Usage of Emails in a Business Context - Literature review Example

Heading: Usage of emails in a business context Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Date Introduction Email has transformed the way we communicate in the 21st century in a number of ways. Unlike the traditional mail system, emails are able to deliver information in a faster and more reliable means electronically. Email as a form of communication is still under development and is likely to transform in the coming years. This analysis covers the advantages, disadvantages, and future development of emails in a business context. P1: Definition of email  An email is essentially a system of sending or receiving messages over a computer network electronically. An email is thus an electronic mail because of the medium used to transmit the message from one point to the other. The evolution of the email has enabled a complete transformation of the way in which persons and businesses communicate with each other (Gabathuler & Fabrikant 2009, p.3). Currently an email can send messages in text, audio and even video. All these allow precise communication process and even transfer of imperative messages from the sender to the recipient. P2: Advantages (in business context) One of the main advantages of emails in a business context is the ability to transfer messages from the sender to the recipient in an instance and get the response immediately. This was not possible in the traditional mail or snail process which took days and the response also took days and hence delaying business to business communication process. Using emails saves time and money. Emails are free and available with internet connectivity. Electronic mails have clearly resolved the wastage of time and money on submitting information from one person to the other. Since emails are always available upon internet connections, the geographical limitation is eliminated and hence making transfers even faster (Anderson 2013). Emails are a safer means of communication between businesses, unlike the traditional mailing process which involved a number of physical carriers, important mails could be lost in transit and hence a main disadvantage which was resolved through emails. Emails are a much safer options, this is because the sender can confirm message delivery, if a mistake is made when sending the email, and the sender will be notified upon sending the message through a failure delivery report (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). The sender can then correct the mail address and resend the message or information. In any business, references of email communications are relevant and important especially in cases where there are conflicts in businesses for breach of contracts. Emails can be archived and later used as reference of transactions done among businesses. They can also be produced as evidences in a court of law to enforce litigations upon breach of contracts (Jessica 2002, p.12). In a business context, when there is an important message to submit to a number of people at the same time in an organization, emails are important. One can write a list of recipients, or a group of recipients targeted and send the email instantly. This was not possible in traditional mail system which required physical production and sending of information via postal services (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). Since emails are written, it makes it possible to be clearer with the messages being submitted. This is normally not possible in a verbal communication especially where technical issues are involved. Emails have made it possible to transfer documents for technical purposes and other complex issues which cannot be fully delivered verbally (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). P3: Disadvantages (in business context) In a business setting, emails can be time consuming especially when answering complicated questions. Misunderstandings may also arise in the process if there are cultural difference between the sender and the receiver of the message (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). Unlike a telephone conversation, a more detailed answer can be given if there is any misunderstanding between the sender and the recipient. Emails are not always secure at it may be perceived, there are a number of cases where personal emails have been hacked and vital conversations retrieved and used for malicious purposes such as access of baking details. Such information has been used by competitors to spy on businesses of the competitor in order to gain undue advantage over them as a result of this private information. Emails are normally passed over public network and different channels, eavesdropping on the communication process are therefore possible (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). The security of the information contained in an email can be compromised if such information is accidentally or deliberately delivered to a wrong recipient (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). If organizations are not keen on staffs that submit emails especially externally, such cases can compromise not only the security of the information but also the entire business. In a business context, emails can be impersonal or mistaken for unintended purposes. This can lead to a case and even potentially spoil relationships between different business units such as suppliers and companies (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). Spamming is also another common disadvantage of emails; marketers take advantage of the cost effectiveness of using emails as a marketing tool to send unwanted emails to people. This is one of the most annoying aspects of using emails as a form of communication (The Birmingham Post 2000). P4: Future development With the evolution of software and hardware, there are future developments expected. Firstly, the intelligent agents, that is autonomous software agents which can perform simple tasks and even interact with the user and with each other is going to be possible. Intelligent software agents will learn from users as they handle their e-mails. As a user performs a task, the agent grabs and memorizes the action and the situation and relates them in order to be able to predict actions in future similar situations. These agents learn by carefully observing the user and acquiring examples, more so, it would be able to issue instructions to the agent (Kelly, M 2000, p.10). This development will make it possible for enhanced human-computer interactions as users will be able to delegate tasks to these agents to act on their behalf. This development will make it possible for people to concentrate on important business issues because these intelligent agents will be acting on their behalf in answering common emails. The second future development in emails is the integrated messaging system which will allow users to access digital messages which include e-mail and voice mail through a single interface. With the evolution of the internet as an important organizational communication and development tool such as the Voice Profile for internet mail (VPIM), a computer server-to-server protocol designed to link disparate voice-mail systems over an IP network will be the foundation for creating a single interface where digital information can be accessed and transmitted (Fariborzi & Zahedifard 2012, p.3). Conclusion As discussed, an email is an electronic system for sending information over the internet. The email provides quick sending of information, saves time, disseminate technical messages and also archive this information. The main disadvantages of using emails includes, misinterpretation of messages, wrong delivery and email hacking and spamming. Future development in emails aims at enhancing the experiencing to users by enabling delegation of email answering to intelligent agents and integrating messaging system. References Anderson, A 2013, The Advantages of a Business Using Email, Small Businesses. Accesed from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-business-using-email-4010.html Fariborzi, E & Zahedifard, M 2012, E-mail Marketing: Advantages, Disadvantages and Improving Techniques, International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, Vol. 2, No. 3,pp. 1-5. Gabathuler, MK & Fabrikant, C 2009, An XML-Based Infrastructure to Enhance Collaborative Geographic Visual Analytics, Cartography and Geographic Information Science, Vol. 36, No. 3. P.3. Jessica, MN 2002, Exploring Virtual Legal Presence: The Present and the Promise, The Journal of High Technology Law, Vol. 1, No. 1,pp.12-24. Kelly, M 2000, ‘Why We Should All Get the Message on Email; AS THE E-REVOLUTION TAKES ANOTHER LEAP’, The Mirror (London, England), 30 March,p.10 The Birmingham Post (England), 2000, ‘E-Business: Dancing to the Beat of Your PC Is the New Way to Listen to Sounds’, 12 December.p.3 Read More