The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablet in Modern Business - Coursework Example

The Impact of Mobile phones and Tablet in Modern Business Introduction It is quite clear that the emergence oftablets and smart phones has changed the trend in the lifestyle of individuals in many aspects of their lives: in business, academics and the tremendous impact in the social status of the society. This technology has generated inevitable wave to establish a connection with the old friends, whom one would have lived without meeting again. The impact of these applications has proved to take charge in the enrichment of the society globally and the effectiveness associated with it (Basole, 2008, p. 24). It has unquestionably generated adequate conviction beyond doubt of its reliability. Some of the numerous benefits associated with these devices include: Faster means of accessing information where tablets and phones have been used to validate information and open new grounds for employment. They have also helped in solidifying the relation between one another, created high visibility to data transparency making any data of interest viewable by everyone from every corner of the globe. They have improved levels of interaction between individuals and generated more understanding between one another. They have substituted the cost incurred in the establishment of the infrastructure. An individual does not have to construct local internet zone since cloud computing has total assurance. In addition, the access of goods and other services is made too efficient where customers and suppliers end up building a long term relation. In essence, most businesses are accomplished with immediate effect; hence the hustles that can result from transport are lowered. Needless to say, the local application s of the ICT has significantly increased as a result of the daily development of new software that is too reliable (khosrow-Pour, 2003, p. 52). The foundation of technology is believed to be linked with the cloud computing. This advancement step has created room for the wave of the development of the industries thus the expansion of the fields of the businesses. The mode of the deliverance realized from the cloud is the provision of the internet (Khosrow-Pour, 2004, p. 62). The projection made by the international data corporation shows that, by 2015, the growth rate of the industries would rise by 18%, and the figure would increase to 22% in 2020. The cloud services have taken the technology ground; the hyper-connectivity has been too magical in its supportive advances. Most of the industries that provide services to their clients can offer these services more efficiently and in a more reliable mode (BSC, 2011, p. 43). The connectivity of the smart phones and the tablets has stepped in the gap with the help of internet from the cloud. This has been the reason as to why customers have been too keen in adopting this technology progress. Research shows that cloud computing produces more sophisticated, reliable devices that are easy to work. Cloud computing has opened room for the entire internet users from the small-scale to the large-scale enterprises. The research has shown that there is a tremendous surge of the small scale enterprises implementing this magic than with the large-scale enterprises (BSC, 2011, p. 71). However, there is a monumental margin of the profit realized by the large industries since there is the reduction of the cost of establishing infrastructural support for such services. The increase in the spread of the cloud technology is forming potential grounds for the progress of the businesses. Still, it is noticeable that, with the development of the cloud magic, the green agenda is bound to be achieved. This technology favor the conservation of resources by the sense that, it cut on the utilization of the carbon fuels. The cost incurred in this sector is directed in other areas thus saving on the company’s finances (BSC, 2011, p. 82). Furthermore, cloud services have pledged into hyper connectivity enabling multitasking and proactive involvement in the development. The main pillars of the hyper connectivity are the realization of outsourced potential of the broadband, extension of the digital devices screen surface area, proliferation of the haste of the devices for computing, and increase in the network-enabled machines. Indeed, technology has changed the operations in the businesses dominated world by introducing the best services ever. Marketing of commodities can be done with a lot of ease from anywhere and with total security. It goes an extra mile of improving the level of understanding the zones and the requirement for any business idea (Davies, 2012, p. 90). By this, it has enlightened majority of potent and non-potent entrepreneurs. With the internet in a persons pockets and purses, commerce has taken off, replacing the ancient business tactics. Tablet and mobile devices often accompany an individual wherever he or she goes. It is through these mobile devices that an individual can make it easy to find a nearby pizza place and order pizza, theater tickets from one’s car, and view price comparisons and reviews from a store (Basole, 2008, p. 16). Tablets, mobile applications, and devices have gotten too personal: grounded on past experiences, they can predict an individuals desires and enhance goods and services to satisfy them. Not persuaded yet? Take a look at this: Recently Amazon announced that, in the past twelve months, consumers across nations ordered more than one billion US dollars products from Amazon using tablets and mobile devices. Additionally, companies and prominent retailers are investing to make tablet and mobile commerce well-heeled, secure and convenient. Though we are still early on in the mobile commerce era, the use of mobile phones and tablets in business has had tremendous impacts. At its infancy, mobile commerce has boosted consumers’ convenience and hastened business transactions making it the next prominent game-changer. M-commerce