The effects of cell phones in the busness workplace - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... It is based on observation and anecdotal evidence, with some recourse to published material as cited. Chapter 1: The Effects of Cell Phones in the Business Workplace Early adopters of the cellular phone, as it was originally and briefly known, pioneered a new era of business communication, even if at some considerable expense. Not unusually for breakthrough technology, the cost of a Motorola DynaTac in 1983 was $3,995.00, which, in today’s terms and taking inflation into account, would be in the region of $8,500. (1) The cost of acquisition, however, was overall perceived to be outweighed by the benefits of the new technology and the status conferred on those who used it. The race to produce more affordable, smaller and more versatile handsets for a market that could only grow is till showing little sign of slowing. Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 17 Per Cent in First Quarter 2010. (2) Figures released in 2002 by the International Telecommunication Union (3) reveal that, in terms of units per person, Taiwan topped the list at 106.45 per 100, with Burma at the bottom. Weighted average was 59.3 per 100, with the United States at 48.81. The cost of initial models confined sales almost exclusively to the business sector, and indeed the benefits were immediate and enormous. On another level, the magical new device lent an aura of power to its owner; if you were in a position to purchase one of these vastly expensive, exotic devices, you clearly needed to communicate with other powerful, decision-making corporate warriors. Either that, or you were a very savvy criminal (3), which, to some sideline observers not yet equipped to enter the game, was also an exotic and enviable career. So we can safely say that the cell phone changed business for the better as soon as it became clear that to not have one was a disadvantage. Let us call this ‘Effect One’, the addition of a vital tool to the company toolbox, sometimes one you had to earn by distinction until the price enabled the purchase of a handset for personal use. It needed little to no effort to sell this new, potent symbol of progress and dynamism. It also introduced a set of changes in etiquette and behavior, both in and beyond the workplace, which can be referred to as ‘Effect Two’. Effect Two, like most changes to social norms, started with a minority who took on the role of being at the forefront of change, leading the charge, brushing past the fuddy-duddies on the way to wherever it was they were going. And, for a while at least, the alpha males in the workplace were the ones who got the cell phones, and who changed them as soon as the next model with better features came along. The rest waited their turn and resigned themselves to being followers. Here, like a well-cut suit, an expensive wristwatch and hand finished shoes, was an accessory that set the owner apart, allowed them to adopt a different attitude. Indeed, the new power prop had a far more immediate effect than good tailoring or discrete and tasteful jewelry, as its appeal to many lay in its ability to be the opposite of discrete and sophisticated. Chapter 2: Now, whereas in conventional ordered, civilized workplaces it would once have been considered rude or inappropriate to ignore, interrupt loudly or suddenly terminate a conversation with a colleague, the ...Download file to see next pagesRead More