TECH EDUCATION
Positive and Negative Impact of Internet on Business Operation & Interaction
In simple terms, internet can be referred to as a universal (worldwide) network of interrelated computers which delivers a very wide variety of information and communication facilities to organizations and individual users. Technological advancements have facilitated the growth and use of internet in business worldwide and as a result, many businesses have got a chance to compete on a global scale thus leading to growth.
Internet has come with various changes not only with the operations of the business but also with interactions among members that participate in the business. There are so many impacts of internet on business operations and interactions both positive and negative as we are about to see in this post.
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# POSITIVE IMPACT OF INTERNET ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND INTERACTIONS:
Impacts are always negative and positive and here I will start with the positive impacts of internet on business operations and interactions. They are as explained below;
- Improved communication; There are thousands and thousands of communication tools all over the internet and this is number one reason as to why people are now overly using the internet in their business operations and interactions, it has made communication extremely easy. With communication tools such as Emails, websites, social media platforms, mobile chat apps like Whatsapp, IMO and so many others, employers find it extremely easy to pass on different important messages to their employees, customers and all other business associates. With these communication tools one receives a message or email and instantly replies to it thus bettering business operations and improving communication among various members. For example; In-case a product’s has been delayed or stopped the retailer will quickly alert those who are interested in that particular product earlier which keeps customers satisfied. As we all know for any business to grow and develop; communication between its employees, associates and customers has to be smooth.
- Easy marketing of products and services; Because of the internet, it is now easy for business people to market their products and services and better yet even market them to the right crowd / people. Take for example business that have websites now leave a section for feedback forms, comments and reviews from which they get to know what their customers want or where they went wrong and what they need to change. Such enormous ideas from the people that actually consume your products and services are of great help in helping to boost business operations and interactions. With the use of internet, businesses are now moving from just the local customers that are close to them and getting more customers from all over the world.
- Telecommuting: Much as it is not yet widely spread, year after year employers that are offering the alternative of telecommuting to their employees are overly increasing and this is because of the internet. Telecommuting is simply an option offered by employers to employees to work from home using equipment that is offered to them by the organization or company. There are so many advantages of telecommuting such as reducing on overall expenditure of the company since costs of transport and lunch are cut off and for those businesses with limited space, telecommuting helps to reduce the burden of being over crowded in just one place. It also gives employees that freedom of working from their comfort zones which in turn increases their productivity. Telecommuting would never be as simple and convenient as it is today without the internet.
- Better collaboration: With the use of internet it is very simple to get into contact with big business professionals and people who have been successful in the business sector. This is through the seminars held via internet (sometimes referred to as webinars), unlike before where someone would have to go through a very long procedure and waste a lot of time trying to collaborate with another important business partner – it has now become extremely easy. In fact through the internet it is now easier to find a person who has done very well in the same business as you and at the same time get in touch with them to share great ideas.
- Easy advertisement: Gone are the days where businesses had to struggle too much just to get their services or products known to the market out there. The increased use of internet today has made it cheap and easy to reach targeted audiences allover the world. Through the various internet platforms like search engine optimization (SEO),social media plat forms like Facebook, Instagram, twitter and websites among others – businesses have a chance to put their products out there and attract bigger markets not only from their areas of operation but also from very many areas of the world. Internet has made advertisement such an easy task since you can reach a larger number of people and more so people interested in the kind of business that you are trying to advertise.
- Increase in research: There is no business that can grow without making well detailed research about their products or services. Reason being every other year, customer desires change and the best way to find out what is best for the market is through research. Sincerely speaking there is no better research solution other than the internet since it is easily accessible. Through the use of internet, employees, employers and their associates are now able to find out about the changes that they need to make with their products & services, new techniques required to improve their businesses, important information about prices and even know what the competition is doing better without too much hassle. On the internet one can research and get all the necessary information they need to make a business prosper.
- E-business:Companies today are continuously registering a great increase in sales and this is all due to the use of internet whereby one can easily market their product to a person who is interested and the customer can in return pay easily for what they want without going through too much trouble. Doing business has become so easy.
- Quick ordering of products: Through internet customers can easily place their orders for whatever they want from the comfort of their homes. There different programs created by companies through which their customers can order for products on their cell phones or computers and have it delivered as soon as they need it. Whether you have a busy schedule at work, on the train or at home but you simply don’t feel like walking out, internet has enabled you to buy and receive what you need from wherever, this makes it easy for the suppliers to reach the consumers of their products.
- Cost effective operations: One of the most outstanding impacts of internet on business operations is cost effectiveness. On the internet, it is less expensive to market products & services. For someone who owns an online store there are no costs of rent, electricity, transport and so on and so forth. So I guess we can all see how cheap operating business with the internet can be. When you need information for your business, content is available on the internet for free and there are no costs of traveling around to know what your customers need, the internet cuts you off of all those expenses.
- Unlimited availability: Everyday of the week and every hour of the day, internet allows you to access any product from any store of your choice. The use of internet enables customers to look out for whatever they want from your shop even when you are not present at that particular moment. Internet allows businesses to continue running and making their profits at just any time of the day even when employees and employers are absent.
- Better interaction among business members: Through the internet sharing information is extremely simple among all members of the business no matter what their level of hierarchy is. With the internet it is very easy for an employee to express themselves to the superior and deliver any necessary information in due time which would be rather difficult without internet.
# NEGATIVE IMPACT OF INTERNET ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND INTERACTIONS:
To a larger extent, internet has positively impacted on business operations and interactions but it has also come with some negative impacts though to a smaller extent. Here are the negative impacts of internet on business operations and interactions……
- Poor impersonality: There is no debate about the fact that internet makes communications extremely easy between suppliers and consumers however there is a great risk of impersonation since people never get to meet face to face. A customer who makes an order and later waits to receive it will never experience the care of the person serving them unlike when they meet the seller in person. Also when it comes to communication among superiors and subordinates, the lack of face to face communication at times makes the employees feel less important in the company and thus causes them to reduce their morale to work. Face to face communication may not be as quick as the internet but it is more convincing and makes people feel more respected. For employees to be more productive they need to feel well taken care of which internet can’t do.
- Increased unnecessary competition: Due to the extremely high competition from large online shops and stores. Local and small business have been forced out of business as they simply can not handle the competition. The stores that operate on the internet face very low costs of operation so they sell their products at a much lower price unlike the local or traditional ones that face lots of expenses. This has driven all customers to buying products on internet because they are cheaper; thus leaving the traditional businesses with very little or no market at all.
- Worrying security: People who do business using the internet are overly facing the problem of hackers who put their businesses at stake. Through the internet hackers find it easy to access people’s bank accounts, passwords, details on credit cards and addresses among many others, such information is extremely sensitive to a business and if accessed by an unauthorized person could greatly damage the entire business.
- Quick destruction of company reputation: Through websites, companies give customers the liberty to expose their satisfaction or dissatisfaction by writing reviews and comments. But this has greatly caused the destruction of company’s reputation reason being one dissatisfied customer can write a comment that will discourage millions more from trying out a product. This doesn’t only stop at discouraging the consumers but can also hinder important business potentials from partnering with you.
- Low confidence in the business: There is still a percentage of people who are ignorant about business on internet and it is very hard for them to be convinced about a business that is operating through internet. Sometimes consumers are not really confident about how legit a company is.
In conclusion, with the great technological advancement all over the globe, it is very essential for any business to use internet for better business operation and interactions. Internet makes business operations faster, more reliable, accurate, timely and convenient but business owners should not entirely neglect their businesses because their presence is of great importance too.
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