Internet, Technology and Organisations - Term Paper Example

Internet, technology and organisations of Institute] of Supervisor] Internet, Technology and Organisations Information Technology Revolution has been the buzzword for quite some time now. The reasons are very obvious: it has transformed the way humans live. Historians term it as the third great revolution, being preceded only by agricultural and industrial revolutions. And it has completely jolted upside down the way we live, creating a huge impact on the world’s social and cultural aspects. The way we receive news in this modern era through television, Internet and cellular services; the way we shop through virtual stores and plastic money and the way we have reduced risk and losses by covering our assets through insurance are just a few examples of easiness provided by modern technology. (McCarthy, 2000) Information Technology (or Information Revolution) has ultimately become the cornerstone of many a businesses: information is collected in the raw form, subjected to further processing, distributed and exported to the “end users” and warehoused by these businesses for future analysis and usage. It has completely revolutionised not only what the masses think, but also how they think. (Adler, 1991) Introduction of the Company During the course of this discussion, we would be shedding light upon the technological operations and the subsequent innovation that took place in the fictitious company named “DC Traders”, one of the leading clearing and forwarding business agents in London. This company was founded in late 1980’s with the aim of providing clearing and trading services to rich and affluent London and international traders. It started as a small player in the market but soon grew because of excellent customer relationships and sales. Over the course of time, it included many high end services in its repertoire such as providing clearance to imported materials for pharmaceuticals and plastic industry, providing logistics and dry port clearance to small industries. Due to these quality services, DC Traders soon captured the lions share in the market. With this expansion, manual infrastructure prevalent inside the company got obsolete and so a technology change became a necessity. After some research and discussion with the stakeholders of the company, the development and implementation of a Computer Network System (both internet and intranet) has been proposed for the organisation because present era is the era of computers, and technology and out of the box customer services are the only contributing factors which provide comparative edge in highly competitive trading business. (Thibodeau, 2002) At the time of the start of our study, the organisation was in a mess: papers and documents piled up and their management took quite a toll on the personnel. Locating a specific document in this heap posed a serious challenge to the abilities of the personnel. Although file based database systems were implemented but they were least efficient. Paperwork involved in the system was cumbersome to manage, which made it quite stressful for the people managing it, and equally stressful for the customers who have to wait long to get appropriate responses for their queries as information available was not real time and unstructured. Current Scenario of the Company This called for the introduction of computers in the system. Successful since their emergence, they have revolutionised the entire method of working, enabling to extract benefits from Information Technology. Several departments across the organisation have now been interconnected and efficient working relationships have been ensured. A small scale customised ERP solution has now been implemented with its front end connected to the internet and back end supported by a single database that holds all the information. The connectivity at the front end with the web server has enabled the customers of DC Traders to post their orders and queries online while the database is the main source of information for the employees of the company. However, not all is well as we will see. (Stegmeier, 2008). Issues and their Resolution The area of concern that this “information boom” has given rise is security of information and access to different levels of information. Of course we all love our own little personal space, and we must recognise the fact that it is not the computers that are a threat to our privacy, but the users. But companies seem reluctant to provide security to their clients, in view of perception that they might lose access of their ability to gain information. So, then, what have we received from this computer managed network system: A paper-free working environment. Personnel can retrieve files without any hassle. Everyday files can be placed in Active folders and files for the sake of keeping records can be placed in Archives. Documents are not misplaced anymore: they can be searched through an advanced algorithm, either by their date, number or text contained in them. Each facility that can be imagined to get rid of maintaining papers and documents has been taken care of by this system. End result: efficient and effective employment of valuable resources - be they human, capital, or any other, and stress free personnel. (Stegmeier, 2008) Many organisations that have maintained an edge over their competitors over the past few years have invested towards this hassle free working environment, and as a result have improved their profits when compared to their rivals. In addition to that, these