Literature Review
Question:
Discuss about the Effects of Mobile Computing on Business Organizations.
The technology of mobile computing signifies the accessibility of information from any geographical location providing the source of internet. Mobile computing technology can be identified as a system involving a number of components i.e. electronic devices, internet, and hardware set up (Gu, Niu and He, 2016). Due to the advancement of modern technologies and information system, mobile computing has become a mandatory part of the maximum number of social people living in developed as well as emerging nations. Basically, all the devices are connected via the internet to form a web that can be utilised to share and access information and data at any location (Dar et al., 2015).
The research proposal has been developed to evaluate the basic concepts associated with the term mobile computing. In modern-day communication, information technology has been updated on a regular basis influencing the standards of communication and interactions. The proposal primarily investigates how mobile computing effects on a business organisation. The study delivers a range of literature including the advantages and disadvantages of the technology. In addition, the study provides the methodology that can be utilised by the researcher to accumulate secondary as well as primary data to conduct the entire research. Also, the limitations of the research as well as the research timeline have been presented in the study for better understanding.
The primary aim of the research proposal is to identify the impact of mobile computing on business operations of global SMEs and MNCs. Evidently, the business proposal will be developed to investigate what are the major benefits of adopting the mobile computing technology on business organisations. In the contemporary business scenario, flexibility and accessibility of data and information has been the key to success. By considering the latest business trends of modern business firms, the research will verify how mobile computing has contributed towards the development of communication and interactions among the workforce (Subramanian, Yang and Zhang, 2007). Furthermore, the study will analyse the disadvantages of using the mobile computing as well to create a balance. In the meanwhile, the rapid development of ICT has undoubtedly contributed to the expansion of business organisations. The study will analyse the previous literature to find more evidence so that the advantages of utilising the technology can be discussed at the academic level.
The research aims to develop a theoretical study on the use of developed technology such as mobile computing in modern business organisation. An in-depth analysis of the previous literatures will be conducted in the study in order to critically review the findings of the prior authors and researchers (Dar et al., 2015). Additionally, the methodology used to conduct the research will be presented in the study to help the readers understand how the research has been conducted and what techniques can be used in the future to conduct more investigations in the chosen field (Agüero et al., 2014). Moreover, the analysis and findings sections will present the data collected through primary research in order to answer the identified research questions. The findings of the research will be helpful for the management of different organisations to understand the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile computing technology and take effective decisions (Dar et al., 2015). Finally, the recommendations derived from the study will be helpful in understanding the issues and developing adequate management strategies to properly manage the use of mobile computing in workplace environment.
Mobile Computing in Business Organizations
In the contemporary era of technological advancement, mobile computing has become one of an essential component in an organisational perspective (Basha, 2014). In the recent times, mobile computing has evolved at the highest order like no other technology in Information Communication Technology (ICT). According to Han, Liang, and Zhang (2015), mobile computing has advanced the operational procedure to a great deal by delivering a number of advantages and benefits to the firms. For instance, mobile computing has enabled rapid conversation and interactions, quick feedback, 24-hour availability, and effective accessibility and flexibility from anywhere to handle emergency circumstances, etc (Han, Liang, and Zhang, 2015). Evidently, the introduction of Smartphone technology has immensely contributed to the evolution of modern mobile computing facilities.
In another review of the literature, Dinh et al. (2013) discuss the significance of modern mobile-based cloud computing technology and the role of the system in the contemporary business firms. According to the study of the authors, the invention of latest electronic devices such as Smartphone, laptops, Smartwatch, and tablet computers has transformed the entire system of mobile computing. The affordable prices of the components used in mobile computing have provided the opportunity to the common public to access the system more often than not. Furthermore, the revolutionary invention of Android and IOS operating system technology by Google and Apple respectively has given the birth of highly accessible mobile devices (Dinh et al., 2011). By using the devices and other electronic gadgets, organisational people can be connected to each other in an electronic way with the help of the internet connection (Mitra, Saguna, and Ahlund, 2014). Therefore, electronic communication and interactions can be utilised at the highest order to save lots of paperwork. Apart from that mobile cloud computing enables the organisation people to store electronic documents in cloud storage system that can be accessed from any geographical location (Kwon, Baker and Church, 2014). In addition, mobile cloud computing technology helps the SMEs to reduce a significant amount of time and operational cost.
In terms of analysing the disadvantages of the mobile computing, privacy and security of documentation can be the biggest issue to be faced by modern organisations. According to Pejovic and Musolesi (2015), the security of the Smartphone technology and software must be scrutinised before using the technology in organisational benefits. Moreover, by the use of the internet and cloud storage, valuable documentation and files are saved that can be exploited in case any security breach. Apart from that, data privacy is another major issue in mobile computing. For instance, Smartphone has regularly collected the data of the users and send it system. Precisely, any external force can infiltrate the data and exploit the save information that may lead to a chaotic situation (PalKaur and Kaur, 2014). Also, there is hacking technology that can be used to hack the private information and confidential documents of the users. In this way, mobile computing technology can be exploited to misuse the data and information of an organisation. Effectively, in order to implement the mobile computing technology within the organisation requires technical assistance, hardware set up, and infrastructural advancement that can be costly at times (Agüero et al., 2014).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Computing
According to Alzahrani, Alalwan, and Sarrab (2014), ubiquitous nature of the mobile computing technology has transformed the lifestyle and living standard of the human beings influencing the regular business operations of any business firm. In the meanwhile, the convergence of ICT has enabled common people to get the accessibility of almost everything at their fingertips with the use of the internet connection and Smartphone technology. In another research conducted by Chung, Yoo, and Kim (2014) mobile computing technology have influenced the organisations to follow the latest trend of customisation of services as per the standard of living and lifestyle of the users to deliver the most satisfied services. Furthermore, the cutting edge mobile computing technology has provided a wide range of features to the common public to lead their everyday life at ease (Rahimi et al., 2013). Evidently, the ubiquitous nature of the technology has enabled the users to control the privacy settings and accessibility of the systems to their preferences (Ranjan, 2014).
