Current and future directions of multimedia technology in business

International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

Current and future directions of multimedia technology in business A. Gunasekaran *, P.E.D. Love Department of Management, University of Massachusetts, North Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300, USA School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia

Abstract A multimedia system is a typical application of time-critical computing. In a networked multimedia system such as video conferencing, real-time image communication is the key for system success. Multimedia applications have received significant attention from business after the emergence of Internet and World Wide Web (WWW). However, the application areas of multimedia have not been discussed in detail taking into account that there is no clear cut framework for the application of multimedia technology in business including commerce, community service, health care, education and manufacturing. Realising the importance of computers including electronic commerce in business, an attempt has been made in this paper to review the application of multimedia in various businesses together with various societal issues such as intellectual property, privacy and secure commercial transactions. A framework has been proposed to improve the application of multimedia in business. Also, future research directions are indicated to motivate the researchers in the multimedia application in business. 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Multimedia; Telecommunications; Information technology; Networking; WWW

1. Introduction The global business environment is becoming more competitive than ever. As a result, this is forcing businesses to seek newer ways to improve their efficiency, lower operating costs, be more responsive to customer needs, and bring new products to market faster. This drive to improve results has resulted in a burgeoning interest in technology management ranging from the acquisition to the exploitation of new technologies. While many technologies are of primary interest to one or two industries, almost all industries have an interest in information technology (IT). Today

* Corresonding author. Tel.: #(508) 999 9187, fax: #(508) 999 8776; e-mail: [email protected] 0268-4012/99/$ - see front matter 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 2 6 8 - 4 0 1 2 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 0 3 - 1

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A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

most companies cannot operate without computer system. These have been employed in nearly all business areas from education to manufacturing to construction. Management is becoming aware that their competitive edge may depend on the ability of their computer and communication systems to respond quickly to changing business needs. This means that businesses must keep abreast of competitive moves in the use of computers and in many cases be prepared to stay ahead of their competitors. Having access to the latest technological advancements may be a major factor that will give a business that extra competitive edge. The most recent development in technology that is capturing the interest of businesses is that of multimedia. Fundamentally, multimedia involves the blending of images, graphics, sound, voice, videotext and tubular information within a human interface that uses capabilities to access and present information. According to Hill (1995) the major attraction and selling point of computers these days are the inclusion of multimedia facilities. Such facilities can be used for video conferencing, personnel training, as well as an interactive mechanism between management and employees. Similarly, in modern business systems, the integration of various types of media such as data, text, graphics, animation, voice and full video has significant potential considering the current applications of computers in the education and training, retailing, entertainment and manufacturing sectors. Recent advances in key enabling technologies, such as groupware, speech generation, graphical user-interfaces and the rapid convergence of telephone, cable television and entertainment conglomerates have made raised the profile and demand for multimedia in the home. Yet, the demand for using multimedia in everyday business does not appear to be as strong despite the improvements in communication multimedia can offer. Used effectively, multimedia systems can significantly improve inter and intra organisational communications. Essentially, a multimedia system allows the end user to share, communicate and process a variety of forms of information in an integrated manner. In a distributed environment, for example, it may incorporate multiple sources of various media spatially or temporally. The functions of a multimedia system include: E capture — the collection and conversion of multimedia data into a digital form; E storage — the identification of suitable hardware and the organisation of data in a multimedia form that enables a user to obtain speedy access to information; E retrieval — the use of a sophisticated database and navigation software tools; E presentation — the delivery and display of the information; E transfer — the sending of documents to a remote recipient through a network; and E group sessioning — the bringing together of parties electronically for participation in a groupto-group conferencing session. A stand-alone multimedia system supports the functions of capture, storage, retrieval and presentation. While the functions of transfer and group sessioning rely on the incorporation of a distributed multimedia system. Gunasekaran et al. (1996) suggest that each function can be utilised in different ways to improve performance and productivity in organisations. Little research has been undertaken that has attempted to investigate how multimedia can improve business performance. Moreover, there is no generic framework that has been developed that can assist businesses with the application of multimedia technology. Increasingly, business professionals need to interact with people from other disciplines and with people who are dispersed around the globe. Businesses are beginning to use the Internet for such things as shortening the development cycle of new products, communicating feedback on software,


