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 import-
ance 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 acquisi-
tion 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: agunasekaran@umassd.edu

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
106 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 conferenc-
ing, 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 applica-
tions 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 entertain-
ment 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 group-
to-group conferencing session.
A stand-alone multimedia system supports the functions of capture, storage, retrieval and presen-
tation. While the functions of transfer and group sessioning rely on the incorporation of a distri-
buted 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,
 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120 107

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 mana-
gement 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 com-
puters 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 stu-
dents. 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, goal-
directed 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
108 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

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, conferenc-
ing 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.
 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120 109

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 decision-
makers. 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, tele-
writing, 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 com-
puter-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 world-
wide 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 invest-
ments 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, finger-
spelling, 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 informa-
tion technologies such as internet, 3D animation, multimedia, voice recognition, digital photogra-
phy, 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 Construc-
tion 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
112 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

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 compres-
sion 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-on-
demand (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.
 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120 113

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 dis-
tribution, 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 anima-
tion 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
114 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

following areas:
E transaction processing;
E operational planning;
E analysis and learning;
E documentation; and
E 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, econo-
mic, 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 recog-
nised 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
 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120 115

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 chal-
lenges 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), man-
agement 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 synthe-
sised 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 informa-
tion 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 manage-
ment system. They propose the following as categories of use of multimedia-based solutions:
E tools to simplify the structure of the production planning mechanism via multimedia;
E direct tools for better customer service, indirect tools for better management;
E tools for better and faster learning processes; and
E 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
116 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

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 uni-
versity 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 environ-
ments.
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 genera-
tion 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 applica-
tions 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
 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120 117

Table 2
Alignment between business and multimedia

Business Media

Education Video, audio, imaging, text, graphics, sound

Hospital Video, audio, imaging, text, graphics, sound
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 Video, audio, text, sound
Government Video, audio, text, sound
Refineries Video, audio, text, sound
Entertainment Video, audio, imaging, text, graphics, sound
Printing and publications Video, audio, imaging, text, graphics, sound
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 multi-
media 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 pre-
sentation, 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
118 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120

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 cor-
porate 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 main-
stream (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
 A. Gunasekaran, P.E.D. Love / International Journal of Information Management 19 (1999) 105—120 119

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

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A. Gunasekaran is an Associate Professor of Operations Management in the Department of Management at the

University of Massachusetts — Dartmouth, USA. He has a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (India). Dr. Gunasekaran is currently interested in researching Agile
Manufacturing, Concurrent Engineering, Management Information Systems, Multimedia in Manufacturing, Supply
Chain Management, Computer-Integrated Manufacturing and Total Quality Management.
Peter Love is a Senior Lecturer in Construction Management within the School of Architecture and Building, Deakin
University. He has a B.Sc in Quantity Surveying from the University of Westminster, UK and a M.Sc in Construction
Management from Bath University, UK. He is a Chartered Building Professional as well as a Member of the Australian
Institute of Management.