Digital Technology Has Transformed Business Activities in Marks and Spencer

Title

How digital technology has transformed business activities: A study on Marks and Spencer.

Introduction to organisation

Marks and Spencer was founded in year 1884 and is British multinational retail company which is specialising into selling of all types of clothing, home and food products as well. At current time company is having about 979 stores all across UK but area served is worldwide that of M&S having about £10 billion total revenue. It is very much important for firm is utilising all type of digital technology within all their sections like that of finance, operation and marketing. Marks and Spencer recently announced technological transformation which is part of their 5 year plan helping firm to deliver improvement in experience of customer and creating faster functions (Collins and Halverson 2017). This technological program will be enabling M&S in generating about £30 million revenue each year by 2021 and cost of implement will be £25 million. So this shows that how much focused management of M&S is towards its use and implementation of digital technology.

Introduction to digital technology

Digital transformation is that process which is including changes and modifications with use of technology like that of cloud computing, software development, big data analysis and various forms of networks. This current era which is more focused on increasing importance of technology not only on personal but also professional life of individual. So this is also including digital literacy which means in what proper manner person is been able to use technology, networks and having access to communication tools. In this respect information technology is most frequently used phenomenon which is related to financial statements and communication of them to management (Strauss and Frost 2016). Digital technology is very much importantly used in every organisation so that they are could be gaining higher amount of profits, selling products to more customers, increasing market share and improving quality of products as well.

Research aim

How digital technology has transformed business activities: A study on Marks and Spencer

Research objectives

• To examine the concept of digital technology.
• To evaluate the impact of digital technology which is leading to transformation of business activities.
• To interrelate the growth of M&S with its effect from digitalisation
• To suggest various ways through which digital technology could be implemented within M&S.

Research questions

1. What does digital technology means as concept?
2. How will importance of digital technology will be evaluated within business?
3. How to interrelate both growth of M&S with digital technology?
4. What suggestions are made in consideration with digital technology in M&S?

LITERTURE REVIEW

Concept of digital technology

Hanelt and Kolbe (2015) introduced technology as that means which is enabling companies, individuals and whole community to fill up the gap of communication, learning new things, improving quality of products and increase in profits for company. Digital technology is enabling peoples to gather huge amount of information and data about all necessary requirements which is leading to slow transformation of lives of people. Thus it could be said that technology is helping in transforming platform of communication level of individuals which is also processing knowledge. All the old or traditional ways of maintaining information or data which is combined to form physical and digital manner. Businesses are finding out way to transform process, experience of customers and models of organisation as well.

Impact of technology leading to transformation of activities of business

As per the view of Westerman and McAfee (2014) digitalisation is having strong impact on activities of business like that of including finance, operations, marketing and human resources management. Technology will be leading to transformation of companies with relaying on increased amount of profits and improved quality of products and service. Digital technology is helping firm to identify their aims and objectives with given opportunities in respect to their competitors who are their within markets. Digital technology is playing very important function in transforming companies in doing their business and earning profits as well. Enabling organisations like that of M&S in faster delivery of their services and products to customers with best quality as well

Hess and Wiesböck (2016) viewed that technology is been used by finance department of companies to collect, store and then transmit data to their senior level management. This would be very much useful for them in respect to traditional way of storing financial information of company like it is reduced amount of paper work. They are now using Big Data analysis which is platform for storing and communicating information that is related to finance and capital of firm. On other hand it was also included by Matt and Benlian (2017) that company is using technology in operations section in form of digitalisation form of taking attendance of staff members moreover communicating with clients on direct and easy methods. Firm is also using many new machinery and technology enabling them to produce and manufacture goods and service at more convenient manner with all new features.

It could also be included that other section likes that of marketing department within organisation this is using or implementing digital technology into daily working. Marketing department is mainly analysing use and impact of digital technology in promotion of products through use of social media platform. Nambisan and Song (2017) further included that there are many types of functions of marketing section which is helping company to sell their products to customers on larger bases. Other than this human resource department will be using technology to recruit and select correct individual for the right post. All these things are only possible after implementation of digital technology and transforming activities of business with gaining higher amount of profits.

