the effects to modern technology to tourism industry?
e information age has had a dramatic impact on our society, and this has been felt both positively and negatively
(Ariss, 2002). Technology availability shapes an evolution in organizational communication and processes. Internet and
computer have created one of the most challenging environments for innovative organizational communication in the
recent century. These technologies are usually presented as a complex opportunity and challenge for smaller firms to
reduce communication cost, lead to the emergence of new ways of interacting, and make the communication processes
richer and wider.
Computer – Mediated communication (CMC) has entered our personal and professional lives. Advances in
communication technology have made electronic media, such as e- mail Instant Messaging (IM), ordinary ways of
communication for people in the workplace. CMC has experienced a dynamic and rapid growth in the late 1990s. The
rise of Internet has created one of the best environments for innovative organizational communication in the past decade.
Because of rapidly changing competitive context, top managers should have the ability to creatively identify and assess
multiple emerging opportunities. This competency is a strong contributor to the implementation of innovative
communication needed to achieve the high growth desired by these firms. The popularity of negotiation media is growing
due to enhanced technology which makes communication easier than ever. The growth of the number of communication
media, for example e- mail, Instant Messaging, and Video Conferencing as well as everyday life are evident. It should be
noted that, It is no longer an option for most SMEs to ignore the modern technologies and take a "wait and see" attitude.
Because, the electronic communication represents an opportunity for durable interaction, and obviously, this interaction
is not silent and forgotten, it has to be retrieved daily. Also, because of its easy access, represents an opportunity of inter
– organizational communication for SMEs, aiming at improving the relationship of manager with the employees and
market. E- communication is changing the needs of customers, who are increasingly less loyal, take more frequent
vacations of shorter duration, and take less time between choosing and consuming a tourism product (Werthner, 2004).
E- communication also is expected to reduce operational costs since electronic information tends to be more accurate,
timelier, and easily available. Another benefit of e- communication could be the higher efficiency obtained in business
transactions due to a fast and accurate processing of information (Lal, 2002).
The importance of interaction in SMES has roots in the external context that is changing per moment. The ratio of
rejection to modern communication technologies decreases with the increase in the SMEs size. Furthermore, SMEs in
the biggest size, is all adopters. The size factor may have played the role in influencing communication media usage in
this research. Pratt (2002) found that more than 80 percent of SMEs were using Internet to communicate (via e- mail and
IM) and gather business information. Iacovou, Benbasat, & Dexter (1995) state that a major reason that SMEs become