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and accessing super-computers for industrial research and development. Global access to people, data, software, documents and multimedia changes the ways in which people scan for information, process personal and business communications, and ultimately, solve business problems. The Internet enables direct person-to-person communication using electronic communication forums. In addition, many computers on the Internet store freely accessible information, thus allowing people to share, disseminate and receive data and software. To sustain economic vitality and growth, businesses rely heavily on efficient and effective management and the manipulation and use of information for success. According to some experts, the integration of IT within an infrastructure of communication networks, hardware and software applications, databases, bulletin boards and other services, is the critical ingredient for sustaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace (Mathieu, 1995). Businesses must take advantage of multimedia technology if they are to gain a competitive edge. Realising the importance of computers in business, an attempt has been made in this paper to review the application of multimedia in various businesses together with various societal issues such as intellectual property, privacy and secure commercial transactions. A framework that can be used to improve the application of multimedia in business is presented. Future research directions are identified to stimulate research in multimedia technology in business.

2. An overview of the current and potential applications of multimedia In this section of the paper, an attempt has been made to review the potential application of multi-media in different business sectors. The main objective of such a review is to bring the most pertinent factors that are relevant to the application of multimedia in business. Table 1 presents some possible application areas of multimedia in business. Education requires a very general interactive information system that improves the communication between the teacher and students. Multimedia can also be found in banking and finance, retail shops, restaurants, hospitals, consultancy, transportation, tourism, government, refineries, entertainment and printing and publications and manufacturing. 2.1. Education and training Multimedia offers many possibilities for workplace education and training. The efforts of computer companies towards this goal have been widely reported in the literature. Such companies have recognised that most students do not learn by doing and therefore should not be forced to do so. As a result, most companies have attempted to design educational software for multimedia computers that supports active participation and empowers the student. According to Schank (1994) the main elements that should be considered when designing multimedia software are natural learning, simulation-based learning by doing, incidental learning, enlivening geography, rejecting rote memorisation, learning by reflection, reader empowerment, read trip’s videos, motivating reading skills, case-based teaching, learning by exploring, one-on-one teaching, goaldirected learning, and museum visitor’s as counsellors. At a much broader and complex level of multimedia applications as a learning tool is the concept of the virtual lecture. The Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Social Sciences in

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Table 1 Multimedia applications in business Business

Application of multimedia

Education

A virtual reality, network facilities, tutorial, learning by simulation, video and compression

Banking and finance

Interactive automotive cash teller, Internet money transfer, training and education

Retail shop

Electronic commerce, EDI, on-line ordering, security systems, customer feedback

Restaurants

Menu available, Internet-based dinner table booking

Hospital

Surgery, training and education, AI and expert systems

Consultancy

Training and education, demonstration of systems in manufacturing/service industries

Tele-conferencing

Meeting, interviews, conferences

Transportation

Maintenance, on-line booking, safety demonstrations, simulation of flight paths

Tourism

Visiting and knowing more about the places, booking accommodation and site seeing

Government

Education and training, Internet for communication, conferences, meetings.

