It and the Internet

INTRODUCTION
“The Internet and IT developments can have a disruptive effect on organizations and businesses.” The internet can be defined as a medium used to chat, connect, share and most importantly extract and contribute information. IT developments can be associated with software and hardware, programmes and technological advancements.
There are many positive and negative effects which influence businesses, organizations and schools. Due to the inevitable of fast and evolving technology, all aspects of life are required to adapt and adjust accordingly. Technological change refers to the changes in production techniques and production equipment. It could be a change in the machinery used to make a product or the computers to design a product.
In business, the use of telecommunications and social networks allow them to broadcast their messages to potential clients faster, cheaper and more efficiently. The downside is the competition of other businesses also trying to better themselves. Therefore, businesses are constantly competing to gain the competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is one of the six major objectives businesses use information systems for. “Businesses today use information systems to achieve six major objectives: operational excellence; new products, services, and business models; customer/supplier intimacy; improved decision making; competitive advantage; and day-to-day survival.”
The disruptive technology on organizations is seen as the replacement or displacement of an already established system of technology. The effect this has could either be an advantage or disadvantage.
IMPACT ON BUSINESSES
Positives: As mentioned in the introduction, the use of the internet in businesses allows them to purchase, increase sales, market and solicit customer feedback. The internet allows for businesses to become more exposed to foreign trade and foreign markets for the most cost effective suppliers therefore improving competitive advantage. Technology advancements and developed programmes including the internet have made marketing for businesses and clients a whole lot more accessible. Businesses are now able to appeal to a larger audience as the world turns to technology and the internet. Advertising space is now found everywhere with the likes of social networks and web pages. This enables better sales as a larger audience is able to see what you as a business has to offer and at what cost. Customer feedback can be obtained as so many people now have access to email. The use of email allows for a one-on-one interaction between the business and clients. Email is also extremely cost effective, efficient and reliable. Messages and adverts can be sent and received instantly enabling feedback to also be immediate and instant.
E-business has now become extremely progressive around the world, it allows for businesses to work with digital technology. Suppliers and other entities are able to co ordinate themselves in order to execute a firm’s business processes by means of the internet. E-commerce or electronic commerce is much like the conventional commerce where there is an exchange of goods and services. However, the only difference is these processes are all done via the internet. This saves the consumer time, added expenses and personal wellbeing considering safety issues, and the convenience of avoiding shopping centres, facing people in the 21st century.

Technological advancements have forced changes in all managerial functions of business. This has led to an increased responsibility on managers themselves for organizational outcomes. This has resulted to an added emphasis on planning, decision making and controlling and co ordination respectively. Most managers in the 21st Century rely on computer based resources and computer based management science techniques, this demands higher intellectual capabilities of modern managers.

There are various different aspects of business and management that can be greatly enhanced by technological advancements and new technological developments and inevitably, there will definitely be technological advancements and developments that could negatively impact management and create challenges for management personnel.

Technological advancements in computers and the internet is the most beneficial source of information for a company to use when seeking any information regarding individuals. Businesses can now use the internet to cross-reference, analyze, characterize and profile anybody they wish, namely potential investors, potential suppliers, potential creditors and debtors and most important possible future employees. A lot of important information can be gathered via the internet however, legally and realistically, there are certain privacy boundaries in place to protect information classified as personal and/or confidential. Technological advancements in this area is highly beneficial as it lowers the element of risk involved in the businesses relations with other businesses, organizations or individuals. Successful positively influencing technology helps businesses achieve efficiency in terms of generating larger profits, maintaining quality control, and basic employee managements. Various IT programs have been created solely for the use and the benefit of management personnel and for the assistance in helping management make more informed decisions and to allow for a better conformity to policy. For example, there are programs that are specifically designed to help managers deploy their workers most efficiently. These programs can be customized to that specific organizations workforce numbers and hours per shift policy. Programs such as these are very beneficial to businesses as they require a substantially less amount of time to execute the particular task.

The use of successful technology not only can be used to assist in control and application of policy but can be used as a tool to assist in empowerment, training and development that can be made available by organizations to their employees through the use of the internet as well as through correspondence. In today’s world, the availability and opportunity to empower oneself via the internet and through pathways the internet create is immeasurable. Online access to educational material can be utilized by businesses as a method of empowering their employees.

From a financial perspective, opportunities such as these in some cases can be hugely cost saving. The use of internets educational abilities may not only be of benefit financially, but also best suited to the mode and type of employee training that’s been given. From a management’s approach, this technological wonder can be of great benefit as the internet has more options of finding study regimes and courses that would be of great benefit to the employee and in turn to the business. These courses be so beneficial and yet not disrupt current working hours too much as the internet’s capabilities allow so many options that one can easily be found to best suit the employee and the business equally.

These educational learning options offer more than just empowerment and certificates as a form of formality. The studying whilst employed strategy used by businesses gives the employee the opportunity to actively utilize the new skills and expertise he has gained through the courses he/she has taken. The new knowledge gained by these employees can be used to help the business become more efficient and profitable.

The employees may become more equipped to handle the job position they already have or they may become more efficient in other areas and may be of greater help in a different position. Employees will use the new knowledge they have gained to become more productive, more efficient, and more effective and will also pass on the knowledge they have gained to fellow colleagues. This opportunity of using the internet to learn and become more skilled and qualified is an all round victory, meaning that the employee as an individual benefits, the organization benefits from the skills of the individual and the workforce as a team even benefits to a certain degree.

Modern technology influences businesses and organizations towards higher productivity. It reduces communications barriers within companies and organizations. Due to technology inter-departmental communication, inter-managerial communication and public relations communication can be done in a much more efficient manner. The employees and management of organizations are now able to work together much more effectively.

