Communication for IT Professionals - Literature review Example

Communication for IT Professionals Name Institution Outline: I. Introduction a. Definition of mobile technologies and electronic business b. Current trend of upcoming technologies II. Discussion a. Effect of mobile technologies on electronic business b. Implementation of technological advancements III. Conclusion Communication for IT Professionals Executive summary/Abstract Mobile technology continues to impact electronic business in a great way. The speedy development of mobile technology has stimulated the expansion of electronic business. There is likelihood that in the near future, mobile technology will outdo electronic business. Mobile technology has become a basic need in the current global community. Mobile technology and electronic business have become powerful strategies for the development of the economies of the world. The incorporation of mobile technology in electronic business has proven fundamental in that it has transformed connections among organizations. This report is going to examine in a comprehensive way, the effects of mobile technology on electronic business. Introduction It can be noted that the mobile internet has unique advantages over the immobile internet since users can get linked anytime and anywhere. Considering the improved features on mobile phones, it is without doubt that this technology will surely overtake electronic business in terms of growth and opportunity1. Just as the name implies, mobile technologies entail technology that is portable or movable. Mobile technological devices include mobile phones, laptops, personal digital assistants and many others. Mobile technological devices can be enabled to utilize various communication technologies such as Bluetooth. It is hence possible to network a mobile device to an office at home or even access internet while traveling. Electronic business on the other hand entails the application of information technologies to all organizational operations. Electronic business strategies allow organizations to connect their internal and external systems that process data with much ease. It enables organizations to work closely with clients and stakeholders hence meeting their needs. The emergence of mobile technologies seems to have threatened the thriving of electronic businesses. Mobile technologies have also been known to improve the services that are offered to consumers. Customer details for instant can be updated at home using mobile devices. The benefits of mobile devices offer enormous flexibility while working. The impact and effect of upcoming technologies has always been undermined but the current trends suggest an enormous transition in this sector in the near future. Reference can be made to the transport sector where there have been changes from railroad in the past to automobiles in the early twentieth century2. Following these changes, huge amounts of money were invested in projects based on the foreseen impacts of these new technologies. Judith & Michael (2004) purport investors experienced huge losses since the anticipated developments did not emerge as fast as predicted3. It was only after a long period of time that the new changes in technology conveyed in the expected developments. Just as in this particular case, comparable trends have been observed in information technologies. There have been changes in data exchange, electronic business and service provider applications. In the recent past, significant investments have been made to progress mobile knowhow and applications. Discussion Although the development in mobile technologies has advanced slower than expected, its effect on electronic business cannot go unnoticed. In the current times, mobile technologies have been applied in areas that consumers are most concerned with. It can be noted that the world of business still anticipates mobile usage on a higher level. Mobile technology usage today entails voice messaging rather than the transfer of information through wireless. This has successfully substituted wired telephone lines. Therefore there is no need of using desktop computers which are immobile. Despite the fact that there is a clue of about the sectors in which mobile technologies could be useful in the business environment, not much is known regarding how to advance these processes or about the implications of these technologies. The only certain thing is that there is high competition in technological advancement4. Most organizations are trying their level best just to be t part with the many technological changes present in the business world today. Knowledge regarding the implications of mobile technologies is significant since it allows business people to discover the opportunities that these kind of innovation presents. To be specific, the utilization of information and technology in businesses has been very productive such that it has attracted a large number of consumers and permitted mass customization. The cost of services has also reduced significantly. According to Lee & Benbasat (2004) a nation such as Japan for instance, mobile internet is used by a large number of people as compared to stationary internet5. Over five hundred million individuals use mobile internet and the subscribers are over twenty five million. More research in South Korea reveals that more than half percent of the nation’s populations own mobile phones. This particular nation also has more than eighteen million subscribers6. Due to the hopeful anticipation that observers have and the advanced abilities of mobile technology, many studies have been conducted on aspects such as interface design for mobile devices. It is notable that researchers have concentrated their activities on interface designs for mobile devices where users familiarize themselves with a totally different environment than when they use individual computers. Additional research on the factors that influence consumers to use mobile devices was conducted. Results revealed that accepted recommendations for the design of mobile interfaces are