The Benefits of Communication and Information Technology in Business - Coursework Example

How Technology is changing the Way People Communicate with One Another and Conduct Business Table of Contents Abstract 3 Introduction 4 How Technology Has Changed the Way We Communicate 5 How Technology Has Changed the Way We Conduct Business 8 Conclusion 11 References 12 Abstract Technology is indeed a transformative force in human society as it influences every aspect of individuals’ daily lives. Some decades back, communication among individuals was limited to face to face, handwritten letter, and telephone. But with the advancement in communication and information technology, new ways to make communication faster and easier have emerged. Email and the internet including websites and chat rooms are the most common methods used today. Generally, our interactions and relationships, communication, work and operate in offices, and how we conduct business have been transformed by various technological devices. Communication is one of the most important aspects in every society and it has been made easier and flexible by technology. Moreover, many people have been attracted to the business world because technology has made business transactions to become flexible and easier. Today, individuals can easily communicate or conduct business with anyone from any part of the world. This paper explores about ten academic sources to provide a thoughtful discussion on the possible impacts of communication and information technology on communication and business transactions. The first section of this paper is the introduction, and then the focus is on the how technology has changed how societal members communicate and conduct business followed by the conclusion. Introduction Today, smartphones, computers, laptops, and internet have formed part of our lives due to the development and advancement in technology. Advances in communication technology including computers and some software have enabled a significant shift in the way individuals or businesses communicate (Sinnreich, 2010). Technology is everywhere and it has completely revolutionized almost all aspects of our lives including the way we work, communicate, interact, and conduct business among others. It is the greatest change agents of the civilization of mankind since its development. Most people depend on various technological devices in order to perform their duties in the business environment. The most important aspect about technology is how it has helped us stay in touch with each other. For instance, today people can easily engage in various conversations at the same time and also individuals can communicate with others in the external world. This is a good thing especially for the business environment because it makes business transactions to be carried out faster and easily. There is rapid change in the social media and is establishing new trends in the marketplace and the business world as a whole. For example, facebook has developed to become a proper communication model with many active users globally. Social networking services have formed an essential part of our lives and our businesses. Communication is a very important aspect in the society and individuals need to communicate with each other in order to achieve certain goals, form communities and develop lasting relationships (Mitra, 2010). This paper provides a critical analysis of how technology has changed the way societal members communicate and transact business activities in the contemporary world. How Technology Has Changed the Way We Communicate Over past few years, technology has significantly transformed the way individuals communicate and interact. Today’s communication and information technologies including emails, cell phones, text messages, instant messaging, and social media have made communication among individuals and business communication faster and easier. These modern modes of communication are unimaginable as technology changes the way we communicate and the coming generations embracing these changes and creating new forms of communication (Conrad and Schober, 2007). Digital technology including cell phones and electric mails has completely changed interpersonal communication (Mitra, 2010). Today, cell phones, emails and internet are the most common forms of communication which are loved by many individuals. Apart from individuals, various businesses and academic institutions use technology to communicate and interact with each other. Technology is a very important aspect in the society that has influenced our lives in one way or another and its increased role in our everyday lives has made the society to accept and embrace it. Easy access to computers and internet has made email and instant messaging to be common and conveniently used of communicating with others (Baron, 2008). This is because today’s electronic and digital media pass information from one place or person to another at light speed (Sinnreich, 2010). Due to advancement in technology today, email has replaced handwritten messages in businesses and in personal interactions. For instance, many organizations use email to communicate with staff, employees as well as their customers. Academic institutions use emails to communicate with instructors, parents and also students whenever necessary. More so, individuals use email to send messages and instantly get response as opposed to sending handwritten message that may need a longer time to get feedback. Secondly, social networking sites especially Facebook, MySpace, twitter and LinkedIn enable individuals to easily interact with others and keep in touch with friends, family members and relatives (Campbell, MacKinnon and Stevens, 2010). These sites also allow individuals to interact with strangers though an online forum and virtual communities. Through these sites, individuals are able to share information or even pictures with others without any physical hindrance. Most of these networking sites allow users to share content, pictures, texts, videos, and audios among others (Campbell, MacKinnon and Stevens, 2010). More so, the use of social networking sites enables individuals to reconnect with others after not being in touch for long time. Accordingly, many organizations use these sites