Refineries

Production control, safety regulations

Entertainment

TV, CD-RAM, games, video

Printing and publications

Web, Internet journals, conferences

Manufacturing

Training and education, production control

Nuremberg, Germany first implemented such a lecture in 1995. Interdisciplinary courses are held for local students at one faculty and interactivity broadcast for students joining in from remote locations. Various demands concerning the tele-teaching environment have to be met to enable remote students to attend lectures virtually and so that they can interact synchronously by sending contributions through conferencing tools to the central lecture theatre. In addition, recorded lectures are digitised and stored on a multimedia server to provide asynchronous access for all students, constituting a ‘lecture on demand’ system. Furthermore, remote students are able to cooperate virtually with other students. That is, join an exercise group by means of video and audio communication, share screens and applications, exchange documents and software. To fulfil the corresponding multimedia communication needs, a broadband ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) network connects the lecture theatre in Nuremberg with remote lecture theatres, conferencing rooms and separate workplaces at the university or at home (Bodendorf et al., 1997). Other examples that can be derived from the educational sector include the work that has been undertaken by the London Management centre, where new concepts and tools for learning using multimedia have been used in various courses (Langley & Porter, 1994). These include: E a study of ‘People Express Airlines’ that focuses on the interactive nature of management and emphasises the cumulative effect of mismanaging human resources; E a human resource planning workshop that was designed-in-house that used a manufacturing case study; E a spreadsheet planning tool; and E an in-house designed job evaluation package.


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In contrast to the educational sector, the manufacturing sector has developed learning stations that involve the use of traditional multimedia elements to create a workstation that can be used to train employees. Many studies show that interactive training increases retention, decreases costs and reduces the amount of time required in training sessions (e.g., Alonso et al., 1995; Eloranta et al., 1995; Gunasekaran et al., 1996; Cantando, 1996). The Intel Corporation for example employs a training and job-aid multimedia application that uses still images taken directly from microscopes, video from the fabrication floor, and instructional audio and graphics that are used the to train inspectors (Morris, 1991). Interactive video-based training programs are also being used in factory environments where tasks are likely to have a high level of human error (Inglesby, 1986; Cantando, 1996). Multimedia applications work well in a computerised manufacturing environment inasmuch as they are cost-effective, convenient and the performance improvements achieved can be readily measured (Gunasekaran et al., 1996). Despite the numerous studies and reports citing the efficiencies of delivering instructions in a multi-sensory format via a computer, shipyards have been slow to implement this technology into their business practices. The reasons for this are twofold: first, the technology is still viewed as nascent and unproven, and second, the business benefits are not well understood by decisionmakers. There is a need for understanding the business benefits of implementing interactive multimedia makers in a shipyard environment. The main thrust of discussion should be towards how to properly analyse the expected return on investment and strategy for implementation of interactive multimedia within a typical shipyard (Matlack & Matlack, 1995). To improve employee productivity some business organizations are increasingly relying on multimedia electronic performance systems (EPSS). These systems are also being used to replace or supplement human experts, paper-based documentation and costly training programs. Such systems feature task-specific skills training, information access, templates/forms and expert advice needed for solving job-performance problems. Among the elements of an EPSS are information databases, expert and advisory systems, help systems, application and productivity software and feedback or monitoring systems (Cantando, 1996). 2.2. Tele-conferencing The optimum BISDN (Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network) tele-conference service for business is considered to be the most promising BISDN architecture, and is commonly referred to as a hypermedia tele-conference. This form of media has been designed based on previous research into typical business activities and ATM (Shimamura et al., 1991) Service characteristics are determined by analysing the daily work practices of a large set of businessmen. Shimamura et al. (1991) found that communication tasks occupy 44% of the working day. Their analysis further shows that some 60% of all communication tasks could be performed through an advanced digital teleconference service such as hypermedia teleconference. This form of teleconferencing is designed to satisfy the needs of business through personal communication terminals and ATM public networks. The terminals effectively allocate the BISDNs high-speed transmission capability between a number of sub-channels that realise distributed multi-point connection links and multimedia paths. The terminals use a new variable-bit-rate ATM codec created to realise high-quality video. Users are able to create full-featured teleconferences without