organisations have been able to design their marketing strategies to tailor-fit consumers. All this has come into existence as a result of development of central server: the other computers in the organisation known as “terminals” are connected to it, given an internet protocol (IP) number with which they can access the information that the central computer contains, or that which is contained in one of its terminals. All these terminals and central server remain under direct supervision of the IT department. The information can be accessed by entering the IP number of the desired computer in the Run command accessed through the Start button of the OS. Once done, a window opens up with all files and folders that can be accessed on that computer. However, this has its own drawbacks, the biggest concern being infringement of privacy. (Scarbrough, 1992) To bypass this problem, there are some precautionary steps that can be adopted by the IT department and its personnel. First of all, gaining access into other computer cannot be possible without being aware of the IP address of that computer. Therefore, executive level employees need to be designated backup IP addresses to ensure that any information, classified or confidential, issued from their computer does not fall into wrong hands. (Bettencourt, 2010) Through this system, customers’ satisfaction has been catered to. The hassle of going through all the paperwork to locate just one specific document has been dealt with, since this system makes sure that all the registers and documents are fed into a folder and an effective searching system is put into a place. Whenever there is a need of some extra information, they can be extracted from the computer within which it is contained by accessing the IP address of that computer. Thus, it all comes down to a few mouse clicks. However, its implementation can be hindered by bureaucratic mindset of the experienced, senior employees of the organisation who might be reluctant to accept this system for fear of loss of authority and for the sake of continuity. Their fear can be alleviated by arranging a few workshops, in which it needs to be highlighted why this system of computer networks has now become a global necessity, how it saves employees from undue strain and can it can be implemented, both effectively and efficiently. (Lientz, 2000) Counseling should be provided within these workshops and problems encountered be solved, and then list of IP addresses of all those computers connected to this system can then be distributed to extract relevant information from any of these. In this way, innovation that is being introduced and incorporated within the organisational structure deals with the technological changes in the organisation. The effects of such an implementation, however, also need to be considered. Such a change will manifest itself in a comprehensible manner on all different departments of the organisation. In contemporary organisational setup it has become extremely pivotal that different segments and departments of the organisation are tied together so that different type of activities that are being conducted in each department can easily be accessed and handled at the same time. (Crotty, 2005) One of the ways in which this can prove helpful in the department of human resource is in the context of data processing related to various employee functions and duties which include payroll, work time, benefits administration, performance record and recruitment. Hence with the help of the system that will be integrated in the organisation, all information regarding the employee that may be present in any different department of the organisation can easily be accessed. (Dworetz, 1987). This is in its true essence, the implication of an ERP system. Effect of innovation on different departments The innovation that is being introduced and incorporated within the organisational structure since deals with the technological changes, it is important to mention that the effects of such a change will manifest itself in a comprehensible manner on all different departments of the organisation. A customer now places online orders and get confirmation through an email within some minutes. Foreign customers can now make instant payments through online services such as Paypal and Payoneer to DC Traders. The online help desk too is a valuable addition as customers get immediate replies to their queries. Customers don’t need to personally visit DC Traders office anymore. The integration between Sales and Supply Chain is the most valuable as Sales Department won’t take any orders if all personnel are working on a single order. Hence with the help of the system that will be integrated in the organisation all information regarding the employee that may be present in any different department of the organisation can easily be accessed. (Bloomfield, 1997) Similarly in the marketing department the technology can be applied in different ways, firstly in the way that with the linking of different departments, all news and events related to the purpose of marketing can easily be filtered together and secondly with the help of this technology and with slight modifications in its framework, the system can be prepared to work in a way that can help the company to introduce and release special alerts for its clients and customers regarding a discount offer that they have introduced on the service that they provide or a new version of the product that the specialise in. (Kathleen, 2003). Hence with the utilisation of these technological