to promote their online presence and increase organizational revenue. The presence of online chat application is one way in which technology has really changed communication and interactions in the modern society. Online chat rooms enable individuals to keep in touch with others across the world. Many email providers offer chat capabilities and also other sites enable people to make use of chat rooms through which they can converse with anyone including complete strangers about a certain issue. In some cases, individuals share their personal information with those people they meet through chat rooms without knowing the risk they are taking. Moreover, blogs are also very important communication technology that has been used over years. Many organizations today use blogs to promote their services and products but today even people have started blogging. For instance, individuals now use blogs to share their personal information and anything else they would like to share. In addition, some people making a living through these blogs where they advertise and sell whatever they want. Furthermore, video calls are also common communication medium in today’s world. Sites such as Skype and Yahoo Messenger enable individuals to make video calls. Such calls allow individuals to communicate to each other and seeing each other on a computer screen. Video calls make individuals to see each other regardless of the distance between them. This way, parents can communicate with their children when they are on vacation or far away from them. More so, organizations save a lot of money through the use of video calls instead of traveling to specific places for meetings or other purposes. Another important communication technology that has changed individuals’ lives in today’s societies is cell phones. Cell phones have become popular because this technological device enables individuals to communicate with each other and stay connected anywhere they are without any interference. Many people like cell phones because they are portable and comfortable to use. In addition, individuals can make or receive voice calls, send text messages, and also have an access to their emails. More so, individuals use their cell phones to access social network sites where they can keep in touch with others and send instant messages. Some cell phones allow users to make video calls which allow them to have face to face interaction through the phone. The benefits of communication and information technology are many first, it has made communication faster thanks to emails, text messages and also the internet. Technology has expanded communication opportunities, for instance, it has enabled individuals to communicate and conduct business without necessarily meeting face to face. People can interact with individuals from all parts of the world because technology allows them to interact with others through virtual communities, video calls, instant messaging, social media, and emails among others. However, technology has mad communication to be more deliberate. For instance, it needs individuals or organizations to spend a lot of time planning and composing information before communicate. That is, organizations that use telecommuting and virtual offices have to plan to communicate with individuals to ensure that employees keep in touch with the management and operate in line with the goals of the organization. In addition, technology has also made communication more distraction, for instance, workers using emailing, texting or cell phones can be distracted by constantly being interrupted by comments relating to other issues. in most cases, some workers have opted to turn off their communication devices when working to ensure that they meet set deadlines. How Technology Has Changed the Way We Conduct Business As much as our lives have changed and our forms of communication and interactions altered by technology, the business world is one sector that has been totally revolutionized beyond recognition in the past years. Nowadays, many businesses are carried out over computers because computers helps organizations to organize large databases, schedules and important information and this will in turn help organizations to operate effectively and smoothly and thus increase their productivity. Many organizations use social media to conduct business and through this way, they are able to share ideas and communication about services or products they offer (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 2012). Through these communication methods, businesses will be able to provide more intense information about the new product and new offers that they may have. The world has become global and smaller because communication and information travels faster and this in turn has larger implications on how individuals conduct businesses. The increased pace and reliability of information in the modern world, distance is no longer one of the forces interrupting communication flow. This has enabled business to operate worldwide and outsource jobs overseas which implies that organizations can hire employees to work outside the company and also in remote locations. Some of the duties that organizations do outsource including computer programming and fast food restaurant service among others. Additionally, before, people used to store important files in drawers but today, this is has changed completely as files are stored on a computer and this has made information easily accessible. More so, organizations had to employ a messenger who they used to send to various places to help in sending necessary message and coming back with feedback. However, this is not the case in today’s business environment because technology has introduced a crucial device called e-mail which enables businesses to easily communicate and send files quickly to various locations outside the office. In addition, individuals can now work or operate from home thanks to the presence of wireless internet, laptops, and cell phones. These technological devices have enabled many people to easily and effectively work form ay place as they are not restricted to the office. Radio frequency identification is another technology that has played a very significant role in revolutionizing the business environment today. This