yet to be developed. Researchers however seem to agree that principles from electronic business interfaces should not be directly applied to mobile technology. Electronic business interfaces were initially developed for individual computers which are armed with larger output and input devices. These superior devices have a faster access to the internet when compared with mobile devices. Moreover, when electronic business interfaces were created, the mobile computing environment was not present. Today, consumers have the ability to engage in various tasks such as responding to a call and writing a text message at the same time7. With such knowledge, one then wonders if standards for electronic business can be adopted for mobile interfaces. If these principles cannot be shared, then there is a great need for researchers to determine the right principles for mobile interfaces. This analysis is significant because it will provide individuals with a deeper understanding of mobile interfaces. Verification regarding whether electronic business interfaces share the same principles with mobile interfaces will be done. The study will also provide an inclusive framework which will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of these interfaces. Researchers will therefore get to know where to make improvements if need be. The common concepts between mobile technology and electronic businesses will provide mobile technology researchers a basic foundation with which to begin their investigations from. In addition, the present differences in the two areas direct researchers on what should be focused on8. Bill (2003) expounds that efforts to examine the usage and necessities of mobile technologies concentrated on consumer needs rather than the business environment. A qualitative study on mobile phone services was conducted and the aim was to discover issues concerning usability. This study focused beyond the characteristics of the handset. The outcome indicated the significance of perceiving technology as a social and technical system encircling hardware, software, and service policies9. Other related studies were also conducted to examine the role of mobile technology in the implementation of mobile business. The results revealed that many people are interested in utilizing mobile applications. Analysts suggest that mobile technologies can improve effectiveness in business through the circulation of information to the labor force. Mobile technologies have also been observed to offer new channels through which workers can interrelate. These analysts add that those businesses that are capable of harvesting the influence of mobile technologies are bound to reap huge benefits. Mobile technologies will contribute a great deal in streamlining processes such as decision making in such organizations and above all there will be increased productivity. Nevertheless, it is high time research on mobile technologies took another turn such that more details regarding structures in information systems ought to be thoroughly investigated upon. Studies on technological advancements have emphasized on the alignment of information systems with organizational operations. These studies have been founded on the attempts to provide procedures for the advancement of systems that support processes such as decision making in organizations. This concept has also been used to explain technology adoption in diverse environments and also relationships in organizations. Present research maintains that as a necessity for adoption administration in different organizational environments, a balance between the information technology and the duties it supports has to be accomplished. Such accomplishments can be undertaken during the process of technological development. Several academicians have written about the impact that technological advancements have on organizations and institutions. Some of these authors have categorized these impacts in two comprehensive groups. The first group entails the impact of mechanization of manual developments and the subsequent changes in operational competence. The second group on the other hand involves the influence of an enhanced access to information specifically for decision makers10. These categories are very fundamental especially in a mobile setting. This research is meant to solely point out the need for balance between technology and its impact on organizations as mentioned earlier. Reflecting on these studies, it is clear that the increased use of mobile devices and the swift advancements in mobile technologies present a problem for electronic business. It is important to note that regardless of the fact that mobile technologies have been executed in many nations across the globe, it still remains unexploited in some regions. However this does not impede the spread and development of these technologies in across the world. As mentioned earlier, mobile technologies have taken a long time to advance though the current trend in the twenty first century is breath taking. Most of the countries that are yet to adapt mobile technologies and electronic businesses are poor11. In developing nations, banking institutions and mobile operators are the stakeholders to spear head the execution of mobile technologies in these regions. Applications such as mobile health and banking can be implemented in these poor nations. It however ought to be noted that implementing technological applications is not an easy task. Implementers are likely to face challenges which are mainly policy and technical in nature. It is necessary that comprehensive studies be conducted in such nations so that investigators, service providers and policy architects may get some sort of direction on how to go about the whole process. Another important aspect to note is that the advancement in mobile technologies and the propagation of mobile devices has created numerous openings and prospects for mobile business. The use of mobile devices to perform dealings and transactions has made life enjoyable and flexible for many people. Universal computing is