Using Technology in an Organization - Business Decision Making - ثاني ثانوي

وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 183 Technology @ Work: Using Technology in an Organization Blog A blog (short for Weblog) is an interactive online journal. In general, one person writes blog entries on a Web site, and others read and comment on the content. In business, blogs can be internal or external. Internal blogs are designed for employees and others within an organization, and are often used instead of meetings and e-mail discussions, especially for routine company or project matters, such as policies, procedures, and announcements. External blogs are available to the public and let company employees or spokespersons air their views. Because both types of blogs project an image of an organization and blog posts are usually archived for later searching, they require clear writing more than most forms of corporate communication. Microblogging uses incredibly short messages, measured in the number of characters (letters, numbers, or symbols) the post uses. A popular platform for microblogging is Twitter, where each post is known as a tweet. Users add hashtags to their posts to help connect them with other users who are posting about the same topic, and to enable interested users to find their content. Organizations use microblogging platforms to promote their products and engage with their audiences and consumers. 1. Determine whether blogs are appropriate for your audience As with any type of writing, start by analyzing the purpose and audience of the blog. Profile your target readers and determine whether a blog is an effective way to reach them. Does your audience spend much time online? Are they comfortable using technology tools to read and respond to information? Be sure to clarify your goals in publishing a blog. The strength of blogs is that they can stimulate discussion if the writing is lively and has personality. If you want to post corporate announcements, newsletters and Web sites are better options. Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 183 30/06/2023 14:28

2. Content creation in business using blogs Most personal and internal blogs are written to create content that helps the organization promote its objectives. External blogs often have more than one author, especially in companies with many products or services. In that case, the person who knows the product or service well should be the blogger. Each blogger should write in a professional but identifiable style. Personalities and points of view make a blog interesting, though they must always be appropriate for the audience. DEFINITIONS Blog: An interactive online journal. Short for Weblog. Microblog: A very short way of conveying information in real time, often used to engage with consumers or provide live updates. Hashtag: A slogan or phrase-with no spaces between the words— attached to a post so that users can find related information quickly. QUICK TIP Experts recommend that you update your blog regularly, at least once a week. QUICK TIP Respond to all comments-positive and negative-in a professional and business-like way. 3. Develop and follow writing guidelines Although a blog should have a personal voice, it projects an image of your organization and must be written to meet professional standards. Create a list of best practices and writing tips for the blog in your organization-you may find the information in the "Blogging is writing" box helpful. Decision- makers should review and approve this list, and bloggers should take care to follow it. 4. Establish a policy for comments Remember that blogs are not electronic press releases for your organization— they should allow a two-way conversation between the company and the customer (or between one member of the organization and other members). Encourage readers to participate, but publish and distribute a strict policy about allowable comments. Constructive criticism should be allowed, but rumors and inappropriate language should not. 184 6 Chapter رة ا Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 184 30/06/2023 14:28

وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 185 Blogging is writing More than other forms of electronic communication such as e-mail, blogs are crafted pieces of writing that people can access long after they are first published on a Web site. If you are writing a blog, at a minimum, make sure you are using clear sentences and a logical organization for your ideas. Build on these fundamentals with the following techniques to devise an appealing and useful blog: • Include descriptive titles and headings: Your titles and headings tell potential visitors what you are writing about. Make sure these elements use concrete details and active verbs. • Get to the point: People read content on the Web more quickly than they do printed material. Make your point quickly-in the first sentence, if possible. Write economically throughout the post so people keep reading. • Stick to one topic: A blog post can be long or short, but it should cover a single topic. An effective strategy is to present a single problem, discuss a solution, and then describe the results. Support your ideas with facts and references. Come to conclusions based on evidence rather than unsupported opinions. • Make it worth your reader's time: Share knowledge and experiences to teach your readers or stimulate them to think. Write with energy and conviction, and show readers something in a new way to make your post worthwhile. • Edit and revise before publishing: You can write quickly to put your words on the page, but those ideas are likely to remain fuzzy unless you edit them. Professional writers spend more time editing and revising than writing first drafts. Make sure the words you post on a blog today will be valuable and clear in the future. Professional Networking Sites A professional networking site is a type of social networking site a person can use to connect with employers and colleagues via a variety of online methods, such as e-mail and text messages. Some social networking sites such as Linkedln are designed to communicate and share professional information, including information about jobs and careers. Social networks connect people with minimal expense, which is particularly beneficial to small businesses and job seekers. Similar to a network of colleagues, in a virtual community such as LinkedIn, a person can interact with others who share their career and business interests and employment objectives, learn about suitable positions and employers, and prepare for interviews and other meetings by reading articles, watching slide shows and videos, asking questions, and searching for job information. Figure 6-11 shows responses to a question about travel jobs on LinkedIn. Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 185 30/06/2023 14:28

