The Impact of Technology
Chapter 14
While the proliferation/adoption of the WWW has been nothing short of spectacular, the web it appears, has
fallen victim to its own success. The volume of information on the web has been growing exponentially
and today's search engines have had limited success in organizing this information. Technology companies
have recognized this limitation and offer a software fix which delivers user specified content directly to the
desktop. This phenomenon has come to be recognized as Webcasting. The basic premise of Webcasting
draws from the broadcast industry in that the user chooses content preferences and submits a profile
specifying the type of information he/she would like to receive. The net user profile is submitted to the
Webcasting service and each time the user logs onto the net the Webcasting software dials up the service
provider at user specified intervals for updates on the information requested.
While weather, news, sports, and stock quotes are the most widely utilized components of Webcasting some
new applications have emerged. Corporations have realized that this new technology provides a channel
that delivers the latest and most relevant information instantaneously. By setting up their own Webcasting
channels companies can ensure that important information and announcements are disseminated quickly and
efficiently. Ben and Jerry's is reported to be evaluating a system that would alert managers when the
company's perishable inventories would drop below a certain level. Nation's Bank is reported to be
developing a system that broadcasts corporate news, product information, and the bank's stock price to its
employees. In a nutshell, the WWW and the technologies surrounding it provide marketers with a
mechanism that allows a rapid, efficient and cost effective system for information management. In a
competitive marketplace where information is power harnessing this technology can be a source for
sustained competitive advantage. Channel management is one such decision area that can benefit with
proper adoption of this technology.
This write up draws from a special report on Webcasting: Cortese, Amy (1997), "A Way Out Of The Web
Maze," Business Week, February 24, Pg. 95-104.