enabling everyone to access the internet anytime everywhere. Other than the volatile advancement of portable devices such as mobile phones, there is an increasing demand for knowhow that will permit consumers to access the internet using devices that are inappropriate for the use of old-fashioned hardware. A typical mobile device with a small screen and slow speed proves burdensome when accessing long written information. Nonetheless, there is the option of voice interface which does not have such restrictions. Ernest, Chen & Liu (2009) argue that recent improvements in speech identification technology offer resourceful voice capture and indexing instruments. The reason behind these developments is to make application systems that have voice interfaces extra appropriate. According a recent study, the number of mobile device users is predicted to grow even more ion the coming years worldwide. This study revealed that there would be more traffic on voice which is the main platform from which business is conducted. It is amazing to note that the current devices are allowing consumers to connect to the internet everywhere and though technological advancements are an ongoing thing. Studies also predict that more desirable devices are going to be advanced in the near future. This is a clear indication that technology is here to stay12. Although mobile technologies seem to be more advantageous than electronic business, these two concepts still depend on one another. Mobile technology can basically be featured as a postponement of the electronic business to portable devices. Electronic business entails applying wire technologies to organizations not only internally but externally as well. Mobile technologies enable people to have portable permanent access to the same information and resources. It is just recent that the same information could only be accessed on desks. The combination of these two concepts has emerged into what is now referred to as mobile business. It is important to note that through the capabilities of mobile technologies, electronic functions would be largely enhanced. Mobile technologies therefore offer services and applications that electronic business has narrow chances of delivering. The main features of mobile technologies are accessibility and availability. The accessibility of wireless technologies are improving steadily ion a daily basis. Conclusion Reflecting back in the early historical days, communication was executed through the use of pigeons. Later on information was communicated from one person to the other using letters which were sent by post. Time passed by and the telephone as a means of communication emerged. In the current regime, wireless is the means of communication and this is what gave rise to mobile devices13. Through these devices, a lot has been achieved not just in the business sector but on the part of consumers as well. Some individuals may think that this is it. That technology has advanced so great that it has reached its limits. Any open minded individuals would agree that technology is yet to advance even more. Mobile devices are the latest discoveries in the current technological world. In the past, mobile phones were not so common and few people owned then because they were too expensive. Communication costs were also very high for the average person to afford. However as the use of mobile phones increased, their costs also reduced greatly hence they became available to many people. In the current times, mobile phones are easily available and have all the features that consumers would desire. Mobile technology has attracted more people and they are everyone’s first choice. The current generation is extremely interested in the new characteristics that come with every mobile device. The significance of mobile devices can be detected from the reaction that individuals display when they are told to part with their gargets even for just a day. Other than assisting people to swiftly make business transactions, mobile technologies also come in handy when it comes to notifying individuals on the state of the environment. Lee & Benbasat (2004) points out that people in Japan are notified through cell phones when an earthquake is going to occur. There is no doubt that these devices have made life comfortable14. The discussion above reveals that mobile technologies are somehow intertwined with electronic business. Mobile technologies deliver additional value to consumers on the move hence open channels to fundamental business opportunities. Many societies are accepting mobile technologies since there seems to be a great need for mobility. The choice of mobile technologies incorporates almost all life endeavors. References BRENDA, M., ROBERT, C. & HENRI, I., 2009. A MODEL OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE ACCEPTANCE OF MOBILE PHONE USE IN PUBLIC PLACES. International Journal of Innovation & Technology Management, Vol. 6 Issue 3, p305-326, 22p, 2 Diagrams, 3 Charts Bill, A., 2003. Consumer Intentions in Terms of Electronic Travel Distribution.e-Service Journal, Vol. 2 Issue 2, p68, 19p Judith, G. & Michael, S., 2004. Success Factors and Impacts of Mobile Business Applications: Results from a Mobile e-Procurement Study. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 8 Issue 3, p19-41, 23p, 2 Diagrams, 2 Charts, 3 Graphs Lee, Y. & Benbasat, I., 2004. A Framework for the Study of Customer Interface Design for Mobile Commerce. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 8 Issue 3, p79- 102, 24p, 1 Black and White Photograph, 5 Charts Ernest Chang, S., Yu Chen, S. & Hong Liu, Y., 2009. A user study of accessing web applications via voice cellular phone: a model comparison approach. Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 28 Issue 5, p471-484, 14p, 1 Illustration, 5 Diagrams, 8 Charts; DOI: 10.1080/01449290802479711 Nikolaos, A. & Georgios, D., 2003. Introduction to the Special Issue: Mobile Business: Technological Pluralism, Social Assimilation, and Growth. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 8 Issue 1, p5, 18p Read More