has drastically modified the dynamics between sellers and buyers (Basso, 2006, p. 174). In essence, consumers in this new digital era have felt empowered through using mobile devices and tablets in making the shopping experience easy and delightful wherever, and whenever they choose to shop. Therefore, this study aims at highlighting the numerous roles that mobile devices and tablets have played in modern business. The objective of this thesis is to create adequate light on the impact of these technological devices in the trend of the growing economy. It shall focus on the methodology arrived at in making these inventions, diversions and the substitutive elements created in comparison to the analogue mean of running businesses. The pro and cons of the methods will be analyzed through weighing the data collected from the research work and this shall tremendously assist in drawing meaningful conclusion. Methodologies i. Research Approach and Design A qualitative approach was employed in this study. According to Creswel (2003, p. 77), qualitative research is a formal, objective and systematic process to delineate and test relationships and examine cause and effect interactions among variables. Questionnaires will be used in this descriptive, exploratory and explanatory research. A questionnaire is used to collect information for describing a population too large to observe directly (Dawson, 2002, p.232). A questionnaire obtains data from a sample of individuals through means of self report that is, people respond to a series of questions posed by the investigator (Kohari, 185, p.143). In this study, information was gathered through self-administered questionnaires distributed personally to the respondents by the researcher. This study chose a descriptive survey because it provides an accurate portrayal or account of the attributes, for instance of behavior, abilities, opinions, beliefs and capabilities of an individual or a group. This design was selected to achieve the objectives of the study, namely to identify the role of mobile phone devices and tablets in modern business. ii. Research Setting This research was carried out at business research and incubation center hall in New York City. This hall has an average capacity of 100 seats. This hall has all the facilities that will enhance respondent’s comfort while answering the questions. iii. Population and Sample description Kohari (1985, p.179) defines population as all the elements that meet the sample criteria for inclusion in a study. The sample to be employed in the study will be business executives from renowned organizations in United States. The respondents will be the young and vibrant business executives who mostly carryout their daily business transactions through their mobile phone devices or tablets. A convenient sample of 54 respondents was selected from 20 renowned organizations. A sample refers to the elements chosen with the intention of obtaining certain information from them. A convenient sample engrosses respondents included in the study because they happen to be at the right place at the right time. The sample includes 30 senior executive officers and 24 low management officers. The sample who met the sample criteria were identified through their company profiles. iv. Sampling Criteria The respondents included in the research had to fulfill certain requirements before being selected. These requirements include: a. Should be in possession of a mobile phone device or a tablet b. Should have transacted business in the past two weeks through their phone or tablet c. Should be in a managerial position in a company d. Should be between 20 to 50 years of age v. Data Collection Instrument A questionnaire was used in collecting information. A questionnaire is a printed self-report form aimed at eliciting information that can be gained through written answers of the respondents. Information gained through the questionnaire is no different from that obtained through interviews (Dawson, 2002, p. 168). Information was gathered to evaluate the role and impact of mobile devices and tablets on modern business. Questionnaires were decided upon because of the following: a) They required less energy and time to administer b) They ensured high reaction rate as the questionnaires were distributed to the respondents to complete and were collected personally. c) They provided the possibility of anonymity because subject’s names were not required on the completed questionnaires d) There were fewer chances of biases as they were presented in a consistent manner However, questionnaires have shortcomings. For instance, there is the question of accuracy and validity (Dawson, 2002, p. 168). The respondents may not reflect their authentic opinions but might answer what they think will please the researcher, and valuable information may be lost as answers are often brief. The questionnaire had closed-ended questions with a few open-ended questions. In the open ended questions, the respondents needed to respond in writing, where as in the closed-ended questions the respondent had options determined by the researcher. Open-ended questions were employed because they allow respondents to answer questions in their own words and provide more detail. Closed-ended questions were employed because they are easy to administer and analyze. The questions were in English language. This is because it was assumed that all the business executives were literate and would understand English. The questionnaires consisted of section A and B. Section A aimed at obtaining information of the respondents’ company, his or her position in the company and the department that he or she was working under. Section B had questions that required the respondent to respond on how tablets and mobile phones had impacted modern business. vi. Data Collection Procedure Questionnaires were personally distributed to the respondents to complete. This data was collected over a period of one week. The respondents, who were business executives, had to come to the