IMPROVING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE WITH WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES

MATT GRAHAM C.¹*, NORY JONES²*
¹Maine Business School, University of Maine, Orono Maine, USA
²Maine Business School, University of Maine, Orono Maine, USA
* Corresponding Author : njones@maine.edu

Received : 09-04-2011     Accepted : 17-04-2011     Published : 01-12-2011
Volume : 2     Issue : 1       Pages : 12 - 17
J Bus Excel 2.1 (2011):12-17

Keywords : e-learning, workplace, web 2.0 technologies, telepresence, asynchronous learning, synchronous learning, online virtual environments, gaming, simulations
Conflict of Interest : None declared

This paper explores the role of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in the workplace in terms of current trends, e-learning, and the value these new e-learning technologies can potentially provide organizations. This research first reviews the literature in terms of current practices, benefits, and challenges, and defines several applications of Web 2.0 technologies used in the workplace. The study then reports on the results of a survey of Maine businesses that was conducted to assess what Web 2.0 technologies they’d like to use in their organizations, their perceptions of these different technologies, and the potential benefits to their organizations. Results indicate that while most business respondents are aware of the time and cost savings benefits of technologies in the workplace, most were not aware of the emerging technologies such as Wikis, blogs, free open-source apps, or the benefits they could provide for knowledge sharing. We conclude that there is great potential for businesses to adopt a variety of e-learning technologies to facilitate training initiatives, resulting ultimately in performance improvements and enhanced competitive advantage.

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