Business books have changed Essay

One of the more concrete evidences that businesses have changed is the way business books were written. Authors of books update themselves on current business trends, and often include new knowledge that can help the businessmen improve their craft and industries. The latest addition to business books by the turn of the 20th century is the wide discussion of technology and technological innovations. This aimed at educating then-businessmen about the digital revolution who, chances are, have not been formally trained yet on the new innovations. (Craiger JP 2006). This change in business books directly affects the way in which business people served their workplaces. They were refreshed and fed with new information that helped them go a step higher into their management. In turn, they helped move up the companies which they serve. The generation of new information enforced an equally new generation of managers, employees, and business movers that changed the face of businesses. Cost-efficiency paved the way for technology Another change in organizations brought about by technology is in the financial aspect. Businesses started to adopt newer technology and bought sophisticated machines because it lowered production costs. Computers, for one, are so effective and efficient that it allowed computation, clerical work, bookkeeping, and other functions to be done by one person—the computer operator—which proved to be more cost-effective rather than hiring three or more persons to manually do the work separately. (Craiger JP 2006) This is true even if in fact computers, when the digital revolution is just starting, costs thousands or even hundreds of thousands for companies to invest on. Companies were thinking long-term. Comparisons between paying different people for different jobs or paying one person to operate a machine which can do different jobs proved that the latter will benefit the organizations more. Despite the high costs the promise of productivity, accuracy, and efficiency was too hard for capitalists to resist, plus the fact that the use of technology brings prestige to the company. Thus, technology and business became an inseparable pair. More sensitivity to customers Different organizations receive and use technology differently. For news organizations such as the CNN, technology is widely of the essence than anything else. But the use of technology in CNN is not a corporate decision alone. As successful media outfits would say, it is still consumer-dependent after all. Because consumers want to get services conveniently, in a way that is readily accessible to them, organizations like CNN subscribe to technological innovations that answer these consumer calls. There is the technology of television, radio, print materials, internet, and even podcasting. These embrace to technology for an industry as old as news is not surprising. The news world, just like any other organizations, is growing more competitive, and companies will need to leverage on these new forms of getting in touch and connecting with the customers, or they will simply lose them. (D’Agostino D, 2006) The interactivity of organizations also gave convenience to customers, and allowed companies to get to know their clients more. Feedback has never been easier. Today, a company can give a telephone number, a toll-free number, an email address, or a fax number to encourage customers to tell them what they think about their product or service. More so, companies can accept orders for their products or inquiries for their services through these innovations as well. The convenience that this brought about is far from the snail-mail feedback system that companies used to have in the pre-digital revolution era. This shows one character change in organizations. Today, companies are more sensitive to the needs and wants of consumers than ever before. With the fast pace in which customers are keeping up with technology, businesses are also on the run to match the speed and not be left behind. In turn, technology also helped company respond to consumer needs and wants more easily. If customers wanted the convenience of getting news from their palm pilots RSS is right at their service. Similarly, when they want information from a product, service, or company without leaving the house, an internet connection is all they need; and when an organization can deliver to this convenience issue they can assure themselves that they are on the right track. Convenience through connectivity Technology is not only for the profit organizations. Even charitable organizations are being benefited by the advent of modern tools and know-how, albeit in simpler ways than their bigger counterparts. Computers and other simple technology allowed charitable institutions to monitor donors, donations, receipt issuances, and find support communities and common causes because of the connectivity that technology brings. (United Press International, 2005) Connectivity also changed the way in which companies and employees communicate. While the isolation of computers and computer operators posed a problem at the onset of technology in companies, the advent of networking allowed for people to get connected and work as teams more easily. Local area networking and internet connectivity allowed for more convenient sharing of information, files, and discussion of projects regardless of their location and time. (Craiger JP 2006) Computer-based trainings also allowed trainers and trainees to undergo sessions without time or geographical constraints. By use of technology in trainings, employees old and new alike are also encouraged subliminally to devote time for learning technological skills to be more productive in their work. (Craiger JP 2006) Another convenience brought about by technology to organizations is the possibility of telecommuting. Thanks to computers and the internet, one can now work from home or from a different location. This also allowed telecommuting employees to go about their other tasks while performing work-related duties, without the time and geographical constraints that normal office work can entail. Work teams One important change that technology brought about is the highlight given on work teams. The connectivity caused by technology allowed employees to exchange and merge ideas, bringing in better ideas that are products of brainstorming. Apart from the benefit it brings to the company, teamwork also encourages goodwill and camaraderie among employees, encouraging them to set themselves into a single goal and work together to achieve this goal for the organization. (Craiger JP 2006) As technology allowed work teams it also allowed for a check and balance in the output of workers. Because employees can give access to their work for others, the time-consuming and money-wasting overlapping and repetitions in jobs done were lessened and even eliminated, saving more resources for employees to devote to other tasks. As an example, in a workplace where there is no technological connectivity one employee-member of a team may have started encoding a document only to find out that another member has already encoded it. This scenario becomes rather unlikely when a company has a structured network where employees can check with files and other employees about work that needs to be done, and those that has already been done. This, in turn, benefited the company more than anything else. The highlight given by technology to the importance of teamwork created a realization for many employees. When on the onset of introducing technology in business the problem was the isolation of the relatively few people who can operate the machines and the isolation of the files in separately stationed machines, networking opened a new frontier where ease of work and interpersonal communication became possible.