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a centralised connection facility. Terminals allow the synergistic combination of video, voice, telewriting, telepointing and document transmission services. 2.3. Banking and finance Technological advances in personal computing and telecommunications have reached a stage in their evolutionary development such that communication-based multimedia products and services are now commercially viable. The banking and insurance industries are heavy users of IT and telecommunication services, with almost every business transaction leading immediately to a computer-assisted process. Major banks operating worldwide would be unable to conduct business without efficient telecommunication networks and IT to serve their customers. The European Union ‘Research and development in Advanced Communications Technologies for Europe (RACE)’ programs which have been contributing and continue to contribute to worldwide developments in audio-visual services, played a key role in developing the crucial technology of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). In the context of mobile and personal communications, the RACE program aimed at the development and validation of the necessary key technologies and concepts of mobile and personal communications that would in the future constitute the building blocks of the third generation mobile communication systems. As part of the commercial bank application of the RACE program, an international consortium looked at how self-service banking and advisory support applications for up-to-the minute analyses of bank products can be used to better serve customers in the future (Bauer et al., 1995). Similarly, a ‘RACE’ collaborative project that brought together these key technologies to develop a multimedia terminal for the finance sector was then used by the banking partners to obtain a first-hand insight to the practical benefits this application brings (Arbuthnot & Khalil, 1993). 2.4. Retailing The most active market for multimedia technology is the retailing sector, where large investments are being made in the development of hardware and software. Computer companies are developing tele-media platforms, which involve the visual collaboration between individuals communicating over telephone lines. This may be described as an affordable high-technology version of tele-conferencing and is an effective solution for a retailer who is looking to cut costs in areas such as purchasing. Informarketing, that is, using information to reach specific consumers with specific retailing strategies, is also of prime importance (Gordon, 1986). Merchandise planners have access to a variety of information sources about the particular needs, tastes, sales and lead times of customers. Tele-marketing terminals provide information and display advertisements or promotions. The computer will not eliminate the need for sales personnel, but it will make them more useful to the customer. Technology will make sales reporting available instantly in graphic form. Computers are now being used at the presentation site for meeting a prospect’s inquiries and needs (Brown, 1995). This provides a competitive edge in the marketing of manufactured goods. For example, the automobile manufacturing firm Rover has developed a networked multimedia application that lets its dealers work with customers to build and order custom vehicles in the showroom (Cooney, 1994).


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2.5. Health care The business of healthcare management is changing and moving in the direction of managed care, capitation, and integrated delivery systems. Information management is crucial to the success and competitiveness of these new care delivery systems. A major goal of medical systems designers is to develop a model for a multimedia, computer-based patient medical record (CPR) (Hanlan et al., 1995). A logically integrated distributed multimedia patient data system gives authorised physicians transparent access through a single workstation. In conjunction with this integration, it provides asynchronous desktop conferencing between physicians connected by ATM and ISDN wide-area networks (Kleinholz & Ohly, 1994). The fundamental function of a CPR system is to record, monitor, retrieve, and analyse all events associated with an encounter between the patient and the healthcare system. Data components of the CPR include all forms of multimedia information, gathered from various departments within the institution. Users of the data are diverse and widely distributed. The amount of digital data generated will be approximately two terabytes (TB) of information per year for a medium-sized metropolitan medical institution. Most of the data (by volume) is used for developing diagnostic radiological images (Hanlon et al., 1995). This information must remain on-line or near-line for 7—10 years, or longer in many cases. Image and other data of the CPR will be stored as self-defining information objects in a Data Repository (DR). The DR will be comprised of distributed storage sub-systems and a high-level communication interface. Mass storage sub-systems and information management systems being developed now will be core technologies of the DR and the CPR (Hanlon et al., 1995). Alonso et al. (1995) developed a multimedia system that can be used to help hearing-impaired children acquire various communication skills simultaneously with sign language, speech, fingerspelling, lip reading and writing. Didactic activities and games teach the different means of communication. A character shaped like a pear assists and guides the children, explaining each activity and encouraging the children to identify with it throughout the process. Computer programs like this can enhance the way people learn. Some computer techniques and technologies such as AI techniques and multimedia technologies are especially well suited to achieve these objectives (Alonso et al., 1995). 2.6. Construction The ‘Information Super Highway’ has received great attention recently. Emerging and information technologies such as internet, 3D animation, multimedia, voice recognition, digital photography, and others promise to revolutionise how Western industry conducts business. The technology faces challenges of transfer to appropriate application areas and integration for information optimisation. To investigate the broad ranging questions of transfer and integration, the Construction Information Technology (CIT 21) project was conceived. The CIT 21 project is an effort to develop simulated 21st century construction organisations. The project’s focus is the investigation of emerging and information technologies’ impact on communication, productivity, and processes at the project level (Songer et al., 1995). The usage of computer technologies has revolutionised the practice of structural engineering during the past 30 years. The arrival of multimedia technologies within computer hardware and

