final question 5

1)describe or define virtual office?

ans:is typically a managed telephone answering or email response service that receives and routes telephone or email messages on behalf of a small business and may provide some initial scripted response to a query. The business that uses this service typically does not have fixed office premises or employ regular reception or customer contact staff - and so the V.O. provides a means of receiving and passing on calls and messages when not available to deal with a customer inquiry. The prime objective of the V.O. is to assure that customer contact is captured and able to be followed up by whomever the call is relevant or important to.

2)distinguish VO from MIS?

ans: the difference between the Virtual office and MIS, THE V O is also a common term for an environment that enables a network of co-workers to run a business efficiently by using nothing other than online communication technologies while MIS is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solving business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization. Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making

3)3. Illustrate (give examples) how VO can improve company's competitive advantage and organizational performance.


ans:The virtual workplace, in which employees operate remotely from each other and from managers, is a reality for many employers now, and all indications are that it will become even more prevalent in the future. Virtual organizations are multisite, multiorganizational, and dynamic.' At a macro level, a virtual organization consists of a grouping of businesses, consultants, and contractors that have joined in an alliance to exploit complementary skills in pursuing common strategic objectives.2 The objectives often focus on a specific project.3 In and of itself, this grouping represents a dramatic change in how we work, and it presents two new challenges for managers. The challenges stem from the physical separation of workers and managers wrought by such information-age arrangements as telework and virtual teams. "How can I manage them if I can't see them?" is a question that many managers are now asking. It defines the first managerial challenge of the virtual workplace: making the transition from managing time (activity-based) to managing projects (resultsbased). The second managerial challenge of the virtual workplace is to overcome uncertainty about whether managers will still be valued by their companies if they are managing employees who are not physically present. In one case, a first-level manager recalled his boss coming out of his office, looking at the empty cubicles around him, and saying, "What do I need you for?"4 As we shall see in this article, the need is not for fewer managers, but for better supervisory skills among existing managers.