Negatives: The rapid development of technology means that there are new programmes and complicated systems to work with. Employees have to keep up to date when it comes to learning about these new technologies. Managers have to send their employees for training and workshops. If managers do not keep up with the times of technology, the firm will inevitably lose out on many opportunities. The major implication which comes with training employees is the cost factor; it is very expensive and time consuming. Employees miss out on work and have to adjust to the new systems before getting back to the actual production.

Technology makes life simpler, easier and more convenient. This may sound like a positive; however it is prevalent in many businesses for employees to become complacent. They rely on technology to such an extent that they do not use their skills to the optimum level. Employees become reluctant to think on their own, ideas and information have become so easily sourced from the internet that it is difficult to come up with innovative and new ideas.

IMPACT ON SCHOOLS
Positives: In terms of schools, the convenience that comes with technology is overwhelming. Students are now able to access information from every possible source with the assistance of the internet. Schools are able to give their students a broader variety of topics with regards to assignments as there is such an abundance of information to source from. This makes it more accessible for students to be informed of topics from around the world. Now that everyone has access to email. Teachers are able to keep in contact with their students and constantly update them on tests and assignments. Pupils are now able to use applications such as Microsoft Word to type out assignments. This makes it more legible to read when it comes to marking for educators.

Another extremely positive point of education and technology can be attributed to the likes of disabled people. Advanced technology now assists people in learning regardless of them being blind, deaf or without a limb. Everyone is now able to learn if they have access to the correct technology. These IT related developments makes life a whole lot easier for disabled people. Programmes are designed specifically for the user’s needs. The effects of this allow for more skilled workers as people with even a disability can have a place in the workforce.

Negatives: The downside to technology which can easily be seen for future generations is definitely laziness. The easy accessibility of information makes students and even people in general extremely lazy. People no longer make the effort to think for themselves or make their own decisions. Everything has been copied and pasted from the internet. The sad reality is that many students no longer have the skill of doing their own research and making their own theories.

Plagiarism has also become extremely prevalent at schools. Pupils do not acknowledge other work and often pass it off as their own. The internet makes it so much easier to simply copy and paste. As a result of this, it makes it difficult to judge how well students actually are able to compile an assignment.

Not everyone has access to the internet or even a computer. People who do, have an unfair advantage over those who are less fortunate. The use of technology is an expensive resource, loving in South Africa with most people being from disadvantaged homes, they are unable to accomplish as much as those who have access to the internet.

IMPACT ON LIFE IN GENERAL
Positives: Technology has become intertwined in our lives, from the things we eat, to the features our automobiles have to offer. Technology has impacted human lives and even the development and evolution of mankind. The human race has reached a stage whereby our evolution is now revolving around elements of technology. The human mind has adapted to becoming totally dependent on technological resources and advancements.

Our lifestyles have benefitted us in vital areas such as security, safety, and researching capabilities. Researchers of today are now able to analyze data and inspect and survey environmental forces that were impossible to achieve in the past. Security issues and capabilities of security personnel is so much more advanced with regards to the availability of CCTV and the weapons and tactics advancements.

Nowadays you can have a barbecue without lighting a fire, you watch television without actually sitting on your couch, you can make popcorn without turning your stove, you can drive a formula1 vehicle when you are 2years old. The limitations of modern technology is not known, the capabilities are endless, with this in mind, one will have to consider the negative realities and pitfalls that technological developments have created with misuse, manipulation and distracting behaviour.

Negatives: Disruptive technology means that there is one item replacing another established one, such as upgraded cellular phones or the newest applications for the computer. This is an extremely costly factor. If people want to keep up to date with the latest technology, large amounts of money have to be set aside in their budget for these.

The reality of society is that people have now become extremely reliant on technology. To such an extent that people have lost their social skills. Humans need others to interact with; social networks have made it easier for people to stay connected. however they no longer understand the importance of actual physical interaction.

Technology is advancing exponentially as time goes on. This has led people to develop a resistance to embracing and developing with technology itself. People cannot adjust for various reasons, be it age, economic status, inability to understand technological devices and lastly people who have grown to fear technology. These people are known as “technophobes”. Technology is inevitable and they will have to succumb to using it at some stage or another in their life.

CONCLUSION

What can be deduced from this is that technological developments are inevitable. Businesses and organizations are required to embrace as much technology as possible to gain a competitive advantage. Organizations will have to asses for themselves to what extent they should utilize technology to ensure it is beneficial to them without having any challenges or distractions.
Businesses and organizations have evolved with the development of technology. IT developments have made the processes in the organization cheaper, more convenient, efficient and more available. Anyone is able to start a business if they utilize and embrace technology. Even the way people are being managed in businesses have changed as management turn to devices to help them control the environment.
Schools and educational institutions have benefited greatly from technology; the research done for this assignment has shown that there have been more on the positive than the negative. It is obvious to see that the future of learning methods and education on the whole will evolve around technology.

With regards to life in general, as businesses, schools and organizations evolve with technology. People in general have to embrace it regardless of anything, people’s lives have grown to adapt around technology. Everything with regards to technology means pushing the boundaries. IT technology has made life more convenient, easily accessible and more cost effective in the long run. Technology will constantly evolve and become part of the fibres in our lives. the internet and IT developments has had a disruptive effect on businesses and organizations, some positive and some negative. It is the duty of management and the people running organizations to decide what technology and which IT systems to embrace.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

* ACM Digital Library * http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1795437

* Education for the 21st century * http://educationforthe21stcentury.org/2011

* Managing People In South Africa
Hunter, C. (2012). Managing People In South Africa. 1. 15 – 20.

Bibliography: * ACM Digital Library * http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1795437 * Education for the 21st century * http://educationforthe21stcentury.org/2011 * Managing People In South Africa Hunter, C. (2012). Managing People In South Africa. 1. 15 – 20.