Effectiveness of Modern Technologies and Social Media in the Workplace

This report highlights upon the effectiveness of modern technologies that drive organizations today. Social media plays a significant role in marketing and communication of businesses today. Facebook as specifically gained immense traction over the last few years as an extensive tool that can be used for marketing, communicating and gathering information.

Digital business management
Digital technologies in the workplace

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Effectiveness of modern technologies.............................................................................................2
Web-conferencing........................................................................................................................2
Cloud storage...............................................................................................................................3
Social media in the workplace.........................................................................................................3
Facebook for marketing...............................................................................................................4
Facebook for informational gathering..........................................................................................4
Facebook for communication.......................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
For a large part of things, technology forms the essence of growth for several industries and
organizations within. Technology within organizations can be observed in numerous business
functions. It is imperative for businesses to adapt to recent technology in order to sustain the
competition and cater to new age customer needs. Technology is also essential for ensuring
employee satisfaction and retention in the longer run (Guffey & Loewy, 2016). This report
highlights upon the effectiveness of modern technologies that drive organizations today. Social
media plays a significant role in marketing and communication of businesses today. Facebook as
specifically gained immense traction over the last few years as an extensive tool that can be used
for marketing, communicating and gathering information. The effectiveness and efficiency of
these tools is also detailed within the report.
Effectiveness of modern technologies
Modern techniques that are used within organizations today have largely optimized several
business processes (Cardon, 2014). These technologies have saved time and improved overall
outputs by organization. The two prominent technologies used by a large number of
organizations are web-conferencing and cloud storage.
Web-conferencing
Web conferencing is the process of real time sharing of computer screens, individual applications
or any web based content among two or more computers located at different locations. Web
conferencing is widely used to share information and communicate with people available at
remote locations with the help of internet (Harris et. al., 2015). The advent of globalization has
given rise to global working teams that are spread across the globe. Web conferencing makes it
easy for such distantly located teams to communicate with each other and share information in
real time. Web conferencing has the ability to connect several stakeholders of the firm which
may or may not be present at the same physical location.
There are several leading providers of web conferencing. Cisco’s WebEx and Zoho Meeting are
top players in the business. Both the providers can be used to host online events and connect with

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over various people across the globe. WebEx supports integration with dropbox and hence if an
organization stores its data using dropbox then WebEx is the perfect Web conferencing provider
for them. Zoho on the other hand is well integrated with its own software for CRM, chat and
calendar. Both the providers are available on windows but Webex is supported by android
devices making its reach wider.
Web conferencing also helps people in sharing information and file. It is a fast mode of transfer
and hence is widely used by various people organizations throughout the world. It ensures faster
file transfers, efficient information sharing and improved communication among stakeholders of
the organization (O'sullivan et. al., 2017).
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a model wherein data of any size can be stored in the form of digital data within
logical pools. The physical storage of this data may span over multiple servers located in several
different locations. Cloud storage is being used by several organizations across the globe in order
to store data from different locations and make it accessible throughout their business (Chang et.
al., 2016). Cloud storage is a much safer form of storage than any other digital or physical
storage platforms available today. Cloud storage has made it possible for global teams to
communicate with each other and share information at the click of a hand. Cloud storage keeps
information safe and makes it possible for the organization’s management to make selective
information available to desired stakeholders. This ensures that the right information is shared
with the right people within the business.
It has also been noticed that cloud storage can make the world a greener place and reduce overall
carbon footprints in the world (Avram, 2014). From the perspective of the provider, the biggest
advantage continues to be the accessibility and the availability of large chunks of data coming
from different organizations. iCloud and Google drive are two of the most leading storage
providers. The biggest advantage of iCloud is that it lets users’ access data from iphone, ipod,
Mac and other Apple Inc. devices. However, iCloud services are relatively more expensive.
Google Drive on the other hand, provides 15GB of storage free to all its users. This the best
place to store high resolution pictures because it does not charge additionally for resolution.
Unfortunately, Google drive uploads are much slower than its competitors. However, there is an

