Help with understanding technology in business from the BBC

Last month at a Dell social-business event I participated in, I met Jeremy Hillman, the BBC’s business and economics editor, and one of the mainstream media representatives at the event. He was telling me about Technology of Business, a new online TV series from the BBC comprising 24 short features around the role of technology in the world of business, that launched this month.

According to the BBC’s press release, each of the four-minute vignettes that make up the series will examine the ways in which businesses use technology to increase productivity and profitability, with episodes dealing with subjects such as the role of social media in enabling companies to learn from their customers.

That example is highly topical and is the first of the 24 programmes. Titled "Why does Starbucks want to be your friend on Facebook?" and presented by BBC technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones, it takes a compelling look at how and why companies such as Starbucks, BP and iSoft use social media like Facebook and Twitter and what business benefits they obtain.

Technology of Business is produced by BBC World News, the BBC’s global arm, and is sponsored by Xerox outside the UK.

The sponsorship will take the form of opening and closing 10-second billboards around the vignettes.  Xerox will also take on exclusive advertising on the Technology of Business section on BBC.com. As part of the agreement, BBC World News is also providing Xerox with syndication and distribution permissions to the series, which will be managed by active engagement agency MEC to enable editorial content to be published on social media channels and news and technology sites.

If you’re trying to understand contemporary technology and its role in business today, Technology of Business looks like a useful resource to help you.