The research on the topic of the effects of mobile computing on business firms has involved a wide range of literature to be reviewed. Hence, the researcher has the issue to select the most appropriate literature relevant for the study. Besides, the previous literature on the topic dictates the role of mobile computing on personal living standards of the social public. For a broader perspective, the conventional research has lacked the evidence to show how the mobile computing has influenced the organisational benefits of the modern business. Although there is enough study to support the argument, there is a need for statistical analysis to review the effect of mobile computing on the performance of business firms.
On the basis of the research gap identified in the above literature review, it can be seen that few research have been conducted in terms of identifying the benefits and challenges related to the use of mobile computing in an organisation. Hence, the primary objective of the research is to identify the benefits and challenges related to implementation of mobile computing in different organisations. In order to meet the research objectives, the research questions that will be answered in the study are presented herein below:
- What are the challenges related to mobile computing that are faced by the management of an organisation?
- How does mobile computing benefits the organisation in terms of communication?
- How does ICT or mobile computing improve the productivity and effectiveness of the workforce?
- What sort of privacy and security risk are faced by the organisations in terms of implementing mobile computing system in the organisation?
On the basis of the above research questions and objective of the research, the hypothesis statements that will be evaluated in the study are presented herein below:
- H0: Null Hypothesis: Mobile computing does not lead to any challenge for the business organisations in the modern era of technology development.
- H1: Alternative Hypothesis: Mobile computing leads to different challenges for the business organisations in the modern era of technology development.
The methodology section of the study presents the blueprint of the research that will be used during the dissertation to conduct the research. The research design and methodology explains the tools and techniques used for collecting the data and conducting the analysis. Additionally, the research design explains the procedure applied in the study to present the findings and explain the outcome of the study (Goddard and Melville, 2011). In this research, both primary and secondary data collection methods will be used. As it has been found during the literature review that there are only few research in the field that has been conducted using primary data, the primary data analysis has been the primary target of the study. The primary data will be collected from the primary sources such as people related to the field of study in the form direct interviews and surveys (Ellermann, 2012). On the other hand, the secondary data will be collected from the secondary sources such as books, journal articles, newspapers, government reports, and different online sources (Kothari and Garg, 2016). Furthermore, the analysis will be conducted using two different methods namely qualitative research analysis and quantitative research analysis that has been presented in the underlying section.
Methodology
Qualitative research is conducted to explore the factors leading to a problem and seek proper solution to the issue. It is a type of exploratory research that helps to investigate the factors leading to the challenges in implementing mobile computing technology and understand the benefits of the system (Dixon, 2010). The qualitative research technique will be used in the research to conduct a critical review of the findings of the previous researchers and understand the major problems that are faced by the management of different organisations in implementing mobile computing system in their operational strategy (Jha, 2008). The data will be collected from books, articles, and online sources related to the topic and the theories developed by different authors will be compared and critically evaluated. Additionally, face to face or over the phone interviews will be conducted to observe the feedbacks of different entrepreneurs who uses mobile computing technology in their daily operations. The findings of the primary and secondary research will be presented using descriptive techniques in a thematic manner.
The quantitative research analysis technique will be used in the study to check the reliability and validity of the primary data. An online survey will be conducted in the study to collect feedback from around 100 participants regarding the use of mobile computing technology and the challenges faced by the management in terms of technological barriers, security and privacy issues and resistance from employees (Baran, 2013). The quantitative analysis will be used to perform descriptive statistics analysis that include calculation of mean, median, standard deviation, distribution of key variables (Ketchen and Bergh, 2014). Additionally, regression analysis and hypothesis testing will also be conducted to identify the extent of the issues related to the use of mobile computing system. Furthermore, the questionnaires that will be used in the research to collect primary data through survey has been presented in appendix 1 for further consideration.
In the study proposal, the researcher has to deal with a number of complexities to complete the entire study. One of the leading challenges with the research is to identify the most suitable and appropriate literature study out of so many research conducted by modern authors. Apart from the selection of most evident literature, identifying the most effective methodology has been a major limitation associated to the research. In order to promote the academic concepts, the best methods and validity practices has to be taken into account (Ellermann, 2012). However, the limitation of time to complete the entire research has restricted the researcher to validate a number of aspects associated to the topic area. Evidently, sampling process can be termed as a significant limitation. Furthermore, to conduct the study, the researcher needs to collect primary data via interview and survey. Therefore, convenient ethical guidelines have been a major limitation to collect the relevant information and data.
Primary Data Collection
The limitation of time is the primary constraint of a research study. It is expected that the research will take around 5 months to be completed. On the basis of the project schedule, the research has begun on XX-XX-2017 and will be completed by xx-xx-2017. A detailed time schedule of the research has been presented using a Gantt chart in appendix 2.
Conclusion
By considering the above proposal, it can be seen that mobile computing has emerged to be an effective technique for communication and data transferring in an organisation. Additionally, mobile computing is cost effective and improves the system of communication implemented by an organisation. The research aims to study the impact of mobile computing over the performance of business organisations. Additionally, the study also identifies the benefits derived by the use of mobile computing technology for communication and data transferring in the organisation. However, there are several challenges that are faced by the management of different firms in using mobile computing system in the operations of the firm. For instance, the issues of security, privacy, and resistance from employees make it difficult for the management to effectively use the technology in the improvement of the current operations. Conclusively, the research will help to identify the issues and develop necessary solutions for mitigating the problems related to the use of mobile computing in a business organisation.
References
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