Interrelationship between growth of M&S with digitalisation

Digitalisation is process of making working and functions of company easy and fast which will be solving issues and problems related to company that are complex for business. Porter, and Kramer (2017) moreover defined that there is direct connection between both digitalisation with growth of company like that of M&S. if company is laying more emphasis on use and implementation of digital technology then it is easy for firms to grow in market and earn higher amount of profits as well. Technology will also be promoting growth of business which means that they are now not certainly using traditional methods of operating. It was included by a research or survey that those companies which are emphasising more and more use of technology will be having more wider scope of growth within market. While those companies which are not using or implementing this digital technology will not be having higher level of growth. So Katsh and Susskind (2017) clarify that impact and importance of digital technology is growing in current scenario. This is leading complete transformations of company and their related operations of functions enabling business to expand within greater market areas.

METHODOLOGY

Sampling methods

This is taking out small portion from larger amount of population of respondents and participants who would then be taking part in research or survey which is been conducted. In this current research about 25 respondents or employees of M&S will be selected bases on probabilistic approach. Under this type there is equal and fair chance of each respondents to be included within this research and then giving their views on digital technology and its use.

Research philosophy

This is also a part of research methodology which is relating to many theories and models which are to be use or implemented while conducting research. This will be helping researchers to clearly understand impact of digital technology on M&S and their growth as well. There are mainly 2 different types of philosophy which could be used in any kind of research namely positivism and interpretivism (Tchamyou, 2017). Positivism will be including definite goals and objectives which are in alignment with results and conclusion part. While this current research will be based on interpretivism which is collection of reliable and valid data which is leading or guiding researcher towards objective and aim of research.

Research approach

This will be regarded to as most important element of research which is processing to find helpful conclusions into research and also helping to improve performance. There are two types of research approach namely deductive and inductive both of them are used to find out end results of study. So in this current research deductive approach will be used which is helping to cover all important aspects of topic which is impact of digital technology on growth of business.

Research strategy

Strategy will be including set criteria in order to undertake program or research on technology with forming correct techniques and methods (Alvesson and Sköldberg 2017). Qualitative and quantitative could be used within research which is undertaken in order to collect and interpret data. The current research will be based on impact of digital technology will be including qualitative research strategy so that scholar is easily finding out relevant results based on data which is collected.

Data collection

This is the most important and vital part of research which is covering all relevant data, information and figures that is related to topic of digital technology and its impact on growth of M&S which is retail company. Primary and secondary are the two types of data collection method or sources used in research or study to form valid results and come up with recommendations (Zhu and Lin 2017). Primary source will be fresh and new information which is not been used in any other research like that of questionnaire, survey and observations. While secondary source will be that which is already used source in before research and studies like books, journals and articles on topic of technology and its impact. So both the type of data collection techniques are to be used in current research which is data gathered from primary source like that of 25 participants from various departments. Also data from different books, articles and journals will be used and these are secondary method of data collection.

Data analysis

Analysing and interpreting data is also very much important after collecting relevant data so this will be done to come towards valid conclusion and results. Qualitative and quantitative data analysing techniques are used within research but in this current one only qualitative would be used. Under this method thematic analysis is done for each and every question asked into questionnaire from.

Time horizon

FINDING

Theme 1: Helfulness of digital technology for M&S

Figure 1 : Helfulness of digital technology for M&S

Interpretation:

Digital technology is very much helpful as included in above literature review part which tells that without including digitalisation of working it would not be possible for company like that of M&S to evaluate profit and sales. So with interaction with about 25 respondents of M&S it could be included with various views of all of them 10 out of 25 said that they agree that digital technology is very much effective and helpful for M&S. they all included that company must be using technological advancement so that it becomes easy for management to estimate profits and sales of current and upcoming years. 9 of them were not agreeing on this point they said that digital technology would not be useful for M&S so they should not be wasting their time and money. While 6 of them were having no clear view regarding importance of digital technology withi

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