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software will continue this trend. However, unlike previous computerisation in engineering which focused on the analysis and design of complex structures, multimedia will also be useful for many other business applications beyond analysis and design. For example, multimedia in the context of structural engineering enhance the engineering process (Baker & Elkordy, 1994). Multimedia can be used in the design and construction of a building including safety management in construction work, project management, computer-aided design and construction, and the inspection reporting system for the construction industry. The multimedia applications such as video conferencing, shared-screen computing and remote multimedia links on construction projects could have a significant impact on inter-professional communications and informal exchanges of information (ElBibany & Schuld, 1995; Fox et al., 1995; Songer & Rojas, 1995; Thorpe et al., 1995). 2.7. Entertainment The VIDEO CD is the combined specification among CD format, MPEG video/audio compression and Multiplex technology. It started from the KARAOKE CD format that was developed for the linear motion picture and sound aimed to business use. To it has been added high-resolution still picture and playback control features for wider application requiring simple interactivity. Therefore, it can be used for not only linear program play but also for multimedia package programs. It is the opening to the new era of digital video/sound for the consumer market (Honjo et al., 1994). The advances in storage, host I/O, and networks enable a variety of on-demand services. To effectively use these resources, Lee et al. (1996) proposed a Scalable and Extensible Architecture for Multimedia Entertainment (SESAME) to explore the modularity and scalability of Karaoke-ondemand (KOD) service. The SESAME approach is being extended to some other areas of interest such as distance learning (Lee et al., 1996). 2.8. Printing and publications The most common and simplest form of multimedia used by organisations is the World Wide Web (WWW). Fundamentally, there are three key processes that need to be undertaken in creating multi-media hypertext pages for the World Wide Web (WWW). These are: E creating an electronic document; E the syntax of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) linking text, images, and sound; and E the communication and business issues involved in Web publishing. Hypertext Markup Language is an application of Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML) that is used to create Web pages. The command set is small, the syntax is simple and consistent, and the documents that can be built with it offer a good degree of flexibility in content and presentation (Seesing, 1996). More sophisticated ways of publishing to wider audiences are now being developed. A publisher of business and financial news and a regional telephone service provider are developing the means to produce, distribute, and retrieve multimedia news over wideband information networks. The goal is to deliver business news on-demand to corporate and financial professionals in near real time using advanced network-based multimedia services.


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The new requirements of this application have led to the creation of the following prototypes (Seesing, 1996): E multimedia news programming format for live and stored information; E system concept for network-based multimedia information services; E flexible information structure to support composition, linkage, reuse, indexing, versioning, access control, and presentation control for live and stored multimedia; E groupware authoring system for audio—video capture, editing, indexing, and publishing; E digital information network with dynamically allocated stream and packet channels; E network-based multimedia store-and-forward service to provide notification, controlled distribution, access via authorisations, and database search and retrieval; E multimedia local area distribution system; and E user interface for browsing, search, notification and retrieval, with automatic hyper-linking to associated information and non-linear view/playback of audio—video material. The prototypes make efficient use of available multimedia and communications technologies, and are intended to exploit future network and media products, as they become available. The resulting system serves as a high-performance test bed to study user requirements, to evaluate new technologies, to probe market needs, and to develop new multimedia service concepts. While the current work focuses on a specific application, it is expected to provide a model for developing a wide range of multimedia applications and services (Miller et al., 1993). While much public discussion has focused on how businesses can profitability use the WWW and Internet, electronic commerce has not yet begun to establish a foothold in the business world. The question of how to make money on the WWW has no clear answer. How can we use the WWW and Internet to reduce and control costs? This question lends itself to many more solutions if we consider the cost benefits of improving customer service, reducing time to market, and improving the final product — all of which require initial investment but yield significant pay-offs in the long run. These solutions lend themselves very well to a web-based implementation (Deshpande et al., 1997). Incorporating multimedia components such as sound, text, video and still images, and animation in a GIS (Geographical Information System) environment presents new opportunities and challenges for data analysis and integration. The technology for incorporating multimedia into GIS creates an infrastructure that offers users powerful new interactive visualisation environments. In addition to the traditional presentation of data, interactive maps can be used to analyse and explore these data. Experiments with individual multimedia components in relation to spatial data have proved promising. 2.9. Manufacturing A number of companies have products in the pipeline that will offer facilities on the desk top for some or all of the following: telephony, video phone, interactive computer-based learning, virtual VCR, remote learning, multimedia, virtual books and computer-supported cooperative working. Particularly, however, there has been an emphasis in manufacturing on the use of multimedia information systems to support the function of production management in the

