Web Conferencing Its role in strengthening the business Essay

Web Conferencing Its role in strengthening the business - Essay Example The data for this study was collected and compiled from various literatures like books and journals so that a conclusion could be arrived on advantages and disadvantages of the technology. Qualitative methodology was used for this study so that literature related to the topic only could be used throughout the study underlining the topic of this study. The study reveals that web conferencing is more beneficial when compared to its disadvantages in the long run. The tool completely reduces the costs related to travel, food and accommodation of the team members and also saves time that is consumed during travelling facilitating the employees to communicate with their team members and participate in the conference from their branch office. The present paper will provide information to other researchers about the impact of web conferencing on the business organization and their disadvantages and advantages. The study is compilation of good number of literatures which are not easy to find and will serve the researchers with good information. The development has come a long way in terms of communication. Gone are the days when king used to send his messenger to convey message to his counterpart. Then came the government postal service followed by historic invention of telephone which enabled voice based communication minimizing the time and effort on both sides. But development was not meant to be stopped, only through innovation of telephone, the world wanted more. Internet created a revolution in the world providing effective communication through email and online chatting. Businesses compete in this competitive world of business on the basis of effective communication. Most of the organizations have gone global paving the way for globalization. In view of this, multinational companies opt for better and effective communication regarding the performance of business which was possible through email, online chatting, etc. But, there are times, when the organization wants to communicate through all its managers located at different locations, make some presentation, management briefing, etc., where email and chat tools look inefficient and web conferencing offers which other communication tool don't offer. David Geer (2005, p.14) states that web conferencing reduces the time for making decisions and according to the In-Stat/MDR statistics, web conferencing services have increased by 70% i.e $765 million from $450 million between the years 2002 and 2004 and was expected to reach $1.5 billion by the year 2007. Therefore the present paper is aimed at the importance of web conferencing in the present global scenario in regards to business and to identify its advantages and disadvantages. Web Conferencing - What, Why and How According to IEEE (2010) 'web conferencing' is a technology that allows multiple meeting with participants for effective communication with each other, live over the internet. Web conference requires people to meet in a dedicated online conference center which has the facility to share audio, video and files in real time. It facilitates an individual or group of people scattered from different places to communicate and accomplish common goals without travel expenses or technical hurdles. The technology which is the product of Web 2.0 offers variant support and facilities with regard to communication strategy. In general, web conferencing facilitates elimination of expensive and time consuming business travels; sharing video, audio, viewing