologies at our health care facility to improve our standing as a world-class health center. 2. THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES The costs of establishing age-old technologies to improve business function as considerable. Written communication methods are outdated and often involve considerable bureaucracy to ensure that written files are delivered timely and accurately. Further, written documentation puts a great deal of strain on the environment and therefore becomes a social responsibility issue for this health firm. Currently, nurses and physicians rely on documentation for patient dosing, charted analysis of patient care and symptoms, and also inter-office memos describing new health care policies. It is inefficient and does not serve the needs of this health care center. Older communications technologies, such as television-based training programs used in human resources, require significant costs for implementation of fiber-optic lines, display screens, and the costs of producing multi-media videos. This health care facility has relied on these archaic systems for too long and it has greatly disrupted profitability as it relates to operational budget. Traditional cabling for television systems is estimated at $25,000 per mile, only 5,380 feet (Xanthus Consulting, 2007). Installation and maintenance of these systems is costing this health care facility approximately $75,000 annually with systems that are ineffective in guaranteeing long-term learning. The videos currently being produced for training and for expressing corporate policies also require editing and production, adding another $40,000 to the operating budget. The world of ever-changing communication technology is providing new opportunities for business leaders to recognize costs and also provide a better real-time knowledge transfer experience. At this health care community, many individuals have specialized talents and expertise, which is not widely available throughout the entire organizational culture. Nurses often rely on inefficient pagers, thus having to wait by the telephone, in order to get instant information in the event of changes to patient condition. This system has led to considerable lawsuits from patients harmed by inefficiency and diagnoses delays, which further reduces profitability and adds more risk to the business. The world of modernized communications technologies now provide low-cost solutions for improving inter-organizational discussion and knowledge transfer, using wireless networking capabilities and better computer-based systems. New wireless systems can be implemented much faster, rely on less-specialized installation expertise, and even improve usage of energy that further strains the operational budget (Xanthus Consulting, 2007). Modern communications technologies can also be upgraded with limited expense and enhanced through software additions, making them long-term assets for the business that recognize cost reduction. A recent study of various health care organizations identified that many nurses lose 30 to 60 minutes of productive patient care each day while they wait for consultation with health care experts (Sands, 2008). At the same time, eighty four percent of those health care professionals surveyed indicated that they spent upwards of an hour trying to chase down medical assistance to improve patient care (Sands, 2008). This inefficiency could have been reduced with real-time knowledge exchanges occurring online or through wireless devices, providing nurses with much-needed professional expert advice and treatment to improve efficiency. These delays are also felt in the payroll budget when overtime must be provided or when additional staff must be hired to fill these time gaps. Nearly $3.4 billion in nursing productivity is lost in the U.S. each year, attributed solely to communications failures (Sands, 2008). The world of communications technology has significant profit implications for the health care facility. 3. TYPES OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES The Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) is a hand-held device with an electronic display that usually has the ability to connect to the Internet. The PDA device maintains the ability to connect to various wi-fi networks, using a virtual keyboard to facilitate effective communications. This device is also akin to the more recent smartphone concept, a similar device with the ability to connect wirelessly to a variety of Internet networks. What the smartphone and the PDA have in common is their use as a mini-computer that can display real time conferencing or data transfer, along with photos of patient ailments, that can be transmitted electronically instantaneously. This health care center can also consider the use of e-mail as a means to improve communications. Many of the nurses have access to computer software systems, currently under Windows 7, that allows Internet connection and videoconferencing. E-mail systems allow for data storage rather indefinitely, whereby different communications exchanges between physicians can be referenced. E-mail also can be delivered to smartphones and PDA devices, allowing the health care agents to have a completely mobile and convenient way to send written documents or approvals for patient care changes. E-mail stores information on a server or database for a specific period of time, thus acting as a digital copy to remove liabilities to the business by historical archiving. This health care business can also select cloud computing as a means of improving profit and also efficiency. Cloud computing is a viable solution