DEFINITIONS Professional networking: Practices for creating and cultivating business friendships. Social network: Virtual community that allows users to post information about themselves and share that information with others. FIGURE 6-11: LinkedIn job search results Linked in Account Type: Basic Home Profile Contacts Groups Jobs Inbox Companies News More Jobs Home Saved Jobs Saved Searches Advanced Search Jobs Search... Add Connections Q Advanced Search term Search results Job Search Keywords -Hospitality tourism Job Title: Company Location Located in or near Country Saudi Arabia Postal Code: Within 50 mi 80 km Lookup Keep refine selections Search Sort by: Relevance HC Show less CFO Hotel chain, Jeddah - Jan 10, 2022 20 jobs Save Linkedin Premium Regional Travel Industry Sales Manager/Riyadh Area Hospitality corporation - Riyadh - Jan 12, 2022 Business Development Manager Dammam Jan 4, 2021 Group Sales Representative Tabuk Dec 15, 2022 National Accounts Manager Province office Riyadh - Jan 12, 2022 Director of Marketing Hospitality center - Khobar - Dec 20, 2021 5 These are some great opportunities. Stand out from the crowd as a Featured Applicant with a Job Seeker Premium Account 186 6 Chapter رة ا Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 186 Refine By Relationship All Relationships 1st Connections (0) 2nd Connections (1) Learn More 1. Provide two-way communication Professional networking sites allow you to communicate with contacts and allow contacts to communicate with you. Businesses can take advantage of this type of communication by keeping in touch with customers and suppliers and letting customers and suppliers contact them. 2. Stay in touch while mobile You can use professional networking sites to identify and contact colleagues, employers, and customers even while you are traveling, or moving from one job to another. As the popularity of networking sites continues to grow, you can reconnect with contacts you lost touch with in the past. 3. Use with in-person networking Setting up contacts with people you meet face to face can be an effective way to prepare for interviews, meetings, and conferences, for example. You can also research companies and job trends. However, professional networking sites don't take the place of in-person meetings. 30/06/2023 14:28

4. Manage your time on networking sites One caution is that building a network takes time, which can detract from other job-seeking or career-building activities. Many employers frown on online conversations that take too much time. They also object to using the computer to deliver messages that are better delivered in person. As with all forms of communication, make sure the audience and purpose of your message are suitable for online networking sites. Instant Messaging Instant messaging (IM) is a technology that involves communication between two people who type text messages to one another using a computer, mobile phone, tablet, or other device connected to the Internet. See Figure 6-12. Because they are short, informal, and impermanent, instant messages are the opposite of letters, which are longer, more formal, and more permanent. IM and e-mail are more similar because both technologies send messages across the Internet. IM, however, is like an electronic conversation-you see a message and respond to it immediately. IM software for business use is considered enterprise instant messaging (EIM). FIGURE 6-12: Instant messaging on mobile devices وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 187 229 800 1. Organize contacts into categories Instant messaging software lets you separate contacts into business, friends, and family categories, for example. This means you can easily keep your professional IMs separate from personal IMs. However, to participate in any type of instant messaging, you sign in to the software. Your friends and family can see when you are signed in, even at work. Make sure they know you need to concentrate on professional conversations when you are working. Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 187 30/06/2023 14:28