business research and incubation center hall at New York City during the day at their convenience. Questionnaire Analysis i. Reliability and Validity: Reliability According to Creswell (2003, p. 145), reliability refers to the extent of consistency with which a tool assesses the characteristic it is tailored to measure. The questionnaires administered to the business executives showed consistency in answers. In addition, reliability can be ensured by diminishing sources of assessment error such as data collector bias. This data collector prejudice was reduced by the researcher being the only one to oversee the process of filling questionnaires and exhibiting similar personal attributes to all respondents. The physical and psychological surrounding where data was gathered was made comfortable by ensuring confidentiality, privacy and general physical support. The respondents were offered comfortable chairs in the hall. The windows were wide open for fresh air, and the researcher remained in the hall with the respondents. A “do not disturb” banner was placed to avoid interruptions and uphold privacy. ii. Validity This refers to the extent at which a tool assesses what is planned to assess (Dawson, 2002, p. 118). In order to attain content validity, questionnaires constituted questions on the knowledge of the respondents about mobile phones and tablets. Questions were drafted to ensure that they were representative of the impact of mobile phone devices and tablets on modern business. Content validity was also ensured through consistency in administering the questionnaires. In addition, all the respondents accomplished the questionnaires in the presence of the researcher. This was carried out to avoid scenarios where respondents give the questionnaires someone else to complete for them. External validity was also ensured. In reference to Kothari (1985, p. 180), external validity refers to the degree to which study findings can be generalized beyond the sample employed. All the people approached to take part in the study completed the questionnaires. Generalizing the results to all the participants is, therefore, justified. iii. Ethical Considerations Carrying out a research not only necessitates diligence and expertise but also integrity and honesty. This is performed to protect the rights of people. To render the research ethical, the rights to anonymity, self determination and informed consent were observed. The participant’s consent was gained before they took part in the process. Informed consent is defined as the participant’s agreement to take part voluntarily in the research after receiving all necessary information about the research (Kothari, 1985, p. 201). The subjects were informed of the purpose of the study and procedures to collect information. Anonymity was maintained since the subjects were not linked to the individual responses. The participants were not required to state their names in the questionnaires. The ethical principle of self determination is observed where the subjects were treated as autonomous and allowed them to choose whether to take part or not. iv. Research findings Analysis Majority of the respondents linked the use of mobile phones and tablets to convenience, speed, cloud computing, efficiency, and effectiveness in the modern business arena. It was evident that the use of the tablets and the mobile phones had a contributive role to the society widely. The mode of operation was just inclusive to the respondents. In addition, the team found that the reliability of these devices was incredibly high as some of the respondents made orders for the delivery of the goods and clear the debts instantly. The availability by the internet has a concrete support from the cloud technology and the general connectivity. Furthermore, it emerged that with the recurrent developments in the software industries; no apparent move would be successful in hacking the operation of these devices. With the surge in-memory technology, it becomes particularly straightforward to manage the accounts from anywhere (BSC, 2011, p. 112). Mobile banking has been made efficient and more reliable. One can access past versus the current data from their bank details and be able to make appropriate analysis. Any worry in the maintenance of these fragile devices by the customers was eliminated by the assurance of the substitute devices through lower charges. It emerged from the analysis of the questionnaires that the manner of data support in enterprises was made possible by the use of these technological devices. However, the cost of advances models of the smart phones and the tablets restrict their possession by the middle class and the lowly educated ones (Blackwell & Lynn, 2011). The companies highly support the technological growth by providing usage manuals and online guides for the sophisticated devices. Offers are also guaranteed at subsidized prices to the customers so as to facilitate support for this technology phase. In addition, customers can be accessed within the shortest time possible through the mobile servicing. The dissemination of this technology has formed good foundations of adoption by the small businesses. Another advance in technology mentioned in the questionnaires was the use of Google wallet that is critical in making transactions. Payment or making orders for goods is attained through flashing of the mobile phones. The efficiency in using this mode has promoted building dynamic and strong economy. Some personal reasons may form a barrier to the creation of casual banking system, but mobile money forms solid tool to compensate the state. In addition, analysis of the questionnaires reveals that mobile devices enhance accessibility of financial services via advanced prepaid programs. 