| I always associate corporate culture with suits and ties | | | | number of features that may be used to better the |
| in high summer, and with unending business meetings. I | | | | conference. |
| always picture these meetings being held in an | | | | Perhaps I am being old-fashioned when I say that |
| air-conditioned conference room with a long | | | | nothing can replace the good old days when every |
| rectangular table where the delegates are seated, | | | | conference delegate was within touching distance. I |
| some attentive, others bored, yet others thinking about | | | | am not convinced that the personal touch element can |
| the lunch hour. One person or two people at a time | | | | be achieved through conference calls. Can a |
| stand up to give a presentation, complete with graphs, | | | | conference call really be a good enough substitute? |
| charts, and statistics. Thereafter, there are questions, | | | | Then again, conferencing is quite a cost effective way |
| debates, arguments, and sometimes a conclusion. | | | | of getting one's employees together. The organization |
| Finally, everyone files out towards the cafeteria. | | | | no longer has to spend as much on travel expenses |
| Of course, these days, it is no longer necessary to | | | | to get people from far and wide to attend a meeting |
| have those really long tables at a conference room, | | | | at a tiny portion of the globe. All it takes is a little |
| thanks to the development of methods like conference | | | | expense on the technology involved, a little planning, |
| calls and web conferencing. These are used | | | | and a conference call can be conducted with great |
| increasingly frequently by corporate organizations to | | | | ease. With a little practice, even those that are not |
| overcome the hurdles put up by time and space. | | | | what one might call technologically savvy, will soon be |
| These days organizations that offer services to | | | | successfully having meetings with people who are |
| facilitate conference calls have been becoming | | | | continents away. |
| increasingly competitive. And why shouldn't they? As | | | | However, as with the meetings prior to conference |
| demand for conferencing rises, so too will the supply, | | | | calls, one can never really count on having everyone's |
| and everybody wants to prove that they are the best. | | | | mind on the job. That more than one mind will be |
| So each conference call service provider tries to | | | | wandering elsewhere, is guaranteed. Even with all our |
| provide better service. So you can get CDs recording | | | | progress, the development of humanoid robots, cloned |
| all that took place in the discussion. Also, the person | | | | sheep and so on, we have yet to learn how to go |
| hosting the conference call usually has access to a | | | | about controlling people's minds. |