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following areas: E E E E E

transaction processing; operational planning; analysis and learning; documentation; and task support and training.

The use of multimedia can provide training opportunities on an individual basis. It can be adapted to the learning pace and the needs of each individual. Most production planners have little opportunity to be away from their work for more than a couple of days to attend a course. This type of learning represents a solution to that problem, with the use of multimedia adding another dimension to the pedagogical approach. The advantage of switching between video and audio media combined with advanced graphics, text and animation should not be underestimated (Rolstadas, 1995). Multimedia applications in manufacturing may include (Gunasekaran et al., 1996): E enterprise integration; E process integration for materials manufacturing; and E integrated product and process design. Standards and consistency should be established in factory communication, shop floor control and management, database management, and user interface to information systems and computer applications. In addition, steps need to be taken to overcome the technical, people-oriented, economic, and organisational problems of enterprise integration (Sundaram & Thangamuthu, 1986). Multimedia can assist in meeting these requirements. In the recent years, organisations have implemented interactive multimedia networks based on bridging technology aimed at connecting large manufacturing companies to suppliers and subcontractors. Multi-media can also be used to integrate multi-vendor systems. Smaller regional distribution centres due to decentralised manufacturing will replace large centres. This implies that a large amount of data has to be processed at different locations within the company. In order to coordinate the warehousing operations in an integrated manner, there is a need to retrieve information from different warehouses and then process it for decision making about the inventory levels and transhipment of goods from different depots, etc. Multimedia applications have a very useful role to play in distribution by linking various warehouses and their operational data in a coordinated fashion that will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the total distribution system. Clearly the distribution system cannot operate independently as it has to interact with other functional areas of the manufacturing operation. The most appropriate media that can be applied to distribution are audio, graphics, images, and text. The role of IT has been assuming increasing significance in all areas of business, especially the Electrical Supply Industry. Traditional areas of power system management such as System Operations, SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition systems) and telemetry are recognised uses of IT, but a need has been identified to make this technology available to operations and maintenance staff. SCADA is a process of providing data to many departments in a company by offering means for controlling and monitoring remote devices. The basic purpose of a SCADA system is immediate use to reliable event status information and feedback, tightly coupled with


