Mobile Collaboration as a Technology-based Procedure - Literature review Example

Emerging Technologies Mobile Collaboration Mobile collaboration is a technology-based procedure or process that facilitates communication hosted by electronic gadget connected by various software programs. It aims at initiating and enhancing communication in remote locations. Mobile collaboration has the potential of aligning more closely with the business on which applications contribute to increased performance and sustainable competitive advantage. This emerging technology (mobile collaboration) seems to have adequate conditions and platforms with the intention of improving operations of the business entities in pursuit of sustainable competitive advantage within the market and industry of operation. Introduction The speedy adoption of smart devices in the digital era, in both the workplace and outside, continues to generate increased expectations concerning accessibility and user experience among the target audiences. In addition, there is a substantive multiplication of the device capabilities, which is critical in transforming how people and organisations cooperate in pursuit of sustainable competitive advantage. Mobile collaboration comes out a technology-based procedure or process facilitating communication under the influence of electronic assets, as well as various software programs aiming at initiating and enhancing communication in the remote locations. Literature Review Several studies focus on the assessment of various aspects of mobile collaboration. One of the major issues of discussion concerning mobile collaboration technology is the examination of opportunities and challenges. Researchers have focused on the assessment of the awareness vs. adoption as one of the critical aspects of discussion. From divergent perspectives, IT tends to report a much higher availability of tools and business applications in relation to mobile devices in all categories in comparison to the business counterparts (Goggin, 2012). This makes it critical for the IT to take the role of the strategic advisor within the organization with the objective of facilitating mobile enterprise collaboration while supporting the business in the process of recruiting and training employees concerning ideal mobile collaboration capabilities (Sarker et al., 2011). Another potential issue of discussion in relation to this emerging technology is the potentiality of IT to invest in the mobile application not aligned with the stated or relevant business priorities. For instance, approximately 40 percent of the IT ranks customer service as the business process, which will benefit most from the mobile enablement in comparison to the 24 percent within the context of the business respondents (Mayer, Feistenauer, & Quick, 2014). Mobile collaboration has the potentiality of aligning more closely with the business on which applications contribute to increased performance and sustainable competitive advantage. It has taken substantial time for the technicians to adopt and implement software, which will help people to execute work while catching up with the fact that most employees work on their tablets and phones (Wang et al., 2014). Integration of mobile collaboration has been essential in making it easier for the target audiences when creating and editing documents. Some of the cloud-based file storage services inclusive of the Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft’s OneDrive have been essential in keeping the results in sync in the presence of multiple users on the same file (Cho, Yoon, & Park, 2015). On the other hand, some cloud services do this through separation of the unified files into separate entries for easier manipulation of the databases. The new mobile collaboration technology has been essential in transforming the sharing and access to information within the organisations (Jung, 2013; Asiri, 2013). It involves going beyond replicating the software organizations are accustomed to while using the desktop computers. Mobile collaboration has been essential in highlighting various aspects of the group work with the potentiality of receiving scant attention in the days when coworkers concentrate on gathering together in various offices (Shamma & Churchill, 2014). The back-and-forth is more valuable just like the context itself (Smith, 2013). It keeps the team on track while informing participants who have the tendency to join the process later. Besides, the emerging technology has the potentiality of sparking new ideas among employees seeking to solve consumers’ concerns within the industry of operation (McNaughton & Light, 2013). Integration of the new document-editing apps has the potentiality of capturing various streams of collaborative communication, thus flexibility and convenience in pursuit of competitive advantage within the industry of operation. Researchers have also focused on the examination of the influence or benefits of the mobile collaboration technologies with the intention of generating substantial information concerning the future of the technology (Drewry et al., 2011; Martin & Ertzberger, 2013; Jung et al., 2015). For instance, mobile collaboration has been ideal for the generation of quality approaches for organisations to collaborate with the employees while pursuing goals and targets at the end of the fiscal period. Mobility and social collaboration have the potentiality to transform existing business frameworks or models under the influence of the developing trends of clouding and enhanced accessibility to information (Kumar et al., 2013; Johns & Gratton, 2013). Trends, Future, Outlook, and Applications of the Technology Trends Growth and Performance One of the trending issues in relation to the growth and development of this technology is the influence in the improvement of growth and performance of the business entities. Barriers and Opportunities Researchers continue to assess and examine barriers and opportunities with reference to the mobile collaboration (Valacich, Looney, Wright, & Wilson, 2013). One of the trending issues relates to lack of awareness and ineffective change management processes in adopting the model effectively and efficiently. There is no question of increased adoption of technology in improving the image and reputation, as well as the productivity of the firm across various geographic regions (Chung et al., 2014). Accessibility to Information Organisations focus on adopting and incorporation mobile collaboration technology to enhance accessibility of information, thus the opportunity to reduce costs while saving time and various resources. Moreover, business entities and companies focus on shifting from the software to SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) with the intention of complementing the existing offerings. Increased role of IT Researchers note that IT should gain substantive role in the strategic management and decision-making procedures with the intention of facilitating increased use of mobile collaboration, as well as the eventual improvement of support of the business department (Chen & Hsieh, 2012). Increased use of technology in Business There is also increased usage of the mobile collaboration tools or technologies among business entities to enhance communication with the employees or human resources in pursuit of effective