MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 8 E Raymond Mc Leod Jr

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 8/E Raymond Mc. Leod, Jr. and George Schell Chapter 14 The Virtual Office 14 -1 Copyright 2001 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Introduction n Automation began in the factory – Numerical control (NC) – Direct numerical control (DNC) – CAD/CAM – Robotics n Office automation (OA) began with IBM in the 1960’s – Word processing – Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter n Office automation systems are characterized 14 -2 by communication

Office Automation (OA) Formal and informal electronic systems n Communication of information n Persons inside and outside the firm are affected n Used by managers, professionals, secretaries, and clerical employees n – managers and professionals are collectively known as knowledge workers 14 -3

The Virtual Office work can be done at virtually any geographic location n Must be linked by electronic communication n Impact n – Emerged with the appearance of low cost microprocessors – Teleprocessing – Telecommuting 14 -4

Advantages of the Virtual Office n Reduced facility costs n Reduced equipment cost n Formal communications network n Reduced work stoppages n Social contributions – Those unable to leave their homes can now work in new ways 14 -5

Disadvantages of the Virtual Office Sense of not belonging n Fear of job loss n Low morale n Family tension n These are disadvantages to the employee! 14 -6

Recommended Virtual Office Strategy Provide computer resources n Provide access to information sources n Provide noncomputer supplies n Arrange to forward phone calls n Utilize conference calls n Schedule regular meetings n Follow a work routine n 14 -7

Virtual Organization Extends idea of a virtual office to an entire organization n No ties to physical location n Three I Economy n – Information – Ideas – Intelligence 14 -8

OA Model n Information and communication – No data Computer and noncomputer applications n "Other problem solvers" n – Internal – Environmental 14 -9

An OA Model The firm Communications Environment Information Office Automation System Noncomputer Apps Other Problem Solvers Problem Solver Computer. Apps Database Input physical resources Transform Output physical resources 14 -10 Environment

Office Automation (OA) Applications n n n n n Word processing Electronic and voice mail Computer calendaring Audio conferencing Video conferencing Computer conferencing FAX Videotex Imaging Desktop publishing 14 -11

Word Processing Use of a computer to perform automatically many of the tasks necessary to prepare typed or printed documents n Contribution to managers is the preparation of more effective communications n 14 -12

A Word Processing System Secretary or manager CPU Document storage Typed documents 14 -13

Electronic Mail (E-mail) Use of a computer network that allows users to send, store and retrieve messages using terminals and storage devices n Good when two-way conversation is not needed n Easy asynchronous communication n Eliminates phone tag n 14 -14

An Electronic Mail System Mail display and entry User 2 Mail display and entry User 1 User n CPU Mail storage 14 -15

Voice Mail Like e-mail except messages are sent and received over telephone systems in audio form n Requires computers with an ability to store audio messages digitally and convert them back upon retrieval n Managers do not have to type n Less equipment and infrastructure than 14 -16 e-mail n

Computer User 1 A Voice Mail System User 2 Message coding and decoding unit Secondary storage 14 -17

Electronic Calendaring Use of a networked computer to store and retrieve a manager’s appointment calendar n Allows other managers’ calendars to be accessed n Facilitates scheduling n Does not communicate problem-solving information n 14 -18

An Electronic Calendaring System Calendar display and entry Manager 2 Calendar display and entry Manager 1 CPU Calendar storage Manager n 14 -19

Audio Conferencing Uses voice communications equipment to establish an audio link between geographically dispersed people n Conference call was first form of this system n 14 -20

Rules for Added Efficiency in Audio Conferencing Have a moderator n Keep participants to a manageable size n Send an agenda first n Identify yourself when speaking n Keep a taped record n Distribute a hard copy transcript or meeting minutes n 14 -21

An Audio Conferencing System Location n Location 1 Audio Channel 14 -22

Video Conferencing Use of television equipment to link geographically dispersed conference participants n Three general configurations n – One-way video and audio – One-way video and two-way audio – Two-way video and audio 14 -23

Location 1 Video Conferencing Location n Video channel A. One-way video transmission Video channel B. Two-way video transmission 14 -24

Desktop Video Conferencing Video and audio equipment are attached to each workstation in the network enabling the two-way communication of picture and sound n Technical concerns n – Many desktop computers are powerful enough already – Requires high-speed communications network – Cost is typically less that $1, 000 for the additional equipment to make a standard PC a desktop video station 14 -25

Computer Conferencing Uses a networked computer that allows participants with some common characteristic to exchange information regarding a particular topic n One of the largest was an IBM PC computer conference n – Over 4, 000 topic areas – Over 40, 000 members n Computers must be networked together 14 -26

Teleconferencing + Incorporates all other conferencing techniques + Includes: • audio • video • computer conferencing 14 -27

FAX Uses special equipment that can read a document at one end of a communication channel and make a copy at the other end Original document Facsimile machine Analog channel Facsimile machine Document copy 14 -28

Videotex n Uses a computer to store and display a stored narrative and graphic material on a CRT screen – Can be created in the firm’s own computer – Can be owned by a service and accessed by the firm (such as the Dow Jones News / Retrieval Service) – Can be owned by other firms 14 -29

Imaging Uses optical character recognition (OCR) to convert data on paper to a digital format for storage in a secondary storage device n Performed by a document management (DM) system n Conserves space since documents are not stored in paper form n 14 -30

A Document Management System Laser Documents printer to be read Workstation OCR Reader Network server DBMS Workstation Laser printer Workstation Optical disk storage unit Workstation 14 -31

Desktop Publishing Uses a computer to prepare output that is very close in quality to that produced by a typesetter n Requires high resolution monitor and printing devices n Three areas of applications n – administrative – technical – corporate 14 -32

Desk-Top Publishing System High-resolution screen Keyboard Microcomputer Laser printer output Document storage 14 -33

OA and Virtual Office in Perspective n Aimed at the heart of business problem solving – Supplements interpersonal communications – Provides opportunity for better communications 14 -34

Summary Early OA was directed at secretarial staff and clerks n Communication needs of managers and knowledge workers were recognized n Virtual office concept emerged n Goal of OA is increased productivity n 14 -35

Summary [cont. ] n Variety of applications – Word processing – E-mail – Voice mail – Electronic calendaring – Audio conferencing – Video conferencing – Computer conferencing – Fax – Videotex 14 -36