188 6 Chapter رة ا Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 188 So that employees keep personal text messages separate from business mes- sages, some organizations provide EIM software. For example, WhatsApp Business and Telegram are instant messenger services designed for business. They are popular because they run on Windows, iOS, Android, and other operating systems. 2. Send and reply to messages instantly The instantaneous feature of IM is both an advantage and disadvantage. Instead of waiting for an answer to a letter or e-mail, you can receive a response from a colleague or vendor immediately. However, IM can be a distraction when you need to focus on a project, conversation, or meeting. 3. Save instant messages for future reference Like e-mail, you can save IMs when you need to reference a conversation with customers or colleagues, for example. You can also send, receive, and save attachments to messages. However, viruses can infect IMs as easily as they do e-mail messages. 4. Use professional language Personal text messages often use slang, shorthand, "text speak," and emoticons to abbreviate common words or expressions and to reduce the amount of necessary typing. However, these techniques are inappropriate and overly casual in professional settings. Your language can be more informal than in a standard business letter, but it should still be clear, complete, and professional. See Table 6-6 for instant messaging do's and don'ts. DEFINITION Instant messaging (IM): A technology that involves communication between two people who type text messages to one another using a computer, mobile phone, or other device connected to the Internet. 30/06/2023 14:28

TABLE 6-6: Instant messaging do's and don'ts IM element Do Etiquette Security and Privacy • Write simple, short, clear messages • Update your status throughout the day • Ask others if they are available to chat • Use IM for brief, informational messages ● Keep in mind that instant messages can be saved • Avoid transferring files because they can contain viruses Professionalism ⚫Keep your work contacts separate from your personal contacts • Follow your employer's guidelines about IM at work Check your spelling and grammar before sending a message Don't •Don't make statements you wouldn't make in public • Don't use a misleading or unprofessional screen name . • Don't exchange instant messages during meetings or phone calls • Don't use jargon, especially when communicating with customers. • Don't use IM to share confidential information such as passwords • Don't make statements that could damage the reputation of your employer or yourself • Don't combine a social chat with professional chat, especially with a customer • Don't use IM at work, unless your employer allows it for personal use or as part of your job YOU TRY IT Practice working with blogs by reviewing a corporate blog. Complete the fol- lowing steps. 1. Google has one of the most popular and effective corporate blogs. Create a blog at https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1623800?hl=ar. Write a post about the importance of using professional language in written communication with colleagues. Give examples of how to communicate professionally, the kind of communication that is considered unprofessional, and summarize the issue for readers who are short of time. Think carefully about the overall message you would like them to remember. 2. In your notebook, write a summary of a post, including the date it was published and the author (if one is given). Practice using a professional networking site. Complete the following steps. 1. LinkedIn is one of the most popular and effective professional networking sites. Visit the site at www.linkedin.com. 2. In your notebook, write a list of characteristics, including pros and cons, of the professional networking site. Research enterprise instant messaging (EIM) and consumer instant messaging (CIM). Complete the following steps. وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 189 Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 189 30/06/2023 14:28

1. Use your favorite search engine to research enterprise instant messaging and consumer instant messaging. Find at least one example of EIM and one example of CIM software. 2. In your notebook, write a list of the differences between EIM and CIM software. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. A blog is: a. an interactive online journal b. a new form of instant messaging 2. Internal blogs are often used to: a. communicate with the public b. take the place of company meetings 3. A professional networking site is: a. a centralized job fair b. restricted to company owners c. a chart representing inexact data d. a type of style checker c. announce products to customers d. conduct research c. a place to learn about computer networks d. a Web site a person can use to connect with employers and colleagues 4. Which of the following is a disadvantage of using professional networking sites? a. It takes time to develop a network b. It provides two-way communication c. It lets you stay in touch while mobile d. It complements face-to-face networking 5. How can instant messages be considered the opposite of business letters? a. They are short, informal, and impermanent b. Their purpose is to entertain c. They have a corporate audience only d. They are not intended to establish goodwill 6. Why should you avoid typical IM techniques such as slang and shorthand? a. No one understands them b. They focus on the writer, not the reader c. They are inappropriate and overly casual in professional settings d. They are entertaining 190 6 Chapter رة ا Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 190 30/06/2023 14:28