Thursday, January 29, 2009

       Technology in our world today is designed to make people’s lives around the world easier and more efficient. The use of technology in the business world is growing so rapidly as the days go by that soon people may be forced to use it, willingly or not. The case study of the Biotronics Corporation is a perfect example of technology use in the workforce and the difficulties that come with it.
       In order to streamline production at Biotronics Corporation, the IS department put a sales force automation system in place. This system is intended to computerize business tasks. It is a way to electronically control aspects of a business in order to become more efficient and thorough. In regards to Biotronics, the system would allow sales employees to improve the way in which they sold customized medical products.
       One of the main problems which showed a need for a new technological system was the uniqueness of the product design for each client. Specifically, the design and production of the “perfusion circuit” or the custom perfusion system (CPS) would be aided with the new system. This product is a cycle of tubes and wires that connect a person’s heart or lungs to a machine. The design process for the CPS’s is very time consuming and tedious. The automated system would make improvements to this process by shortening the design and production time and allowing materials to be used more efficiently to reduce the cost of production.
       However, although the system in theory seemed to be more useful then detrimental, people’s opinions of the system were not accurately taken into account. After the sales tool technology was created, it was rejected by many sales people. One reason for this was that the sales force did not have much technical background. More specifically, two models discussed in the article give in depth reasoning as to why the system was not accepted. First, the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model is the relationship between the technology and the task it is intended to do. The IS department must have a good understanding of the tasks the system will perform and the people who will be using the system in order to develop a beneficial tool. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was the second model described in the article, which takes into account people’s attitudes. TAM shows that a person’s attitude towards technology can be viewed in two ways: their opinion on the usefulness and their opinion on the ease of use. If a positive attitude is held, the technology will be accepted and vice versa.
       In order for more user acceptance to be achieved, the two aforementioned models would need to be carefully followed. Also, as mentioned in the article, the IS department did not have much experience working with the sales force which greatly hindered them. This relationship would need to be strong in order for the system to be accepted and used. Technology is a huge part of our world and the more automated companies become, the more efficient they will be. However, without the cooperation of the company’s departments with the IS department, the technology will not be properly utilized which will in the end hold the company back.