Impact of information technology on business?

Answer 1

Information Tech has revolutionized the phase of business around the world. Local businesses have become international due to a simple website. I.T. has helped businesses in advertising. People who check their email may suddenly have a pop up at their page ends with sales up to 60% at JC Penny's!

I.T. has helped in customer service, huge corporations like Microsoft attend to customer needs through email and chat services. Networking internal and external in organizations has improved the working of businesses. Staffs and clients likewise can get in touch with the managers for feedback, progress reports and extensions.

Communication has bloomed, two business organizations if they need to work together can easily do so. Hotmail, when merged with MSN was easy since the service was online. Business these days require a lot of planning, due to high tech organization systems on computers, planning can be done on an organized pattern, with schedule formats, grant charts etc. Huge databases can now be controlled and stored on network and back up drives.

Together with the advancement of science and technology, technological innovations grew along with it, resulting to the emergence of new equipment and gadgets. No matter how big or small your company is, technology brings both intangible and tangible benefits to become cost efficient and to meet the growing demands and needs of customers. Technological innovations affect corporate efficiency, culture and relationship among employees, clients, suppliers and customers. The type and quality of technology used affect the security of confidential business information.

Due to the burden brought by administrative tasks, like inventory, bookkeeping and records keeping, both big and small companies rely on computers to do their administrative works. The birth of internet and online social networking sites tremendously decreased the costs of business operations. It also makes it easier for companies to use the Six Sigma management methodologies. Some firms shifted to outsourcing instead of hiring their own personnel due to the low costs associated with it. Because of the huge impact of technological innovations to companies, it is impossible for them to live with it.

Commonly used high technology equipment:

• Computers
• Photocopier
• Telephone
• Computer printer
• Internet
• Paper shredder
• Multimedia projector
• Touch screen monitors
• Computer mouse
• Laptop computers

Advantages of Technology to Business:

• Customer Relations. Technology affects the way companies communicate and establish relations with their clients. In a fast moving and business environment, it is vital for them to interact with clients regularly and quickly to gain their trust and to obtain customer loyalty. With the use of Internet and online social networks, firms interact with consumers and answer all their queries about the product. Establishing effective communication with customers not only creates rapport with them, but it also creates strong public image. It allows business enterprises to reduce and to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
• Business Operations. With the use of technological innovations, business owners and entrepreneur understand their cash flow better, how to manage their storage costs well and enables you to save time and money.
• Corporate Culture. Technology lets employees communicate and interact with other employees in other countries. It establishes clique and prevents social tensions from arising.
• Security. Modern security equipment enables companies to protect their financial data, confidential business information and decisions.
• Research Opportunities. It provides a venue to conduct studies to keep themselves ahead of competitors. It allows companies to virtually travel into unknown markets.
• Corporate Reports. With technology, business enterprises communicate effectively with their branch offices to deliver quality financial and operational reports.
• Industrial Productivity. Through the use of business software programs or software packages, it automated traditional manufacturing process, reduces labor costs and enhances manufacturing productivity. It enables companies to increase efficiency and production output.
• Business mobility. Technological innovations improved companies' sales, services, shorted lead time on receiving and delivering goods and services. Enables them to penetrate multiple markets at least costs.
• Research capacity. It enables them to conduct studies on various companies to gain knowledge on the new trends in the market and way on avoiding them.

A recent survey of United States manufacturers asked what they thought were the most important attributes an agent must possess to succeed. "Technical product knowledge" was most valuable while "Internet marketing capabilities," even in mid1999, came in with only I percent of the vote. With the advantages of IT for the manufacturer, the agent and the foreign buyer, advocacy and praise of comprehensive technical product knowledge is misplaced and takes us in the wrong direction. Surveys such as the one cited here not only reflect the current sentiments of the people, but also perpetuate similarities and traits that make it easier for us to identify those people and companies that we want to be commercially associated with.

It is no wonder that most manufacturers are unaware of this fact - what little literature there is on the subject is not readily available. Thus, with a principal's preconceptions fixed in a pre-IT world, they do not grasp the convergence of IT with rep agencies that combine this technology and international experience. As a result, they will have a difficult time working from the same set of assumptions about how to conduct business internationally. IT is a miraculous tool. As Copernicus, the 16th century astronomer, posthumously demonstrated, evolving knowledge inevitably trumps conventional thought. And keep in mind that this is the same type of conventional thinking that is producing our gargantuan trade deficits. The current conceit might be that the world economy will always revolve around the United States and we can remain satiated indefinitely with just our home marketplace. Knowing that this thinking is not sustainable should help in forcing us to reappraise those things that can facilitate more exports of domestic products to our international partners.