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a control mechanism that affects processes based on that feedback. Browen et al. (1994) suggest a solution could be to provide transmission staff with a multimedia-based system that they could readily provide them with all the necessary information to amend a fault in a power system. Visual, textual, audio and technical data could be made available to the engineer, all of which will be needed before attending the fault. An extensive assessment of the package by a large number of transmission operations and maintenance staff has confirmed the soundness in application of this technique. The system will be of major benefit to transmission staff and it is intended to extend these facilities to all power circuits (Browen et al., 1994). The commercial success of energy utilisation depends on the quality of energy management. This quality stems from staff and managerial qualifications, corresponding use of professional energy management software tools, a forward-looking outlook, and a practical, problem-solving oriented approach to business (Lutsch & Herberholz, 1995). To meet the economic and ecological challenges posed by energy management, there is a need for highly sophisticated services in power plant operation, diagnostics, spare part management, inspection and maintenance supported by software for data base applications, simulation and optimisation. According to Lutsch and Herberholz (1995) there is a need to: E outline the efficiency of computer-aided energy management and optimisation; and E discuss new ways of training energy managers using multimedia structures and methods. Interactive, team-oriented learning-by-doing systems (Computer-based Training (CBT), management business games), together with supporting seminars and management software tools, are needed for effective plant operations (including nuclear plant staff education). Interactive multimedia human—computer interfaces and control panels incorporating synthesised audio speech and full-motion video for industrial processes of all types need to be developed to improve the interaction of operators with machines. Developers are devising pre-packaged software tools for constructing human computer interfaces (Gunasekaran et al., 1996). There are three major industry trends affecting operator interfaces on the factory floor: distributed information processing, flexible manufacturing, and employee empowerment (Eloranta et al., 1995). In these manufacturing situations, the most important consideration is to guide and support the decision-making process, not simply to maintain the database. In a team-organised environment, the situation is examined, the possible actions analysed and the decisions made in a continuous process. Even though decision-making is widely distributed to individual teams there is a need for coordination. Eloranta et al. (1995) have presented an interesting architecture for a lean production management system. They propose the following as categories of use of multimedia-based solutions: E E E E

tools to simplify the structure of the production planning mechanism via multimedia; direct tools for better customer service, indirect tools for better management; tools for better and faster learning processes; and tools to rationalise and simplify existing practices.

In order to bring together all the people from different functional areas to work for a common goal, one has to use suitable information systems that enable individuals in different parts of the organisation to understand their operational characteristics. During the past 10 years, computers and automation in different forms such as flexible manufacturing systems, computer-integrated

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manufacturing, robots, and automated-guided vehicle systems have been used extensively for the purpose of integrating various areas within manufacturing organisations. The different aspects of design, engineering and manufacturing can be explained effectively to people at different levels of the organisation using multimedia. The integration of data from different systems will be made more effective with object-oriented technology. Object-oriented databases have the potential to make an organisation’s information resources more accessible to a wider group of users, increase data and software sharing, and improve productivity through reduced development and maintenance costs. To date, the use of emerging object-oriented database technology has largely been confined to engineering and university environments.

3. A framework for the design of multimedia systems in business In this section, a framework has been provided for the design of a multimedia system in business. Moreover, it is intended here to offer some guidelines for the design of multimedia systems in business. Table 2 presents the elements of multimedia that would be applicable to improving the communication and integration in different business sectors. The Super LAN-600 is a high-speed multimedia backbone network which integrates data, voice, and video media, and which provides long distance (up to 40 km) transmission using optical fibre cables with a high transmission rate of 622.08 Mbit/s. Supporting video, voice, telephone, and data communication local area network (LAN) interfaces, it allows the construction of a multimedia network which meets a wide spectrum of business requirements and which fits various environments. Examples of its application to the manufacturing industry include a system configuration which combines access to design/manufacturing databases, transmission of computer-generated video images, and transmission of telephone conversations in an integrated manner. Another example, a public utility (such as electricity, water supply and sewage) application, integrates remote monitoring and control and telephony into a data communication LAN (Hirai et al., 1994). Asynchronous transfer mode is hailed by many as a major stepping stone toward next generation broadband networking. From many perspectives, public ATM service is uniquely equipped to meet customer demand for wide area multimedia application. For example, GTE has designed a full-service ATM network capable of handling local area network interconnections, multimedia applications, high-resolution imaging, and videoconferencing. However, many of these applications are not yet integrated into the carrier’s business processes, so GTE has begun developing business-enhancing broadband applications. ATM is not a cure-all for all network ills, but it is a great enabler (Oakes & Morgan, 1995). The technical requirements for implementing distributed multimedia applications in business are: a fast processor which can handle high volumes of multimedia data, a high bus bandwidth and efficient input/output based design and architecture, a multimedia operating system to maintain temporal and intermedia synchronisation and support real-time scheduling, high capacity on-line storage with quick access times and high data transfer rate for effective interchange of multimedia, high-performance, high bandwidth, low time transparency networks and protocols for multimedia


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Table 2 Alignment between business and multimedia Business

