Business Information Systems: Technology and Social Media

BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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Business Information Systems
Question A
Recently, computing and communication technologies have been advancing significantly. The advantages of technology have made many entrepreneurs invest in different technological tools in running most of their business activities. The technological advances promote vast communication and economic benefits, but it also affects the working environment enormously (Grant 2019). The involvement of technology changes the way people work and interact with colleagues at the workplace in various ways. First, in communication, online platforms make the process more accessible than ever. For instance, video conferencing makes it possible for people to work remotely, which was impossible without technology. Employees can perform their duties from home and still deliver as though they are in the workplace. Online communication was more valuable during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 pandemic. During the difficult time, most companies were able to adopt the system to avoid human contact.
Besides, technology changes the office culture. Grant (2019) asserts that the introduction of technology has altered clock–in and work onsite culture. Currently, people can apply for freelance jobs online and be able to report under online supervision. For example, telecommunication jobs like customer care can apply and work remotely, delivering the same results as those that report in the office. Also, people can get freelancing online jobs like the gig economy that has been growing significantly. Most young people comfortably make a living remotely because of technology.
Finally, technology not only affects companies in general but also individuals, especially the employment sector. Eliminating some jobs and creating new job opportunities forces people to acquire new skills or remain unemployed. Due to the introduction of computerized systems, the company needs fewer people to handle the company's information than in the latter days (Grant, 2019). The situation forces employers to reduce the human workforce by replacing it with computers. On the other hand, creating new job opportunities is possible through new technological tools like robots. As such, as they are more independent, they need human maintenance. Engineering and operating jobs become available, which were not required in the past.
Question B
Social media combines a wide range of apps and websites to create digital tools that allow people to create and share content (Barker 2019). Both big and small businesses are in a position to benefit from social media in many ways. Social media can play a significant role in business growth in small businesses if it is well utilized. First, it helps in creating business brand awareness. With over 50% of the world's population using social media, it is an excellent location to target potential customers. According to Jacobson and Gruzd (2020, p.138), small businesses have a chance to spread information about their products without spending a lot of money. Consistency of content updates on different platforms allows the company to capture many people, hence increasing brand awareness that leads to growth.
Moreover, social media allows small businesses to keep an eye on competitors. Through the rivals' social media accounts, one can track and get motivation from their performance, creating higher targets. With the information, they can know the areas they should maintain their strategies and those they need to make changes to. Improvement will attract more customers hence leading to growth (Jacobson & Gruzd 2020, p.140). Additionally, it helps businesses to develop trust with customers. Apart from selling products and promoting small businesses, social media helps in creating loyalty with customers. To ensure success, a company must ensure it supplies authentic, reliable, and unique information to build trust (Barker 2019). For instance, a business that advertises a product to the client and always delivers exactly what they say will be more trusted hence capturing many clients enabling it to grow.
Finally, social media helps in creating traffic. The creation of exciting topics and information helps ensure businesses capture the clients' attention in social media. Through offers like discounts and giveaways, they can attract people to interact with the company (Jacobson & Gruzd 2020, p.141). In getting the gift attached to the product, they get to rate the quality, making them more interested in working for the company. With time, the customers can connect with the product maintaining the relationship, and even speak about them to friends and family.
Question C
Internet of Things (IoT) is the system that interrelates different computing devices with the internet to help with data collection and sharing (Lu et al. 2018, p.285). The internet connection is slowly becoming an essential factor in the day-to-day life activities. The business community enjoys the use of IoT in many aspects. To begin with, IoT helps in the data analysis process. The internet provides lots of information that can be important in the planning process. The data can present some complexity, making it hard to summarize data on the data. According to Lu et al. (2019, p.289), IoT helps create conclusive information from a combination of lots of data from different sources. For example,...