and efficient reputation within the industry of transaction. Outlook & Applications Audio & Video Mobile collaboration technology starts with audio and video calling features or applications, which are essential in enhancing communication and interaction among people or entities to aid increased performance. Various unified communications have focused on launching their mobile UC strategy through basic communication features such as audio and video conferencing capabilities, as well as full device and operating system support to aid operations of the employees (Chen & Hsieh, 2012). Employees require these features to allow calls from the users’ mobile device, thus achievement of convenience and flexibility in pursuit of competitive advantage within the industry of operation. Web-based There are web-based applications, which are ideal for content sharing and improving collaboration and consumption of communication on a smaller screen. Purpose-built applications Service providers and manufacturers continue to develop portable products or mobile collaboration devices with the intention of addressing the ever-changing needs and demands of the consumers at the end of the fiscal period. CB Mobile App Another critical feature relates to the CB Mobile app, which is essential in enabling users to make substantive business calls without exposing their private cell phone numbers. The application is also essential in connecting mobile devices to the desktop, thus the opportunity for the users to gain access to the office phone system features. Videoconferencing Videoconferencing tool is becoming increasingly significant for geographically dispersed entities and home workers, thus the opportunity for the business organisations to achieve competitive advantage within the market and industry of operation. Fig. 1: Application of videoconferencing facility to conduct corporate meetings Future Favorable Conditions for Growth With increased utilisation and adoption of mobile and other relevant communication devices, it is sufficient to note that the future of collaboration is mobile. The technology has the perfect platform or conditions to develop and grow under the influence of increased mobile access to the collaborative tools (Woodill, 2011). Increased Consumer Familiarity The presence of these devices in the market is essential to increasing familiarity of the target audiences with their functionalities, thus the opportunity to utilize aspects of mobile collaboration in the future context (Ally & Prieto-Blázquez, 2014). Increased Influence of Technology Similarly, business entities and people tend to perceive the role of technology as the most efficient approach to reducing costs of operation, thus the need to eliminate or reduce the costs of operation. Utilization in Health Sector In future, health organisations will consider integration of the mobile collaboration technology in the process of ensuring high quality of products and services. That satisfies the demands and expectations of the target audiences. Integration in Learning Institutions Additionally, learning institutions will exploit the features of the mobile collaboration technology in pursuit of enhanced sharing of information and knowledge within the industry of transaction. Conclusion Conclusively, business entities, companies and employees have the opportunity to exploit mobile devices with the intention of working more effectively, efficiently, and flexibly at various geographical locations. The emerging technology (mobile collaboration) seems to have adequate conditions and platforms with the intention of improving operations of the business entities in pursuit of sustainable competitive advantage within the market and industry of operation. Categorically, mobile collaboration needs to adopt and incorporate ‘killer’ apps to enhance its market coverage and penetration in response to the demands and expectations of the target audiences. Bibliography Ally, M., & Prieto-Blázquez, J. (2014). What is the future of mobile learning in education?. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 11(1), 142-151. Asiri, Y. A. (2013). Evaluation of mobile touch-based collaboration interaction styles to enhance spatial abilities and practice learning for children (pp. 1-131). Chen, P. T., & Hsieh, H. P. (2012). Personalized mobile advertising: Its key attributes, trends, and social impact. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 79(3), 543-557. Cho, N., Yoon, J., & Park, S. (2015). Analysis of the Impact of Mobile Office Technology on Organizational Collaboration. Journal of Information Technology Applications & Management, 22(1), 95-107. Chung, K. Y., Yoo, J., & Kim, K. J. (2014). Recent trends on mobile computing and future networks. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 18(3), 489-491. de Sá, M., Shamma, D. A., & Churchill, E. F. (2014). Live mobile collaboration for video production: design, guidelines, and requirements. Personal and ubiquitous computing, 18(3), 693-707. Drewry, J. S., White, M. A., Schramm, S. D., Chatterjee, S., Fulton, P. R., & Nakaso, A. M. (2011). U.S. Patent No. 8,041,020. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Goggin, G. (2012). Cell phone culture: Mobile technology in everyday life. Routledge. Johns, T., & Gratton, L. (2013). The third wave of virtual work. Harvard Business Review, 91(1), 66-73. Jung, E., Yoon, S., Kim, A. G., & Kim, H. (2015). Development of Mobile Tourism Platform to perform Collaboration for Tourism Information Acquisition. Advanced Science and Technology Letters Vol.90 (Multimedia 2015), pp.44-47. Jung, J. H. (2013). Adoption and Diffusion of Wireless Mobile Collaboration Technology Using an Extended Technology Acceptance Model. Journal od Decision Science, 21(1), 33-50. Kumar, S., Nilsen, W. J., Abernethy, A., Atienza, A., Patrick, K., Pavel, M. & Swendeman, D. (2013). Mobile health technology evaluation: the mHealth evidence workshop. American journal of preventive medicine, 45(2), 228-236. Martin, F., & Ertzberger, J. (2013). Here and now mobile learning: An experimental study on the use of mobile technology. Computers & Education, 68, 76-85. Mayer, J. H., Feistenauer, H., & Quick, R. (2014). Managers and Collaboration Technology: A Business Perspective for Improving Management Support Systems. McNaughton, D., & Light, J. (2013). The iPad and mobile technology revolution: Benefits and challenges for individuals who require augmentative and alternative communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 29(2), 107-116. Sarker, S., Campbell, D. E., Ondrus, J., & Valacich, J. S. (2011). Mapping the Need for Mobile Collaboration Technologies: A Fit Perspective. Advancing Collaborative Knowledge Environments: New Trends in E-Collaboration: New Trends in E-Collaboration, 211. Smith, D. M. (2013). Box Notes and the Ongoing Convergence In Collaboration. Valacich, J. S., Looney, C. A., Wright, R. T., & Wilson, D. W. (2013). Mobile Computing and Collaboration. Collaboration Systems: Concept, Value, and Use, 143. Wang, W. H., Hao, Y. M., Cao, Y. H., & Li, L. (2014). A Cloud-Based Real-Time Mobile Collaboration Wiki System. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 441, 928-931. Woodill, G. (2011). The mobile learning edge: Tools and technologies for developing your teams. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Read More