90 percent of the respondents confirmed their access to financial services through their devices. These services allow the user to charge their mobile accounts by loading it from local accounts into their phones (Blackwell & Lynn, 2011). It process does not necessitate opening of the account with the bank, yet adequate banking experience is dispatched inform of security, cash, and services. Moreover, the information obtained from the questionnaires reveals that these devices have created massive confidence in running the business. This is because they provide both the customer and the producer updated information about the status of their accounts before getting into any form of transaction (Davies, 2012, p. 172). Moreover, the ability of financial status of one’s account immediately provides insightful customer-seller relation thus promoting both cross-selling and also up selling. Wireless technology era has facilitated expansion and exploitation of the resources surrounding the environment. In-memory technology has created advancement from the general low processing of data into advanced means of data management. Research shows that about 35% of the business carried globally relies heavily on this advancement. It has helped in the creation of new macro-economic that has promoted the development of many jobs annually hence facilitating reduction in the level of crime. Efficiency and the reduced cost charges have built inevitable insight and guarantee provision of the basic need. Conclusion The ICT industries have experienced rapid changes in the 21st century, and this has deeply transformed the business world. The manner of conduct enlightens and the setup of the society has tremendously improved. As a result of hyper connectivity, there is high reliability in the manner in which the communication is inducted. Efficiency is also guaranteed due to the speed associate with these devices. The relation in the business sector has tremendously risen, good relationships between individuals have also been promoted. The researcher employed qualitative survey designs, where questionnaires were used to collect information from a convenient sample of 54 respondents. Modern society has recognized the opportunities within the environment and has imposed appropriate steps in the developing these projects. Besides the growing advocacy on the need of the positive impacts of the tablets and phones in the societal development, there is a deserving role for more research on the demerits of these devices to the business sector as well as to the lives of the users. Creativity and innovativeness have been realized and at the same time; its exploration highly embraced in the society. The mobility of these devices has gone a long way in alluding with the taste of the consumer or the users. The mobility of these devices was initially applied for the communication matters only. Recently, they have been in use in the manufacturing companies, software development industries and the satellites for the capture of any new happenings in the global world. Originally, these devices were large handsets and at the same time exceedingly costly. This accelerated for the possession by the wealthy and rich maniacs. The mobility expanded the connectivity across the globe by changing the sizes of the internal components, easier to be handled and the adoption of the popular sustainability of the digital network dating back in 19th century. The availability of cloud based software has extremely significant role in the in transforming the world from the era of impossibility to possible and reliable connectivity. Wireless connectivity has boosted the level of efficiency in the growth of many companies. The manner of access to data, sharing and transfer has been exceptionally efficient. This shows that most companies have the opportunity to cut on the costs of power and time in their daily operations. References Creswell, J. W. 2003 Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method Approaches 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications. Basole R C, 2008. Enterprise Mobility: Applications, Technologies and Strategies - Volume 2 the Tennenbaum Institute Series on Enterprise Systems - Book Edition of INFORMATION KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS Management 1st ed. IOS Press. Basso, A. 2006. Beyond 3G video mobile video telephony. Multimedia Tools and Applications Archive, 28 1 173-185. Blackwell, J. and K. S. Lynn. 2011. Broadband Subscribers Market Data. ABI Research. Available at http://www.abiresearch.com/ research/1002969 BSC, 2011. Mobile Computing: Securing Your Workforce. BCS, The Chartered Institute. Davies, R. W. 2012. The Era of Global Transition: Crises and Opportunities in the New World. Dawson, C. 2002, Practical Research Methods, New Delhi, UBS Publishers’Distributors Khosrow-Pour, M. 2004. The Social and Cognitive Impacts of e-Commerce on Modern Organizations. Idea Group Inc. Khosrow-Pour, M. 2003. Information technology and organizations: Trends, issues, challenges and solutions. Vol. 1. Harrisburg, PA: Idea Group Inc. Kothari, C.R.,1985, Research Methodology- Methods and Techniques, New Delhi,Wiley Eastern Limited. Appendix Questionnaire Section A 1. What is the name of your organization? 2. What position do you hold in the organization? 3. Which department do you work under? 4. Does your organization support the use of information Technology? Section B 1. How often do you transact business through the phone? a. Weekly b. Daily c. Monthly d. Rarely 2. How can you describe this experience of transacting business activities through your mobile phone or tablet? 3. Have you ever used a tablet or a mobile phone devise to transact business on behalf of the organization? 4. As a consumer, have you ever transacted a business through your phone or tablet at the convenience of your car or house? 5. Do you think the invention of tablets and mobile phones have transformed and impacted the contemporary business arena? 6. If yes, how do you think they have impacted your organization business wise? 7. As a consumer, how do you think mobile phones and tablets have revolutionized the business arena? 8. What are some of the notable roles that mobile phones and tablets have played in the consumer-seller business transactions? Read More