to this business especially in the face of rising costs of information technology support and architecture-building, as well as the need for ongoing IT client support. Cloud computing is defined as: “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction” (Kundra, 2011, p.11). Cloud computing is a form of partnership with computing service providers or software developers in which the business essentially rents server space and software access to assist in conducting business. The host server maintains the needed software that ranges from human resources to data storage and the user (in this case the health care facility) pays only for their contracted usage of needed software packages. This type of system is referred to as a public cloud, which is operated for multiple organizational use either domestically or internationally (Kundra, 2011). Cloud computing provides opportunities to reduce reliance on in-house information technology support and the high costs of creating project management to install complicated systems (GTSI, 2008). Many businesses, when they implement a systems-wide computer system, must purchase software extras not relevant to the business, or those that are rarely used as they come with the package. Cloud computing allows for streamlined usage of only specific programs and applications needed for the organization and therefore no new architecture or infrastructure needs to be developed. The health care business, if the proposed alternatives are not considered, can also select to adopt rather simplistic systems using online applications to add videoconferencing, online chat rooms, or build web based meetings. These applications work with social networking sites such as YouTube or can be in-house and private networks that allow for off-site communications to occur. Health care staff can simply log onto the Internet, sign into the virtual meeting, turn on a web camera, and participate in a meeting that is held virtually among distance health care staff members. However, these do not always maintain on-the-spot applications for improving communications as they often require coordination of staff schedules to achieve meeting or discussion success. 4. COSTS AND BENEFITS COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS The health care facility currently relies on computing services that are integrated system-wide for document production and database storage. However, the costs of these systems were aforementioned to include reliance on IT support personnel and do not facilitate real-time communication. Cloud computing would give the business much more options about improving delays in communication and the benefits have been discussed. However, there are concerns about cloud computing as they do impose risk to the business. “Cloud computing introduces significant concerns about privacy, security, data integrity, intellectual property management, audit trails, and other issues” (Educase, 2009, p.5). Why is this? When another organization manages the database or network, they will inevitably have access to private data used in the health care facility. When physicians or nurses describe new medications, the organization runs the risk of pirated patent data or formulas that are now housed on networks. The business, when using cloud computing, must be concerned with the ethical record of the cloud-based company and their ability to protect vital data from hackers or other electronic/human attacks. If the cloud provider maintained systems failures, this organization would be at the proverbial mercy of this provider to regain stability in the network or system. However, compared to traditional data systems or written documents, the benefits are clear. Training improvement and cost reduction is another benefit compared to traditional communications systems at this facility. “Traditional health care education is slow, time consuming, and provides limited access to information” (Intel, 2010, p.2). If the health care executives consider using PDAs and smartphones as an implementation option, nurses can be trained much faster and with less cost than through the current television system. This business must comply with changing health care laws and treatment improvements, thus requiring much investment in human resources. Training can be expedited and more custom-designed for nurses so that knowledge exchanges can occur conveniently and according to the nurse schedules. It would allow training to be taken out of the health care facility and right into the nurse households. Testing and examinations can then be conducted on the wireless device, uploaded to the central database, and summarily checked by training professionals to ensure comprehension and understanding. This would also limit the current reliance on physical paper storage which removes bed capacity by filling storage rooms with archived testing and knowledge data. Wireless hand-held communication tools, Internet chat rooms, e-mail and videoconferencing can also improve the business’ standing with the external stakeholder. Currently, the business must produce and edit advertising when attempting to send messages to the community or to gain prominence in the health market which is highly costly to budget. Using the Internet, the business can develop an entirely new system of press releases and advertising that is low-cost and reaches much more markets. Through this, this health care facility can also give itself a better brand image in the community related to corporate social responsibility. The business can develop relationships more effectively with many different stakeholders that can access the facility’s