E-mail has revolutionised the way that global companies work. Staff can keep in touch with one another no matter what time of day or night it is. Even if the office in Australia is shut for the day, an e-mail can be sent and it is there waiting for when they get into the office.

No longer is there a need to wait for a letter to arrive. You can send the documents as an attatchment.

Time isn't wasted ringing someone and hoping they answer their phone. An email will arrive regardless of whether they are at their desk or not.

Faxes enable documents to be sent electronically via the telephone line in the space of a couple of minutes - far faster than 1-3 days for a letter.

Legal documents which need a signature can be sent to Canada and received back in less than 10 minutes.

Digital Signatures are now legally binding in some countries (such as the UK). So allowing contracts and legal documents to be signed and sent electronically.

Video conferencing has reduced the need to leave the office to go to meetings. In the past, it was commonplace to drive or travel by plane to meet up with others in the company. This could take a few days and was very tiring.

Now, many global businesses use video conferencing to arrange meetings with other offices around the country or world.

Still, just like when trade started in the dim and distant past, people still like to meet face to face when making contact for the first time. Technology then helps the process along.