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Keywords Internet, Project management, Videoconferencing, Teamwork, Supply-chain management
Abstract In a few years, the Internet has gone from being the communication tool of scientists to a primary route of information exchange for everyone, from fashion designers to financial analysts. The Internet and its related services create an interactive working environment for users. Through the Internet, effective collaboration becomes possible whenever, wherever, and with whomever. Recently, there has been a significant growth in collaborative products and services aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. The aim of this paper is to discuss the evolution of the collaborative computing technology and address the capabilities of this new managing tool The trends in collaborative products and services and some of the collaborative computing products generating the most interest will be examined.
Introduction
The enormous changes brought about by extensive downsizing from the 1980s stimulated a transition from a hierarchical to a virtual workplace for many organizations. Significant changes in the structure of some work environments have been the increasing use of teams. In this new environment, dispersed team members from multiple disciplines work cooperatively to adapt to competitive situations (Townsend et aL, 1998). Information technology also facilitates the prolific forming and maintaining of cooperative efforts. Employees assemble in cyberspace and communicate via electronic meetings, which have become commonplace in our intensely competitive and global marketplace.
Accelerated by the innovation in information technology and encouraged particularly by the changes in the corporate world, these breakthroughs are having a profound impact on the development of collaborative computing technologies. Aimed at small and mid-sized businesses, these products perform a variety of tasks, from scheduling, project management, Web-based video conferencing to data storage, data sharing, and supply chain management. The products in this category range from free programs to systems, which can cost more than $50,000. Almost all the major portals, as well as some non-portal Web sites, provide free calendaring, shared schedules and other collaborative functionality.
The following two sections review Internet capabilities and examine the communication function of the Internet. The following section discusses reasons for the significant growth of collaborative computing technology and addresses the capabilities of this breakthrough technology. The penultimate section examines some of the popular products and services in this category and highlights specific features...