How Has Blackberry Affected Business in UAE

Introduction

Information technology has played a key role on globalization. It has changed the way various sectors work (Behrsin & Twibill, 2003).  However, technology has affected the business sector more than other sectors such as health and transport among others. Many businesses continue to use technology in almost all aspects of their operation.  Communication is one of the business processes that have greatly benefited from technology. The introduction of smartphones such as the Blackberry is one of the major steps that have influenced both positively and negatively on business. Despite the effects of technology in all most the whole world, the United Arab Emirates presents a unique case.

 The UAE is part of the Arab community and, from previous research; the Arab community tend to resist major global influences. The Arab community, from historical analysis, is unique community that embraces Islamic culture that might prevent the use of technology in this region (Kalba, 2008). This is because Arab community will resist anything that is against their culture. According to PKF Accounts and Business Advisers (2012), the Blackberry, which is among the latest technological inventions, might not gain enough popularity or it might be rejected in United Arab Emirates. A number of researchers have previously investigated the effects of Blackberry in Arab countries such as UAE, which makes the subject interesting. Assuming that the investors in the UAE do not use the Blackberry in conducting business might reflect various disadvantages to business. The UAE might suffer from poor communication, which is an important aspect of business. In fact, no business can survive without communication. In relations to this, the research proposal discusses the impacts of Blackberry on business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Aim of the Research

The main objective of the research will be to identify how Blackberry has affected the business sector in the United Arab Emirates. The main areas of concern will be the use of blackberry in business communication process. The research will examine how suppliers, buyers and sellers benefit from the introduction of Blackberry. In general, the study will analyze both the major and less impacts. This research will apply the following hypotheses in fulfilling the objective:

H1: Blackberry increases the effectiveness and efficacy of business communication in the UAE;

H2: Blackberry increases the effectiveness of business operations;

H3: Blackberry increases productivity within business organizations in the UAE;

H5: Blackberry reduces the operational costs of businesses in UAE

Significance of the Study

This research will be of great importance to business organizations operating in the UAE; this draws on the idea that this study will highlight the how the Blackberry affects business operations in the country. In addition, it will provide an approach that business organizations can use in ensuring that they communicate effectively with their clients. This will enable them to decide whether to use the Blackberry when communicating during business transactions. Suppliers will also benefit from this research; this is because it discusses how the use of blackberry can speed up payment through mobile banking and other online services. Overall, this study provides insights into the role that mobile technology plays in the business world; as a result, this study will be of importance to all participants in the business world including managers, supervisors, employees and customers among others.

Brief Literature Review

According to Behrsin & Twibill (2003), various cost savings and efficiencies are realized by using postpaid data and voice devices. This literature review presents the previous finding of some studies on the usage of Blackberry and the models that business can invest in. According to the study carried out by Zaman (2011), the main benefit of using Blackberry devices is that they increase in production in the work place. In addition, the use of Blackberry devices has to led to the reduction in cost of doing business . Approximately 98 per cent of interviewees agreed that the Blackberry enabled them to convert idle to time to productive time by offering them an access to their email at any time (Behrsin & Twibill, 2003).  Additionally, approximately 80 per cent of those interviewed also claimed that they were able to save 15 minutes on average due to the use of Blackberry. a different study carried out by PKF Accounts and Business Advisers (2012) revealed that business people who use Blackberry have benefited from excellent workflow process. This is because they were able to fulfill their duties while on the move.

According to Kalba (2008), the voice feature of the Blackberry has also helped to save on the amount of money used during phone conversations. phone calls from blackberry devices has a time feature that allows businessmen to keep track of time. Hence they can make decision whether to decrease the time for phone calls or decide to use their time on other business activities.

A study by Zaman’s (2011) has shown that the use of Blackberry has led to cost savings. Blackberry can allow organizations to save as the device reduces costs related to setting up the IT department in large business organization. The ability of the organization to save will increase profitability due to the reduced costs. The organization can invest the accumulated profits resulting in business growth. In addition, telecommunication companies have also confirmed that Blackberry is an efficient product that can greatly cut down costs and increase efficiencies for many businesses.

Research Design and Methods

The research design outlines the general plan and steps needed in evaluating the research hypothesis and meeting the objectives of the study. This study will make use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with the data collection methods involving primary data sources. This study will rely on both qualitative and quantitative data when evaluating the impacts of the Blackberry on businesses in the UAE. The main method of data collection will be questionnaires with the participants selected at random from businesses in UAE after verifying that they use Blackberry in assisting their business operations.

Data Collection and Sources

The study will primarily use primary sources of data collected using questionnaires from that will handed to participants. The benefit of using primary data sources is that they use less time thus allowing the completion of the research within the timeframe. Additionally, primary data is raw and cannot be controlled easily, which will ensure reliability and validity of this study.