The largest firms have taken advantage of changing technology. Companies which fail to respond to the way technology is moving are less likely to succeed. The shape of business has changed in some of the following ways:

* Production lines are increasingly controlled by computers. Robotic arms and other mechanical devices are used to produce standardised products on very efficient production lines.

* More and more businesses operate from virtual premises i.e. websites. Websites serve as the ‘shop front’ from which goods and services can be sold.

* New surprising business models have been created by Internet entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Sergey Brin & Larry Page (Google)

* Commercial websites offer global 24/7 shopping.

* Business now places less emphasis on face-to-face sales and more on online presence and advertising.

* The media, especially the print media, can now use Desktop Publishing programs to speed up the transfer from text to publication. Increasingly the print media are turning to online forms of publication.

* The call centre industry has exploded as a consequence of developments in ICT. Huge designated call centres across the globe are used to field calls from the public.

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Sustainability, re-cycling and the environment

ICT can help in the battle against wasted energy and resources. An example of this may be found in Smartbins, which are large recycling bins where members of the public can put their recyclable waste. Remote sensors inside the bin will signal when and where a collection needs to take place.

Advanced ICT can also be used by researchers to record climate and environmental change. ICT itself demands huge amounts of energy and we can all help just that little bit by turning off hardware devices when they aren’t being used and recycling when we can. Printing cartridges and mobile phones, for example, can be recycled.