website and leave comments about improvements or their positive feelings about their health care when it is received. By including customers in communications, the business can establish a more competitive position with multiple target markets. Modernized communications technologies can also provide opportunities to build a better organizational culture, something current systems cannot manage. To be an effective leader, managers and executives must be an informer, “a teacher, inspirer, and communicate with employees regularly to impart vision and mission in order to gain loyalty” (Fairholm, 2009, p.26). The demands of executive leaders are intensive and they are often not on-site in order to effectively build these relationships and inspire employees. By having a wireless device, the executive can create recorded messages thanking employees for their deserved dedication or by simply inspiring others about business improvements in real-time. Through PDAs or smartphone technology, the executive can become this transformational leader in order to build motivation and thereby improve productivity by being more visible in the real-time health care environment. The current communications systems simply do not afford for the executive to be a part in organizational social development, something necessary to achieve business successes and competitive advantage. 5. SWOT ANALYSIS Based on the research findings, the following SWOT Analysis will identify what can be expected for launching new communications technologies at the health care organization. This analysis takes into consideration costs, human capital issues, competitive factors, and other externalities impacting business. Figure 1: SWOT Analysis Strengths Significant cost reduction Less Errors in Patient Care Improved upgradability A better organizational culture Improved knowledge transfer Higher productivity outputs Weaknesses No guarantees on all data security and integrity. Technologies adapt quickly and reduce life cycle of modern products and software Training for end users will increase Opportunities Better B2B relationships Better promotion in marketing to gain more consumer interest Videoconferencing direct with patients in-house Use of inexpensive production to make stakeholder-focused documentaries Threats Risks of data interception by hackers Employee resistance to the change Selecting a viable and trustworthy company for cloud systems Over-reliance on off-site data systems leading to audit problems Though there might be other factors involved that could impact success or failure of modernizing communications technologies, the selected represent real-world situations with a health care organization and should be considered before making a final decision. 6. CONCLUSION The types of communications technologies proposed are the most viable for a health care organization in need of improving relationships, removing liability, satisfying patients, complying with regulatory changes, and recognizing methods of reducing costs. Communications technologies will definitely improve productivity by reducing wasted time seeking expert advice. The ability to use wireless networks to satisfy better knowledge exchange and provide better documentation transfer will have considerable advantages related to cost, data storage and learning throughout the entire health care organization. It would be rather short-sighted for this health care organization to reject this proposal, due to the many positive benefits that can be achieved short- and long-term for implementing communications technologies. This health care business must find methods to improve its competitive position and also satisfy a strained budget in multiple dimensions of operations. It would be highly valuable and favorable for the executive team to adopt the aforementioned communications technologies (or a sample of the group) and seek active implementation. The need for these improvements can be felt all across the organization and it will ultimately lead to a business ready to compete in a modernized world. REFERENCES Educase. (2009). “7 Things You should Know about…Cloud Computing”. Retrieved August 16, 2012 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EST0902.pdf Fairholm, M. (2009). “Leadership and Organizational Strategy”, The Public Sector Innovation Journal, 14(1), pp.26-27. GTSI. (2008). “Cloud Computing – Building a Framework for Successful Transition”, GTSI Solutions White Paper. Retrieved August 17, 2012 from http://www.gtsi.com/cms/documents/White-Papers/Cloud-Computing.pdf Intel. (2010). “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is Transforming Health Care Education in the Phillipines”. Retrieved August 19, 2012 from http://www.who.int/pmnch/events/partners_forum/ICT_transforming_Healthcare_Education_Philippines.pdf Kundra, Vivek. (2011). “Federal Cloud Computing Strategy”, U.S. Chief Information Officer – White House”. Retrieved August 16, 2012 from http://www.cio.gov/documents/Federal-Cloud-Computing-Strategy.pdf Sands, Daniel Z. (2008). “Challenges in Health Care Communications: How Technology can Increase Efficiency, Safety and Satisfaction”. Retrieved August 18, 2012 from http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/wp/Communication_Healthcare_WP_0724FINAL.pdf Xanthus Consulting. (2007). “System Reliability and Efficiency, or Provide Increased Personnel Safety: Uses of the new types of wireless technologies or distribution automation in substations and out on feeders”. Retrieved August 17, 2012 from http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/pscc/Wireless_WG_P1777/Uses_of_Wireless_Communication Read More