L/616/1526 MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PROJECT Unit 21 HND in Hospitality Management

Part 1: Project Plan

1. Project Definition

Problem Statement

Schwalbe (2015) commented that project is the planned set of tasks that need to be carried out for a specific period within the defined cost and the limitations. The present project deals with the evaluation of the impact of digital technology on the business operation and the marketing activities Asda. Asda is the British supermarket retailer which was founded in 1949. The organisation employs 165,000 people who are responsible for selling the grocery and the general merchandise product (Asda.com, 2018).

Digital technology has dramatically impacted the retail sector, and Asda has responded with specific changes. The digital advertisement in the stores, development of mobile apps and investment in the online and has helped the brand to increase their presence and attract the customers. The recent “To You’ Service helps in offering value-added retail service for improving the customer experience (Tcs.com, 2018). The implementation of order management, parcel tracking and usage of Kiskos helped to develop the business operation. The present project would evaluate the impact of the application of these new digital technologies on the sales and the profitability of the business (The Drum, 2018).

Project Strategy

The current research requires the opinion of the customers as well as that of the employees of Asda. The project would include the collection of both the quantitative and the qualitative data. In this way, the reliability and the validity of the data can also be ensured. The survey would be used to acquire quantitative data from the customers and interview would be used to obtain qualitative data from the managers of Asda.

Project Objectives

The present research aims to evaluate the impact of the digital technology on the marketing, operation and the overall satisfaction of the customers of Asda.

Objectives

The objectives of the research are:

• To evaluate the benefits of digital media in business
• To assess the effect of digital media on the marketing and the operation of Asda
• To critically analyse the role of digital media in the customer satisfaction in Asda
• To determine the impact of the digital technology on the sales and the profitability of the business

Time and Cost of the Project

Table 1: Cost and time
(Source: Learner)

Scope of the Project

The scope of the research would include evaluation of the impact of digital technology on the marketing and the operation of the business in Asda. It would also include the assessment of the effects of the sales, profitability and the satisfaction of employees.

Included Scope:

• Understanding the use of digital marketing activities in Asda
• The method of digital technology in operation of the business in Asda
• Completing the entire project in £600

Excluded Scope

• Issues related to the implementation of the digital technology in Asda

Success Criteria

The success of the project can be understood by reviewing the knowledge that has been gained from the research (Todorović et al. 2015). The project would be deemed to be successful if the study can evaluate the impact that the digital technology has created on the customers. This can include increased awareness and increased sales that impact the profitability of the business.

Project Assumptions

• The customers have detailed knowledge about the digital technology in the organisation
• The respondents would provide honest opinion against the question asked to them

2. Implementation Plan

Work Breakdown Structure

Figure 1: Work Break down structure
(Source: Learner)

3. Project Process

Communication Plan

Table 3: Communication Plan
(Source: Learner)

Risk Plan

The project would include certain risks which listed in the table below:

Table 4: Risk Identification
(Source; Learner)

Part 2 Project Log Book

Carrying out small-scale research through the application of quantitative and qualitative research methods

Saunders (2011) commented that research method refers to the procedure of obtaining data for fulfilling the objectives of the research. There are different research methods available to the researcher which can be adopted. In this case, the prime aim is to evaluate the impact of digital technology on the marketing and the business operation of Asda and the ways it impacted the customers and the sales and the profitability of the business. Hence, for this researcher has opted for mixed methods in which the researcher would collect the quantitative and the qualitative data. The quantitative data would be acquired through the survey, and the qualitative would be obtained through interview. 41 customers of Asda has been selected for the survey, and two assistant marketing managers are chosen for the interview.

The research would follow a descriptive research method in which all the data collected in the research process would be described to address the objectives that have been designed for the research. The descriptive research methods would help to develop a practical understanding of the study and the data ( Wahyuni, 2012).

