How has the IT revolution affected international trade?

How has the IT revolution affected international trade?

When speaking about information technology and its impact on the world trade, it is impossible not to see the glorious impact it had on globalization and the creation of new exchanges and markets worldwide. One of the main advantages was that the internet, Wi-Fi networks, smart phones, laptops and cell phones made businesses and transactions more mobile, allowing professionals to operate from anywhere, no matter it was a train station, restaurant, the airport or their own couch.

Meetings through conference calls allowed companies to take important decisions, while saving money that were once spent on business trips to other cities or abroad.

The electronic post, text messages, online bills and statements offered companies the chance to shorten the communication process, save paper and decrease the costs.

By using the vast platform that internet has provided, big corporations, smaller companies and self-employed individuals were able to make research easier and also create new ways to promote the company and the services they offered , by creating websites and advertising online.

While some companies only used their website as a first layer of their business, an introduction of their services for informational purposes, others have decided to operate online and sell their services through the platform. Most of the companies use social networks such as Facebook or Linked In to stay close to their customers or even the competition.

Individuals who were looking for job opportunities reached the conclusion that applying for a job through the job websites was faster and easier than handling CV's all over the city.

Nevertheless, IT and higher technology made the supply chain work better, from the start of the production to delivering the goods. Online tracking of the products comes in hand both to the sender (seller) and the receiver (buyer) , which made the delivery process faster and safer. Bar codes helped companies identifying and quantifying the product better.

By having GPS devices on the transportation vehicles, drivers are always on track, using the fastest route. By using the internet, their delivery schedule is always updated which saves them the trouble of having to contact the base at the end of every delivery.

Despite the fact that IT made it all possible, we also have to take into consideration the downfalls of it. On one hand, the automation makes the process faster, but on the other hand, it can be problematic when failing. Machines and systems are amazing, but not without their flaws. Also, the unemployment rate might increase in some sectors of the industry.

With all the details online, big companies invest a fortune in developing unbreakable protection systems, but some hackers still finds ways to get through the security and when getting access to the important data, even extorting the unlucky company or selling that valuable data to their competition.

The E commerce and online shopping is time-saving and much easier, however, not always accurate, as the product shown in pictures might be different in reality.

The Wi-Fi and mobile data is certainly amazing and useful, however, it can sometimes make you get caught in a continuous work process, which can get quite addictive. That being said, while being in a vacation, a new email in the inbox or an unread sms can create curiosity and then, the obvious reaction will be to give a reply.

Nonetheless, a virtual bond with a partner or customer will never be as strong, as the one established face-to-face.

To conclude, even though the advantages of the IT revolution are obvious, these should be used carefully, and not be abused, in order for an online-offline balance to be present in our lives.

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Ce dossier documentaire présente 3 documents. Le premier est un article du magazine "The economist" publié le 30 octobre 2010 par Schumpeter intitulé "Companies ain't charities", ce qui veut dire "Les entreprises ne sont pas des associations caritatives". Le deuxième est le top 10 des compagnies les plus admirés dans le monde en 2010, par Fortune Magazine. Le troisième document comporte 4 graphiques liés à la responsabilité sociale de la marque Mercury (chaussures de sport).

Dans le premier document, Ann Bernstein qui est meneuse d'un groupe de réflexion sud-africain explique d'une perspective africaine, que les entreprises rendent service à la société simplement en faisant des affaires, vendant des produits ou services à des clients prêts à les acheter. Afin de réussir dans les affaires les entreprises doivent proposer des prix plus bas que la concurrence ou de meilleure qualité. Ceux qui échouent disparaissent. Ceux qui y arrivent répandent la prospérité en créant des emplois, les actionnaires reçoivent alors leurs dividendes, les employés gagnent des salaires, les fournisseurs gagnent des contrats, et la population gagne un accès à un meilleur mode de vie. En bref, cela bénéficie à toute la population.

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