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Question
This week we are focusing on global communication. I have listed several journal articles to give you some background on this topic. I would like you to write a paper with global communication as your topic. I am going to leave the details of this paper up to you…it just needs to involve global communications in some way. You could choose to cover the topic in a broad way, or you could choose to focus on a particular company and explain their methods of communicating globally. As long as your paper is well written and researched, you can decide! Please attach your Word document to this assignment.
Kok, A.(2010). Demystifying Organizational Learning: A Case Study of IBM’s Corporate Volunteer Program. Proceedings of the International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organizational Learning, 896-604.
Hollenbeck, C.R., Zinkhan, G.M., French, W., & Ji Hee, S. (2009). E-Collaborative Networks: A Case Study on the New Role of the Sales Force. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 29(2), 125-136.
Vasilchenko, E., & Morrish, S. (2011). The Role of Entrepreneurial Networks in the Exploration and Exploitation of Internationalization Opportunities by Information and Communication Technology Firms. Journal of International Marketing, 19(4), 88-105. doi:10.1509/jim.10.0134
Motiwalla, L., & Hashimi, A. (2003). Web-enabling for competitive advantage: A case study of Himalayan adventures. Hershey: IGI Global.
Croasdell, D., Fox, A., & Sarker, S. (2003) Systems development by virtual project teams: A comparative study of four cases. ().Hershey: IGI Global.
Answer
The Role of Virtual Project Teams in Promoting Global Communication
The emergence of information and communication technologies has made it easier for business enterprises to operate in the international market (Hollenbeck et al., 2009). For example, the Internet has created an effective platform of communication among subsidiaries operating in different parts of the world. Thus, it is possible for senior executives of a multinational corporation to coordinate business activities, follow-up on strategy implementation, devise new market entry strategies, and recruit a global-oriented workforce, all from the company’s headquarters. Following this tremendous success in global communication, a more drastic transformative business approach has emerged with the growing popularity of virtual project teams. They are being used to bridge geographical distances and time zones to bring about continuity in business operations (Croasdell, Fox & Sarker, 2003) and to create internalization opportunities (Vasilchenko & Morrish, 2011). Virtual project teams represent the most valuable aspect of global communication due to their potential for enhancing a company’s competitive advantage.
A virtual project team is a group of employees who work across organizational, time, and space boundaries using available information and communication technologies to achieve a common organizational objective. They work together in order to dedicate their complementary skills towards the completion of a project. Thus, they tend to have interdependent organizational goals, mutual accountability, a common purpose, and a shared approach to work. Many companies are relying on these teams to hire and retain the best employees regardless of their geographical location. Due to the dispersion of team members across the spatial-temporal spectrum, someone is always available to respond to customers’ queries. Thus, the teams greatly contribute to customer satisfaction at a time when internationalized companies have to meet changing demands of customers from different geographical and cultural backgrounds.
Collaboration among virtual project team members is facilitated by today’s improvements in global communication networks. Today’s web-enabled information technology environment makes it possible for companies to establish e-commerce divisions that are monitored round-the-clock by members of virtual project teams (Motiwalla & Hashimi, 2003). Success with these teams can easily be achieved if companies focused on the specific competitive advantage that they want to gain. For example, some companies use these teams primarily for communication with customers and others exclusively for new product development. The competitive advantage that a company selects is determined primarily by the nature of its business activity.
Virtual project teams present the best opportunity for companies to ensure effective use of today’s improved communication technologies in dealing with current business challenges such as volatile global economies and changing social practices (Croasdell, Fox & Sarker, 2003). It is better to deploy these teams for business communication than to rely on traditional practices where customer satisfaction is inhibited by time and geographical constraints. Moreover, the project teams can be deployed in the development of information systems that facilitate enhanced communication among business divisions and subsidiaries across the world.
Lastly, the teams have contributed to the emergence of virtual communities that are poised to shape the future of business operations in today’s globalized world (Kok, 2010). In these communities, organizational learning is prioritized, and companies are interested not only in brick-and-motor assets but also intellectual property. Thus, the quality of interactions among employees working for the same company from different geographical locations and time zones can greatly contribute to the emergence of competitive advantage.
In conclusion, contemporary business enterprises stand to benefit a lot in terms of competitive advantages by simply embracing virtual project teams in their operations. The teams offer numerous internationalization opportunities by optimizing the effective use of today’s highly sophisticated, internet-based information and communication technologies. The teams can be deployed to undertake diverse functions ranging from customer service to new product development. Moreover, the teams can be highly beneficial for companies’ internalization efforts by bridging time zones and geographical distances.
References
Croasdell, D., Fox, A., & Sarker, S. (2003). Systems development by virtual project teams: A comparative study of four cases. IGI Global, 5(1), 1-17.
Hollenbeck, C., Zinkhan, G., French, W. & Song, J. (2009). E-collaborative networks: A case study on the new role of the sales force. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 29(2), 125-136.
Kok, A. (2010). Demystifying organizational learning: A case study of IBM’s corporate volunteer program. Proceedings of the International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organizational Learning, 896-604.
Motiwalla, L. & Hashimi, A. (2003). Web-enabling for competitive advantage: A case study of Himalayan adventures. Hershey: IGI Global.
Vasilchenko, E., & Morrish, S. (2011). The role of entrepreneurial networks in the exploration and exploitation of internationalization opportunities by information and communication technology firms. Journal of International Marketing, 19(4), 88-105.
