BUSINESS COMMUNICATION & ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORBY KHAWAJA MAZHAR IFTIKHAR

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Today the world turns on communication and information technology has changed the way business is transacted. Each day more than $ 1 trillion is transferred electronically. For managers to survive in an environment of ever increasing competition, the need to use information technology for effective management of business and people is greater.

Business managers who enter the global market competition with knowledge of information technology and an understanding to manage change will certainly be successful and also have a strategic edge over their competitors. This new technology has brought with it challenges which management have to tackle in order to stay in the run for larger profits: The following are few of such challenges:

E-mail

E-mail has gained unprecedented importance in the business organisations. These not only have reduced paper work but also have made communication easily and quickly accessible. E-mails refer to messages sent over computer and includes everything from casual notes to spiced up business presentations. With this technology organisation and managers can reach individuals, groups, companies, or other computers anywhere on the globe to share information that can be stored on a computer. It is the cheapest source of communicating a message to a person or a company. Written communication patterns in e-mails are more informal, even then managers have to draft their messages carefully.

The Internet

The Internet is a large network of computers that connect many different organisations with one another across the globe. It can be accessed from any part of the world provided there are telecommunication or satellalite facilities. Initially used by academics, researchers and engineers, the Internet is being used by more & more business organisations. With this facility manager no longer have to worry about the distant location of their ancillary wings. A CEO using a laptop in his office can easily summarize business transactions of his company around the world.

Voice Mail

With time constraints in global management of business, voice mail can help managers receive and give messages to the associated group of people. This technology enables a caller to leave his message recorded. On the other end the receiver can retrieve the information from the answering machine and get back to the caller.

Groupware

Groupware facilitates managers and supervisors in managing activities of their departments and subordinates. A supervisor with the help of a computer program can get facts and figures from his operatives. He does not have to physically move around. Groupware has brought about great change in the culture of organisations. Privacy, hierarchy, face-to-face meetings, reports & memos have been threatened by groupware technology to a great extent.

CD-Rom Data bases

CD-Rom has been a powerful information tool over the years and will be in the years ahead. A CD disk can store more than 100,000 pages of text and can also serve an excellent back up source for the hard disk.

Teleconferences

Telecommunications refer to electronic exchange of information. In much of today’s world telephone, telexes, faxes and video images generated on computer screen can connect managers sitting in different parts of the world. This method will reduce time and traveling costs of business executives in the days to come.