Media

Education

Video, audio, imaging, text, graphics, sound

Hospital


Retail shop

Electronic commerce, EDI, on-line ordering, security systems

Restaurants

Audio, video, text

Consultancy

Video, text, audio

Tele-conferencing

Video, audio, text

Transportation

Video, audio, text, sound

Tourism


Government


Refineries


Entertainment


Printing and publications


Manufacturing

Electronic commerce, EDI, on-line ordering

data transport, and software development tools for human-computer interfaces and processing multimedia information. Broadband multimedia is the combination of broadband communication technologies — principally ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) digital switching and SONET (Synchronous optical network) high-speed digital transmission over fibre — to deliver specific multimedia applications involving voice, data, video, and image for individual customer requirements (Rodriguez & Rowe, 1995). Media such as audio and video consist of a stream of data that conveys meaning only when presented continuously in time. Timing relationships must be maintained to synchronise a presentation, as when lip movements correspond to speech. As noted earlier, one central ingredient of multimedia computing and processing is real-time execution to enable delivery and presentation of continuous synchronised media. This particular feature of multimedia fits exactly the operational characteristics of modern manufacturing. Ideally, the multimedia community should focus on conceptualising and devising solutions and methods that (i) execute in real time, (ii) perform reliably, (iii) can be integrated into suitable computing and networking resources for guaranteed delivery of synchronized media presentations, and (iv) offer media quality equivalent or superior to that which users have become accustomed. As people seek more information, network bandwidths will need to be increased (Rodriguez & Rowe, 1995). Interest in multimedia applications has risen dramatically of late, largely due to significant advances in key enabling technologies and the rapid convergence of telephone, cable TV, and entertainment conglomerates. While the mass media has focused very tightly on the impact of these developments on the home entertainment industry it seems that, somewhere lost in the shuffle, has been a broad class of services centred on multimedia business communications. Based on a strong belief that such services can significantly improve company communications at many levels, we

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have been targeting our research to explore potential applications and enabling technologies relevant to this market segment. This paper offers a broad discussion of our first-hand experiences of developing distributed multimedia applications over the last three years. Sasnett et al. (1994) described several of the business-oriented applications that they have constructed and some of the tools and techniques they developed to assist in the process. Also, they discussed some of our latest experiences with high-speed networking technology (specifically ATM) for supporting distributed multimedia applications.

4. Future research on multimedia in business The following are some recommended future research directions and strategies that would help to improve integration by multimedia: (1) Even though Internet telephony only has a history of a few years, its technology has attained sufficient quality to handle some business systems. Although many people see it as a means of cheaper telephone calls, it will actually play a key role among multimedia applications, and will be applicable to a wide range of systems such as Internet multimedia applications and corporate Intranet systems. (ii) The structural characteristics of business systems decision making and hence decision support systems for business should be investigated for the purpose of designing suitable multimedia systems for business. (3) A good multimedia program to minimise waste will not only help the environment, but will also yield such benefits as lower operating costs, less liability, less regulatory burden, reduced taxes or fees, and improved public attitude towards the company (Benforado, 1991). (4) Interactive homepages (with video and audio) of companies can be developed so that customers can directly communicate and exchange information about their requirements and product characteristics. The homepages on Internet have become popular source medium for firms to enhance their marketing efforts with minimum input.

5. Conclusions An attempt has been made in this paper to bring to the fore the applications of multimedia in business. The central theme of the paper is improving communication and how it can be achieved most effectively using multimedia. The main emphasis for improving productivity and quality is to bring the people and various elements of the systems together. Multimedia should be an excellent tool for this. Multimedia can also improve the effectiveness of business. The lead-time for transferring information, material and services can be reduced by an interactive multimedia application. Future applications such as video groupware will push video servers into the mainstream (Szurkowski & Warner, 1995). The emergence of broadband networks for residential and business customers enable a wide range of new interactive services. For consumers, these new services might include movies on demand, networked multi-player video games, and interactive


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shopping via TV. Business applications might include broadcast-quality video tele-conferencing,distance learning, and telecommuting.

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