innovations, the technology can be applied in all departments on uniform basis similar to what has been implemented by DC Traders. Assessing the Goal While this innovation should be encouraged at all levels, it should also be kept in mind that it is not feasible and sometimes desirable also, to measure each personnel effort by the state of innovation. It is the generation of ideas by the entity’s personnel that should be taken into account to determine innovation and originality. To measure innovation performance, many key performance indicators (KPIs) have sprung up, “Innovation Sales Rate (ISR)” being the most widely used by different companies. ISR measures sales percentages, i.e. the sales of the innovated products the company has manufactured with this system in place Also, it should be kept in mind that in innovation the final outcome should not only be counted, but also the steps that lead to the final outcome. (Carr and Kemis, 1986) The impact of this system can be measured in the following ways, though this is not an exhaustive list: 1. Lessons learnt, from failures as well as successes; 2. The performance of the past, as well as current, innovation; 3. The potential of future innovation; 4. The capacity for efficiency and effectiveness of innovation; 5. Speed of the market; Quality assurance in IT industry Quality assurance and its maintenance are among the strategic interests of any Information technology company in contemporary times. The process of quality assurance plays an extremely pivotal role in the IT industry as far as the testing, verification and validation of software is concerned. It is important that IT industries and organisations and the software that they prepare need to be registered from some organisations that act as a watchdog and regulatory position authority according to which the different aspects of the software and the benchmark that they have established for it is analyzed and since this has become a part of legislation in contemporary technology, it is important or in fact mandatory for all IT companies to register and authorise their software in order to provide it a legal and legitimate cover (Daniel, 2004). In recent times registration of software prepared by IT industry need to be licensed by EPA who being the regulatory authority tests the software in order to assess it on the basis of their quality programming dynamics that it involves and comprises of. Secondly, they also need to check and examine if the software does not prove harmful to the state or organisations that use it in terms of the leakage of information that they are handling. Hence with the passage of time this entire process has become a legal and ethical compulsion for all IT companies to adhere to. (Daniel, 2004) With the help of the quality assurance criterions it is important that a proper check and supervision upon the engineering functions that are being performed by the organisation is executed in order to ensure that all operations are in proper order. As far as the industrial organisation is concerned the ways in which quality assurance is maintained are quite different. In an industrial set up organisations maintain that the quality of the products being manufactured and the processes by which their manufacturing is conducted is in proper order that that all orders are in proper order and sequence with their proper maintained quality level. With the help of these factors and the different amalgamation of these variables the socio-economic environment of the company and the related industry can be enhanced along with the productivity. (Callahan et al., 2004) References Adler, N. J. (1991). ‘International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior’. 2d ed. Boston: Kent. Bloomfield, Brian 1997 ‘Information technology and organizations: strategies, networks, and integration’ Oxford University Press Bettencourt, Lance (2010). Service Innovation: How to Go from Customer Needs to Breakthrough Services. McGraw Hill Professional Carr, W. and Kemmis S. (1986). ‘Becoming Critical: Education, Knowledge and Action Research’ London: The Falmer Press. Callahan, Neal Amos, Scott Strong, Shawn 2004 ‘Enhancing Entry Level Skills in Quality Assurance: An Industry Perspective’ At mae [online] Available at http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/callahan081304.pdf Crotty, Y. (2005). ‘How do I create a visual narrative that contributes to my learning and the learning of others?’ Masters degree dissertation at Dublin City University. Daniel, Galin 2004 ‘Software quality assurance’ Pearson education India Dworetz, Steven (1987). Before the age of reason: Liberalism and the media socialization of children. Social theory and Practice, 13, Summer, pp. 187-218. Kathleen R. Allen (2003), ‘Bringing New Technology to Market,’ Prentice Hall Lientz, Bennet (2000). ‘On time technology implementation: How to achieve implementation success with limited time and resources.’ Academic press McCarthy, Sean (2000). ‘How to Write a Technology Paper.’ [online] available at: http://www.hyperion.ie/How%20to%20Write%20a%20Technology%20Implementation%20Plan.PDF Stegmeier, Diane (2008). ‘Innovations in office design: the critical influence approach to effective work environments’ John Wiley and Sons Scarbrough, Harry Corbett, Martin 1992 ‘Technology and organization: power, meaning, and design’ Routledge Publications Thibodeau, Patrick (2002, February 18). ‘Profitable privacy: Computer World.’ [online] available at: http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2002/0,4814,68354,00.html Read More