Information technology as an enabling factor for startup business growth

¶ … Information Technology as an Assemblage in Business

Recently there has been an overwhelming growth in information technology and subsequent advances related to business management. The developments have also seen information technology become an integral part of doing business with most notable areas being accounting, information storage, and communication. Considering the growing use of information technology and the efficiency it has facilitated in business activities, it is ideal to address information technology as part of business systems (Belanger and Watson-Manheim, 2006). In an article published on the BBC website -- "New technologies helping start-ups shoot for the stars" -- the advances seen in today's technology are sophisticated and yet serve as an enabling factor for startup businesses in leaping forward to embrace a substantial volume of growth at the very onset (Wall, 2014).

With the available technology, startup businesses that embrace technology are in a position to reach out to a diverse global market immediately at the launch of their designs. Compared to the earlier challenges experienced in accessing and using technology, in the present day, businesses can access faster and more user-friendly technologies. Additional to the ease of use and access, technological advancements in the present day have facilitated virtual interface platform for communication and feedback as well as cloud computing for storage of data, manuscripts, and software.

The story on Martin Kenwright, a digital image designer, exemplifies the advantages of technological advances to entail time and cost efficiencies. Martin is in a position to use technology to reach out to talented freelance developers from around the globe through the virtual communication interface. With recruitments done work would be initiated without the need for incurring additional cost related to overheads. The team would work, communicate and exchange ideas on virtual technological platforms throughout to the completion stage. Since the core objective in business additional to maximizing profit is minimizing cost, information technology presents a golden opportunity that facilitates that plus others (Wall, 2014).

The information accessed on information technology platforms reveals details on the organization as per the specific organization information shared needs. Businesses have the freedom to choose what information they share and who has access to that information using the available technology. Adrian Kelly BBC news article on -- "Technology for small businesses on your terms" -- observe that small business prefer to conduct their business on their own terms (Kelly, 2015). This desire by small business is facilitated by the available user-friendly information technology platform allowing business to undertake business operation according to their preferences and capabilities (Kelly, 2015).

Small businesses are in a position to protect their information, create priorities and grant access credit to information at their own discretion. The continued growth in the field of information technology facilitates a wider choice for businesses to choose where to locate their offices and how to compete in the market. This level of freedom in business operations adds to the need to consider information technology as part of the business and the platform availed a boost towards achieving greater heights. Kelly (2015), observes that the freedom availed in choosing how to consume and utilize information technology will not compromise the businesses ability to meet their consumer needs. On the contrary, the freedom afforded by information technology places the business at an advantage to focus more on measures to articulate their consumer needs.

Actor-network Theory

The theory looks at the systematic way and framework for incorporating technological advances with the surrounding infrastructure. The theory gives both human and non-human actors an agency that is desirable in determining existent interactions. According the proponents of the theory - Michel Callon (1991) and Bruno Latour (1992) -- it is a description of the composition of the human and non-human actors (Belanger and Watson-Manheim, 2006). In the composition, the constituents are afforded identities given the enduring strategies in interactions to contribute to a desired end. In the interactions the players come up with a common understanding, identify representatives and appoint each other targeting collective and individual goals. In the Actor-network theory both the actors (humans) and actants (non-humans) are in the same scene in the construction of interaction network that work to ensure the stability of the overall business systems.

Information Technology Assembly Enhancing Transmission, Storage and Retrieval of Information

Since information technology facilitates the circulation of the different knowledge in business systems, its assemblage in business will ensure a strong interrelation prevails. Incorporating information technology in business systems ensures data from different departments within a business is accessible throughout and it stored safely. This information once stored can be used for future references in planning expansionary strategies.

If a business intends to venture in the new product, it would use the available information on the existing product and recently launched products. This information will comprise the customer needs and their preferences. Information about the recently launched product will guide the business on expected market reactions providing information on the plans made to launch the product the planners would use this information to engage the product development market to come up with a product that is ideal for the market. Plans for launching would be developed through an assessment of previous plans and adjusting the plans accordingly targeting success. On implementations, each stage would be assessed making reference to the plans and changes effected depending on the information gathered from initial steps. Information technology assemblage ensures a proliferation of the information that avails interaction and adjustments incorporating the overall systems of the business into one.

Critically analyses

Comprehensive understanding of all basic components of the business is facilitated through the assemblage of information technology in business. This goes further to allow interactions and association of the different components in the business appreciating their different contributions and providing strategic support to each system towards the achievement of common goal (Reinsch et al., 2008). According to Reinsch et al. (2008), information technology assemblage in business will facilitate strategic planning considering stakeholder interests and the ideal measures to articulate the different needs of the stakeholders efficiently.

Information technology is an expensive undertaking in business starting from the cost of purchasing equipment to the cost of installation and maintain. Additionally, it is expensive to gather and input information in the systems. These costs are highly inhibitory to startup businesses and their relevance not easily appreciated at the onset (Reinsch et al., 2008). The expected gain from embracing information technology compared to the cost is a great mismatch. Evidently businesses are undertaking high investments to incorporate information technology without ideal knowledge of how to offset these costs. Given the doubts in use the technology, no meaningful investment is undertaken in information technology where clear understanding is lacking.

It is observed by Belanger and Watson-Manheim (2006), the information technology is the way to go in business management. Many a case is where an assemblage of the information technology goes only to the extent of creating an IT department and using it as storage of business information. This compromises the realistic gains likely to emanate from full utilization of the bulk information stored (Belanger and Watson-Manheim, 2006).

List of Reference

BELANGER, F. & WATSON-MANHEIM, M.B. 2006. Virtual teams and multiple media: Structuring media use to attain strategic goals. Group Decision and Negotiation, 15, 299-321.

KELLY, A. 2015. Technology for small businesses on your terms [Online]. Available: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-17468777 [Accessed 15th August 2015].

REINSCH, N.L., TURNER, J.W. & TINSLEY, C.H. 2008. Multicommunicating: A practice whose time has come? The Academy of Management Review, 33, 391-403.

WALL, M. 2014. New technologies helping start-ups shoot for the stars [Online]. Available: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26935810 [Accessed 15th August 2015].