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increasing competition among service providers of cloud computing. Therefore it will be
difficult for any new provider to penetrate the market. Organizations need to trust the provider in
order to use their software to store their data. Hence, branding and effective positioning plays a
critical role for the establishment and success of any service provider.
Social media in the workplace
Social media has occupied several different aspects of our life. Today, social media is not just a
tool to communicate and connect with friends but rather it is largely used by marketers to
connect with their customers, understand their needs and target them in the most effective
manner. Social media is one of the best platforms to understand consumer behaviour and
enhance awareness about a product or a service to its respective target market (Chaganti et. al.,
2017). This part of the report highlights upon the importance of Facebook as a marketing tool,
communication tool and a platform for information sharing.
Facebook was found back in 2004 as a college project. Today the social media platform has over
2.2 Billion monthly active users. Facebook is now being used by various organizations across the
globe. There are several advantages of using Facebook for business. These advantages are
depicted as below:
Facebook for marketing
Facebook has been widely recognized as a marketing platform by leading organizations coming
from several different industries. It is not at all uncommon to find even a small start up business
to have its own Facebook page. Businesses invest heavily on their marketing and a large part of
that marketing budget goes into social media marketing. Social media marketing refers to the
process of marketing or promoting any product or service through social media platforms (Tuten
& Solomon, 2017). These platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter.
Facebook has been one of the early platforms that has been used by marketers to market their
offerings.
Organizations make their own pages on Facebook and target customers through that channel by
creating and sharing content that would grab attention. Facebook as a marketing platform is also
used as a tool to establish and maintain a positive positioning about the particular brand.

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Positioning refers to the image of the brand in the minds of its customers. Facebook ads,
responses and posts are critically judged by customers and hence the platform can be used to
enhance the brand’s likability (McDonald & Thompson, 2016).
A major advantage of a Facebook as a marketing platform is to give space for influencer
marketing. Influencer marketing refers to the process of promoting a particular product or service
by any brand with the help of influencers. These influencers can be singers, comedians, actors or
any person with a large following who has the ability to influence consumer buying behaviour.
These influencers are paid by organizations to promote the offerings of the business on their
Facebook pages. For marketing purposes too, businesses ensure that their new products are
unveiled on Facebook platforms. Facebook allows businesses to share information to customers
regarding their new products and offers making it a perfect marketing tool that can be used by
brands.
Facebook for informational gathering
Facebook is extensively used by customers as well as businesses to gain information about each
other. Facebook allows brands to identify their customers, know their target market and study
their behaviour on these social media platforms such as Facebook. There are dedicated
employees in business who work towards identifying target customers and studying their needs
and demands, their buying patterns, preferences and attitudes in order to serve them in an
efficient manner. Consumer behaviour studies are largely facilitated by social media (Fusi &
Feeney, 2018). Since these platforms have made customers a lot more transparent, it becomes
easier to identify patterns in their buying decisions.
Facebook is also used by customers to critique and review their purchases making it all the way
easier for brands to understand the fault as well as the advantages associated with their offerings.
The fact that customers share reviews about products and services on social media platforms also
makes it easy for brands to grab information about their own products and understand customer
perception towards those products. Facebook helps businesses generate information that would
otherwise be critical to obtain. Hence this platform is extensively used as a tool by brands to
gather information about their customers’ needs, patters, behaviours, influences and decision
making processes.

