IBM Paper on the Future of Email and Applications - Book Report/Review Example

 Abstract Before choosing a book or any source of information for use for the purpose of carrying out literature review, it is always important and advisable to evaluate the suitability of the information source. This will help in selecting the best books, journals and any other source that will provide valuable information for the purpose of research. This paper will evaluate two sources of information to determine there suitability for use in the research on the use of web based social networking as a business tool. The first is an IBM Paper on Future of Email and Applications and the second paper to be reviewed is a Cisco Internet Business Group Paper on the use of Web Based Social Networking as a Business Tool. For the purpose of fully determining the suitability of the two sources, this paper will review the authority, objectivity, quality, currency and relevancy of each of the two papers. Authority The first paper was written and published by IBM.IBM is an American multinational company that is involved in manufacture of computer hardware and software as well as offering consultancy services in the filed of technology. The publisher of this people is therefore a reputable company with in depth understanding of technology and technological solutions. The company is a commercial entity specializing on computer and web related technologies worldwide. The second paper, which is the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group Paper, was written by Rick Hutley. The author of this paper is the vice president of CISCO Consulting Services. The author is a specialist in technology related business development and has helped various companies worldwide in the journey to the use of internet in business to maximize profit. He is a technology innovation expert with vast knowledge on internet technology and networking. The paper was published by The Cisco Business Solution Group which is an American multinational that specializes in networking solutions. The two papers are therefore written and published by reputable authors and publishers respectively. Since these two publishers and the authors involved are reputable, the content of the papers is therefore reliable. Objectivity The two papers that are being reviewed all talk about Web Based Networking in their title. The IBM Paper provides an executive summary on the content of the paper. It talks about the use of electronic mail and the associated advantages. The paper that is written by Rick Hutley and published by the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group provides an overview on the current situation and use of social networking media in various organizations on the first paragraph. This helps in getting an overview about the objective of this paper which is to provide insight on the various benefits that a business might get when it uses social networking as a business tool. From the executive summary of the IBM Paper, it is clear that the paper is biased towards use of emails. It can be deduced that the main focus of the IBM Paper is to talk about the various benefits of social emails and to market the various products that IBM has developed to help businesses facilitate social emails. On the other hand the Cisco Paper generally talks of various web based networking tools and the associated benefits to a business. Quality of the Work The IBM Paper is well organized with the literature divided into various sections. Each section talks about a specific issue related to social email. The main points such as the benefits of social email are bulleted so that the can clearly be seen and picked out easily. The paper also provides a table that elaborates more on the information that the paper is talking about. However, this table is not labeled and one need to read to get to know the information that is shown there (IBM, 6). The second paper, which is written by Rick Hutley and published by Cisco Internet Business Solution Group, has well organized content. The content in this paper is organized logical from the introduction that talks about the current usage of web based networking in some businesses. The paper the proceed to talk about how Cisco Group uses web based networking as a business tool and lists the benefits that the company gets by using this tool(Hutley, 2). It further proceeds to talk about how other organizations can use web based networking to enhance their operations and maximize profits. The flow of information is therefore well organized. Issues are tackled separately and main topics or heading separated from the rest of the information. Some information such as the benefits of web based social networking are put in point form for easy understanding and reference. Both the IBM paper and the Cisco paper employ the usage of correct grammar and simple language in order to make understanding the content easy. However the IBM Paper uses some technical terms such as NoSQL, Open NTF and Xpages (IBM, 10).These terms are not clearly understood. These technical terms could have been explained in a different section so that one can understand what the paper is talking about when it refers to these terms. Both the IBM paper and the Cisco paper are generally readable due to the good organization of the content in the paper. The IBM paper cites the sources of some information in the paper. It also provides further case study papers that provide more insight and understanding of some issues in the paper. Currency of the Papers Research work on web based networking is a topic that requires information that is current and modern. This is because web based networking is a new thing that has been brought about by the current technology. Therefore it requires content that is current. The IMB Paper was published in February 2013 in New York, USA (IBM, 1). The Cisco Paper was on the other hand published in 2009 (Hutley, 1).These two sources are therefore up to date. Even though the Cisco Paper was done in 2009, it is still within the time frame in which the web based social networking has developed. This therefore means that the two papers can provide up to date information about web based social networking and its use or application as a business tool. Relevance of the Work The IMB Paper clearly talks about how the use of emails has changed over the years .It further explains the challenges that people working in an organization experience while using emails. The paper moreover illustrates the benefits of the use of cloud email such as improved work effectiveness, increased innovation, reduced need for formal training and education, faster decision making and increased infrastructure. The paper further gives examples of how companies and various businesses have benefited from cloud email. Since social emails are part of the web based networking media, the IBM Paper content is relevant to the topic of research which is to research on the use of web based networking as a business tool. The paper gives practical examples of the benefits associated with social email and also examples of companies and businesses that have benefited from the use of cloud email. Even though the intended audience of The IBM Paper is the business society, this paper helps in knowing the benefits of cloud email that can be used when researching about the use of web based networking as a business tool. The language level is generally basic and can be well understood apart from the few technical terms used that are not easy to comprehend. The Cisco Paper is also relevant to the study topic that is being researched d on. The author of this paper clearly talks about how web based social networking can be used in a business a tool for business. The author evidently shows some of the areas where a business can use social networking such as in access of expertise, communication, monitoring, collaboration and in worker presence location. It further shows the gains that a business will realize when the use web based social networking as a business tool. Examples of web based social networks such as YouTube are also given by the author and he also explains how some of them can be used as business tools (Hutley, 5). This paper therefore is relevant to the research topic and can provide vital information on the topic being studied. Conclusion From the analysis carried out, both the IBM Paper and the Cisco Paper are relevant and reliable for use in the research to be carried out on web based networking as a business tool. The papers are written and published by reputable authors and firms with expertise in the field of technology and its application in the business environment. Furthermore the sources of the content in the papers are reliable and some are even cited. Even though no single paper among the two fully covers the scope of the research, they are a good source of material that can be used to get literature relate to the use of web based social networking as a marketing tool. References Avasthi, S, 2009, Research Guide: Choosing the Appropriate Resources, Greenwood Press Hutley, R, 2009, Social Networking as a Business Tool. Cisco Internet Business Group IBM, 2013, “The Future of Email and Application is Cloud”, IBM Corporation Software Group Read More