technology involves the use of microchips that store information in a manner that these microchips are attached to a certain product to allow organizations to keep track of their inventory. Other devices such as blackberries have become popular and mostly used by many people when carrying out business activities. This device helps individuals to check and send emails from any location and surf the internet any time they wish. Furthermore, the internet is very important technology that has really transformed our lives and has also brought significant changes to the society. For instance, internet enables banks to provide online account management and it has also enabled organizations to sell products and customers to purchase these products online. Today, many businesses operate online and many people prefer conducting business online because it is cheaper and flexible. This way, organizations have reached more customers through the internet and this has enabled them to significantly increase their sales. Many businesses including small businesses have been successful in using the internet as their primary medium. However, issues of consumer protection, security and privacy are some of the major challenge for businesses carried out online (Leon, 2008). The internet has also changed how we conduct business by being a medium of advertisement. Some organizations use Google to specify certain words necessary in driving certain customers to their advertisement. Online advertising through the use of the internet is fastest growing advertising medium, and it allows sellers to reach many and different potential customers. Increased availability and accessibility of the internet has led to the emergence of interactive marketing of buying and selling (Bhasker, 2009) which has helped advertisers to interact directly with their customers and it also allows information to be accessed without any constraint. Social media allows businesses to inform individuals on their new products and the kind of services they offer and this is one way these businesses improve customer service (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 2012). Technology offers a wide range of tools which business organizations can make use of to promote their organization’s growth. Many businesses use the internet as their advertising medium courtesy of e-commerce as opposed to traditional marketing and telemarketing used in the past before advancement in technology. The availability and easy access of the internet has encouraged many small enterprise operators to adopt the use of e-commerce which involves selling and buying goods and services online (Schmid, 2011). Notably, the internet uses simple mail transfer protocol to transfer electric mails and many business transactions (Shoniregun, 2005). Because e-commerce is a business conducted online in the absence of a physical store and no direct interaction, it has been considered to be faster and more efficient approach of leading business. E-commerce has made it easier for business retailers to conduct business effectively and profitably. More so, video conferencing has made business transactions easy. Organizational managers are able to communicate with partners and significant others through video conference. Video casts and live web meetings help organizations to train and engage their employees. The unimaginable impact of communication and information technology on communication and businesses transactions cannot be questioned. However, it has encouraged those who are lazy to dodge working because some people use internet access at work for personal use. Conclusion Technology particularly communication and information technology has significantly changed almost all aspects in individuals’ lives in the society including the way we work, communicate or carry out business activities among others. Some years back, individuals used slower traditional communication methods where getting feedback was a long process. More so, individuals used handwritten letter, and face to face interaction. With the advancement in technology, everything has changed and new methods of communication that makes information fast and easier have emerged. These include computers, email, internet, social networking sites and cell phones among others. The way individuals interact and keep in touch with each other has completely changed because with modern technological devices, they can communicate without experiencing geographical hindrance. More so, technology has completely transformed the business environment and how people carry out business activities has taken another form. For instance, emails, instant messaging, video conferencing and computers have made business transactions and communications effective and easier than it has been ever before. All in all, it is undeniable that advances in technology have enabled individuals to communicate or carry out business activities easily and effectively as compared to the past few decades. References Baron, N. S. (2008). Always on: Language in an online and mobile world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bhasker, B. (2009), Electronic Commerce: Framework, Technologies and Applications, New Delhi, Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Campbell, P. J., MacKinnon, A. S., & Stevens, C. (2010). An introduction to global studies. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell. Conrad, F. G., & Schober, M. F. (2007). Envisioning the Survey Interview of the Future. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Leon, A. (2008). ERP demystified. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Mitra, A. (2010). Digital communications: From e-mail to the cyber community. New York: Chelsea House. Pride, W. M., Hughes, R. J., & Kapoor, J. R. (2012). Business. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Schmid, V. (2011). The Impact of Technology on Marketing Strategy. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Shoniregun, C. A. (2005). Impacts and risk assessment of technology for Internet security: Enabled information small-medium enterprises (TEISMES). New York: Springer. Sinnreich, A. (2010). Mashed up: Music, technology, and the rise of configurable culture. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. Read More