Comparative Analysis of Online vs. Offline Business Communication in English in national companies in Nairobi

Absztrakt (kivonat)

This research aims to conduct a comparative analysis between online and offline business communication in English in the national companies in Nairobi, Kenya. The research problem is that many national companies have not yet fully adapted to the use of online communication during or after the post-Covid 19 pandemic. Thus, this research aims to investigate how business people in Nairobi have adopted virtual communication methods to communicate with their business partners and staff. The researcher hypothesizes, that the business people are not computer literate in Nairobi, due to the lack of digital skills development and education. (H1) Furthermore, assumes that in Nairobi business people are hesitant to adapt to modern technology or virtual communications because of the high internet costs and costs of hiring IT services. (H2).The theories applied in this research is adaptive structuration theory and social presence theory The first hypothesis stated that business people in Nairobi are not computer literate. Contrary to this assumption, the study found that 95 % of the respondents had computer skills. The computer skills were acquired during the schooling period: in high school, college, university, and other respondents did a computer course after completing their studies. Most workers acquired their IT skills during their studies between high school and master's level. From these findings business, people in Nairobi are computer literate, and many companies have adopted internet communication. The second hypothesis stated that Nairobi business people are hesitant to adapt to modern technology. From the findings more than 45 % of the respondents agreed that they often attend face-to-face meetings. Additionally, 76.1 % of the respondents agreed that face-to-face meetings have more focus and engagement than online meetings. Some of the most important authors are Kwamboka and Sang (2019) who investigated the effectiveness of virtual teams on project performance in higher learning institutions in Kenya. The research methodology applies quantitative methods of data collection and online survey. This study has several limitations. First, it focuses on a small group of professionals. Secondly, the study was only conducted in National companies in Nairobi, Kenya. Therefore, future studies should examine the adaption of the internet for communication in other towns and cities in Kenya.