Global Challenges in Information Systems

Intro:

In this modern times, the world operates on numerous information systems. It is evolving rapidly and the functionality of it is seemingly increasing and so information system is becoming a requirement and not a choice.

Today, an electronic network which is the internet allows access to a vast amount of information sources. This indicates every single individual and organisations can obtain information with no problems if the entity has internet access. Currently, information is accessible from database, WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers), gopher, and a wide variety of sites which contains information across the web. Every large company worldwide that relies on e-commerce have been globalized through the internet and so companies such as Amazon, VF, Ebay or Walmart are very successful in terms of marketing and sales. However, opportunities in a global scale presents several challenges including culture and language, distance and time.

With the creation of the internet, the augmentation of global markets is feasible. There is an abundance in terms of the number of business transactions that occurs each day through the internet globally. The use of information technology provides support to business processes that allows operations such as business-to-customer or business-to-business transaction to be easier.

Cultural challenge

The information system is conflicted internationally by cultural differences in various other countries and areas of the world. Every country in the world has its own traditions and culture that may differ from and not accustomed to other country.  These dissimilarities form a cultural barrier in which affects companies that endeavor global trade. The difficulties that businesses will encounter are managing people, tastes, issue with ethics, gestures and specific groups averse to “Westernisation”. An American commercial fast-food franchise company such as McDonalds may find it difficult to establish other franchisee in other continent like Asia due to preference of taste. The technologies applied to entice the customers in the United States to McDonalds’ taste of food could be irrelevant as it may not work in Asia. Therefore, organisations managing food products must examine and alter the taste of their food to ensure that they satisfy the local demands.

Language challenge:

On the internet, the most common language used is English. However, there is only a fraction of 26.3 percent that speaks English as opposed to 74.7 percent of non-English speaking countries. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/262946/share-of-the-most-common-languages-on-the-internet/). There is a seemingly an issue with the translation of information to other languages which causes a laborious process of translating the precise meaning of the info from one language to another. Google has provided a solution in translating dialogue, text, pictures, or real-time videos into 103 different languages. (http://www.bgr.in/news/google-translate-turns-10-now-supports-103-languages-translates-100-billion-words-every-day/). The challenge that large companies which retains international partners must decide on choosing a common language. Information is required to be translated due to the lack of computers capability to accurately translate words.

The Challenge of distance and time:

Time differences is a challenge for people to communicate with others that resides in a different part of the world. The products may have a delivery time of days, weeks or even months to be received to other countries. This creates delays and disruption with business transaction which causes employees and customers located in different countries to have difficulty with getting connected. VF, an apparel manufacturer company has formed an idea of constructing “new communication tools that make it easier for everyone to work together”. (reading review1) By doing this, it allowed them to combat these challenges and provided a solution they need to increase the longevity of their company.

Conclusion:

Looking at the global challenges in information system stated above shows us the overview of companies that uses e-commerce must deal with.  Modern technology and the use of internet is changing how Businesses and organisations around the globe is operating. More and more are advertising their products online to effectively make sales. Companies utitlise technology to ensure handling good teamwork is attained across geographical boundaries. However, there is a concern for challenges that come with the development of technology in information systems.