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Social media has also made industries more transparent and information about competing brands
has also become easier to gather. Businesses in competition find it easy to identify what the other
players are offering as well as the customer reaction to the same. This allows businesses to use
this information effectively and strategizing towards improved market positioning.
Facebook for communication
Communication forms a highly essential aspect of any business. This includes internal
communication among business stakeholders as well as the communication of business with its
customers. The importance of communication with customers and the efforts that are being put
by several brands in order to establish and maintain communication by customers is now being
largely recognized by brands. Facebook is also used as a platform to communicate with
customers. Within traditional marketing, the communication between customers and the brand
has been solely one sided. It is with the advent of social media that there has been a two way
communication between brands and its customers. Customers share reviews and opinions about a
brand on the brand’s Facebook pages. This has compelled brands as well as facilitated them to
have a conversation with customers through these channels. Positive reviews help the brand in
enhancing their positioning while negative reviews help brands in understanding their flaws and
deepening their insight about the customer needs and demands.
Customer grievances are also handled effectively through Facebook. Various unsatisfied
customers resort to Facebook in order to address their issues. Facebook in turn provides a
platform for brands to acknowledge and rectify these issues in an efficient manner. Facebook is
also largely involved as a tool to engage customer (Felix et. al., 2017). Customer engagement
largely impacts the positioning of the brand in the minds of its customers. Businesses introduce
Facebook contests and offers that are exclusively available on a particular page on Facebook.
This garners customer attention as well as enhances the level of engagement that a customer has
with the brand.
Facebook is the primary platform that brands use in order to make any announcement or share
any information that needs to reach out to customers. The population of active members on
Facebook continues to rise making it a perfect platform to connect with a large target group

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(Godey et. al., 2016). Therefore businesses ensure they have an active presence on Facebook to
ensure customer retention, customer awareness as well as improve positioning.
Conclusion
Technology plays a significant role in organizations today. Not only does technology ensure
efficient communication among business stakeholders but also ensures safer information keeping
and improved operational efficiency. Businesses throughout the world are improving upon their
technological expertise in order to ensure higher levels of effectiveness. Various technologies
like cloud storage and web conferencing have enhance communication and information sharing
among stakeholders.
Social media has also transformed business operations by allowing organizations to market their
offerings in a competitive manner, gain a deeper insight about customer needs and preferences as
well as ensure longer term customer relationships through communication and retention. Social
media platforms like Facebook must be managed efficiently in order to reap maximum benefit
and gain a competitive advantage over other players in the industry.

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References
Avram, M.G., 2014. Advantages and challenges of adopting cloud computing from an enterprise
perspective. Procedia Technology, 12, pp.529-534.
Cardon, P.W., 2014. Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a Networked World (3e).
McGraw-Hill.
Chaganti, V., SV, S. and Tetali, S., 2017. Social Media Use at Workplace: An Analysis of the
Agreement on Benefits, Risks and Risk Management Strategies.
Chang, V., Kuo, Y.H. and Ramachandran, M., 2016. Cloud computing adoption framework: A
security framework for business clouds. Future Generation Computer Systems, 57, pp.24-41.
Felix, R., Rauschnabel, P.A. and Hinsch, C., 2017. Elements of strategic social media marketing:
A holistic framework. Journal of Business Research, 70, pp.118-126.
Fusi, F. and Feeney, M.K., 2018. Social Media in the Workplace: Information Exchange,
Productivity, or Waste?. The American Review of Public Administration, 48(5), pp.395-412.
Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R. and Singh, R., 2016.
Social media marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and consumer
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Guffey, M. and Loewy, D., 2016. Essentials of business communication. Language, p.610.
Harris, B., Cheng, K.F. and Gorley, C., 2015. Benefits and barriers: Case study of a government
technology-mediated group mentoring program. Journal of Workplace Learning, 27(3), pp.193-
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McDonald, P. and Thompson, P., 2016. Social media (tion) and the reshaping of public/private
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pp.69-84.

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O'sullivan, P.J., Raguillat, F., Stern, E.H. and Willner, B.E., International Business Machines
Corp, 2017. Enhanced management of a web conferencing server. U.S. Patent 9,721,215.
Tuten, T.L. and Solomon, M.R., 2017. Social media marketing. Sage. United Kingdom.