Rapid developments in technology have greatly changed the way businesses communicate. It is now possible for organisations to deliver messages instantly, over great distances and to a number of people at the same time via a variety of electronic media. New technology available to organisations includes mobile phones, answer-phones, paging devices and, Videoconferencing & teleconferencing.

Mobile phones

Many individuals now have mobile phones. These are portable telephones, which can be carried around by the user. Telephone calls can be made and received from most areas, often in different countries. They are particularly useful for employees who work outside the office or factory and who move around. Urgent messages can be sent and received immediately. Companies such as Orange, Vodafone and O2 offer a variety of services, including receiving and storing messages.

Answerphones

Answer-phones record messages when the receiver is unable to answer the telephone. They allow important messages to he stored and received if, for example, an employee is away from her desk. They also allow messages to be sent from one company or person to another outside normal office hours. The information will be received when work starts the next day. This is particularly useful when there are time differences between countries.

Paging devices

These are devices which are useful for people who work outside a business and move around a lot, such as sales representatives. They may also he used by workers in a large organisation, such as a doctor in a hospital. A ‘bleeper’ alerts the receiver to a message waiting for him on a prearranged telephone number.

E-mail

Many businesses now have e-mail addresses. They allow businesses and individuals to communicate immediately with others via word-processed text or images that are contained on a computer. The advantage of e-mail is that long documents can be immediately sent to other people anywhere in the world without them being there.

Electronic noticeboards

These communicate the latest information to employees via visual display units located in public places around the business, such as in reception. Their advantage over normal noticeboards is that they can be kept up to date. The main disadvantages are that they are limited to particular locations in the business and the information may not be relevant to everyone who sees it and can be costly to purchase.

Fax machines

Faxes are similar to e-mail, but the information is already on paper in the form of text or images. The advantages of fax machines are that they send messages instantly and that the receiver does not have to be there to receive the message. A disadvantage compared to e-mail is that it can take a long time to process a large document via the Fax. The information also has to be printed out or written before it can he sent.

Videoconferencing and teleconferencing

Videoconferencing is a method of communication, which allows individuals in different locations to interact as if they were in the same room. Individuals can see each other on monitors with the use of cameras and talk to each other via telephone lines, This is particularly useful when employees need face-to-face interaction, but work in locations that are distant from each other. It also saves the time taken to get to a central meeting place. Teleconferencing is where many people are linked together via telephone lines. Each person can talk to all others as if they were in the same location.

Benefits of New Technology

Increased productivity

More can be produced with less and, as a result, businesses may gain higher profits. In addition, fewer of the environment’s resources may be used up.

Reducing waste

Introducing new technology often results in time being saved and fewer materials being used. For example, technology has created printing machines, which waste less paper when printing books or magazines. I-low resources are used has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. As the world’s population continues to grow it will be necessary to improve resource use even further.

Improving the working environment

Statistics on accidents at work show that the working environment is safer as result of new technology. Mining and manufacturing in particular have benefited. Modern equipment has made work easier and more tolerable. For example, forklift trucks mean workers no longer need to load goods by hand. These improvements also help to remove workers’ dissatisfaction.

Benefits to society

Many new products have come onto the market in recent years. Personal stereo systems, video recorders, satellite and digital television, high performance cars and microwave ovens are some examples. New products mean wider consumer choice and possibly higher living standards.

Other developments have helped to make our lives easier, such as automatic cash dispensers and mobile telephones.

Improvements in communications

Faster means of transport (such as the jet aircraft), answer-phones, and e-mail computer network links and fax machines are all examples of inventions, which have helped to improve the speed of communications.

Higher incomes

If firms enjoy greater profits they can afford to pay higher dividends to shareholders and higher wages to employees. Also, if efficiency is improved then products may be sold at lower prices. As the country’s income increases the government collects more tax revenue. This could be used to improve the quality of public services or alternatively to reduce the overall level of taxation or government borrowing.