In the continental United States, the logistics of a manufacturers' representative calling on customers to explain their line (s) of products in their limited geographic area mostly precludes the need for Internet marketing. But internationally, when one factors in eight to 16 time zone differences on multiple continents, IT inverts the above scoring of attributes. Mindful of the obvious impracticality of traveling in person to see multiple of attributes. Mindful of the obvious impracticality of traveling in person to see multiple customers in far-flung locales, I have formed some guidelines concerning what lines to take on and how to interact with manufacturers:

- Category Creators - Take on lines from companies that are making unique products. These lines, if they are highly differentiated and easy to understand through your client's Web site, give your foreign customer an immediate marketing advantage in his country and make unnecessary the need for a high degree of technical product knowledge.

- Joint Selling - If you must take on a unique but highly technical product, make sure you work out an ongoing technical assistance arrangement with your manufacturer.

- Gradualism: Domesticating the Process of International Trade

- For those principals that are still uncomfortable working with overseas customers, start by selling to the United States buying offices of your foreign buyers. It is always interesting how many client manufacturers are surprised that many international buyers are located in North America.

- Wave the Flag - Make sure your contract with manufacturers spells out that you do not want information relating to detailed product cost, production process methods or confidential business strategies. With the end of the Cold War, there has been a shift from the threat of ICBMs to economic warfare. Given the reality of industrial espionage, even amongst our own allies, by purposely keeping your company separate from the highly sensitive information of your principal, you demonstrate foresight that you have your client's best interests in mind.

Wave Them In - The "them" is the FBI and the National Counterintelligence Center (NACIC). The FBI can consult with your clients about protection of sensitive data, and the NACIC posts advisories that can heighten their overall awareness of possible risks. Combined, this step and the previous one will help them feet more confident that they can proceed in the export process.

- Wave Goodbye - If it becomes obvious during your meeting(s) with the manufacturer that they do not have the drive or the intent to create the infrastructure necessary for export, then Opt Out. You will be doing everyone a favor, especially your valued overseas buyers who have surmised that part of the agent's job is the vetting of unreliable suppliers.

Now that the attributes and traits of international manufacturers' representatives, vis-a-vis domestic representatives, have been somewhat scrambled, I want to point out how international agencies might fall under a new classification. If under the current taxonomy, domestic manufacturers' representatives are a "species," then international manufacturers' representative agencies, as a "subspecies," might best be named "International Information Brokers" (IIB). Besides selling the manufacturer's products or services to foreign buyers, what greatly distinguishes the IIB is: They have developed the skills for the remote retrieval of information and the organization of that information for manufacturers that desire to sell internationally. Though hazy and vague to those not familiar with the process, in the hands of an IIB, resources are accessible from an ever-widening variety of sources.

Technology affects businesses on many levels. The more efficient an employee is, the more productive he is to the company. In addition, the more a business stays in touch with its customer base, the better the chance of building customer loyalty. Advances in technology make that possible, as well as allowing employees from around the world to work via video conferencing and telecommuting to work.

1.

Consumers

o The impact of technology on a business isn't restricted to business use. A business is also affected when consumers use technology. At one time, the only way some people had to file their tax returns was through going to either a certified public accountant or a professional tax preparer, or doing taxes themselves. The tax code is complex and some people might not have felt secure in preparing their taxes on their own. However, accounting software evolved to the point where many people simply had to answer a series of questions and the computer would do the rest, including filing the information electronically. Crossovero The technology a business uses might not have been designed for businesses. From a marketing point of view, a company makes more money by going after consumers than businesses. Consumers might buy the latest upgrade to a technological device, such as an iPhone, while businesses tend to use products for longer periods of time. On the other hand, the more consumers purchase the latest product, the better the business side of manufacturing does. A company can reach the consumer market first, then expand into the business arena. When Apple added enhanced security features to the iPhone, businesses began to look at adding iPhones to the list of acceptable phones to use in the business environment, resulting in a crossover market. Social Networkingo Social networking affects the business environment. Employees are connected to social networks. This can be a double-edged sword, however. An employee might post something about the business publicly which should not be shared. In addition, employees need to understand what gets posted for the public to see can have an impact on the work environment, especially if the employee is posting negative comments about the work environment or other employees. On the flip side, businesses can use social networks to monitor customer satisfaction. For example, if a customer is not happy with a product and he posts his feelings online, the company can contact the customer and try to resolve any problems. Since social networks have links to friends and family, seeing the company work hard to make things right with the customer might turn the potential loss of a customer into the chance to gain new customers. Telecommutingo Technology has had a large impact on the business environment in terms of telecommuting. With broadband access and computers today, as well as smartphones, employees can work out of their homes, saving the company money by not needing as physically large a space to operate. With video conferencing, business meetings no longer need to be face-to-face, saving on air fare and hotel reservations.