Project Log Book

Table 5: Project Log Book
(Source: Learner)

Part 3 Performance Review

Analysing the research and data through suitable techniques and tools

Quantitative Analysis-41 customers of Ada

1. What is your gender?

Table 6: Gender

Chart 1: Gender

The survey had 29.8% female and 70.2% males.

2. Select your age group

Table 7: Age

Chart 2: Age

The participants were from the different age group, but a majority (43.3%) were in the age group of 28-37 followed by 41.1% who were in the age group of 18-27 years.

3. Do you agree that increased presence of Asda on social media has attracted your attraction?

Table 8: Increase presence on social media

Chart 3: Increase presence on social media

When the respondents were asked if the increased social media presence of Asda helped to attract their attention, 36.5% and 26.9% of the respondents positively replied. The traditional advertisement method has failed to attract the customers or create awareness. The customers who disagreed with fact may have been the regular and loyal customers of Asda since time immemorial. However, it is evident that increased advertisement of Asda on social media has helped to attract the customers thereby increasing the sales and the profitability of the company.

4. From where do you get to know about the new launches and services of Asda?

Table 9: Awareness about new service and brands

Chart 4: Awareness of new service and brands

When the respondents were asked about the services that were created about the awareness about the new products and the services, 36.5% and 29.8% of the respondents mentioned about the particular media and the digital advertisement of Asda. From this evaluation, it is evident that digital presence of Asda has created a far-reaching impact on the customers. The creation of awareness is essential to attract them and increase the sales of the company.

5. Do you think that customer service of Asda has improved?

Table 10: Customer service of Asda

Chart 10: Customer service of Asda

In the survey, the respondents were asked, if customer service has improved, 53.9% agreed to the fact. The implementation of the digital technology in business operation has helped to manage the order better, help the customers to find product's as per their need and offer feedback and get their problems resolved quickly. Hence, the digital technology has created a positive impact on the Asda. 26.9% of the customers replied that they don't know about the improvement of the customer service and this may be because they had not reviewed the factor needed the customer service.

6. Do you agree ‘For you’ service by Asda offers value for money?

Table 11: Value of Money

Chart 6: Value of Money

The respondents were asked about the significance that ‘For You' service of Asda has created. 41.3% and 34.6% agreed and highly agreed to the fact. The new service has been the result of the implementation of the digital technology in which the process of selection billing and returning the product has become much more comfortable. It has helped Asda to reposition the brand and attract the customers and create awareness about the brand.

7. How far do you agree that Asda is successfully competing with its competitors?

Table 12: Competitors

Chart 7: Competitors

The respondents were asked about the performance of the competitors regarding the competitors. The majority of the respondents replied that ads are presently working efficiency against the competitors. All the thanks to the digital technology that has helped Asda to improve their performances and develop an effective marketing strategy. This help to attract the customers and grow their operational efficiency to provide value to the customers.

Qualitative Analysis- 2 Assistant Marketing Managers of Asda

1. How has digital marketing helped you in marketing and business operation?

The first manager mentioned that they had implemented the digital technology in marketing activities in the beginning. The usage of digital ads in the stores, increasing online presence and social media activity has increased the attention of the customers.

The second manager mentioned that digital marketing has helped to attract the attention of the customers. However, implementing digital technology in a business operation like CRM, operation management and others has helped to improve their service and increase the level of the customer satisfaction.

2. Do you think that digital technology has helped to increase the sales and profitability of Asda?

The first manager replied with a big ‘Yes'. He mentioned that digital technology in marketing has helped to increase the awareness about the company. This has attracted the customers which in turn increased the sales.

The second manager mentioned that digital technology has helped to reposition the brand Asda. The new ‘To You' strategy has helped the customers to realise that Asda is offering value to the customers which increased the goodwill and increased the sales and the profitability.

Offering Conclusion and Recommendation

Conclusion

The complete research showed that implementing digital technology in marketing and business operation activity in Asda has helped to reposition the brand. This has increased the awareness about the brand and attracted the customers. The customer's willingness to purchase from this brand increased which increased the sales. It is evident that increased advertisement of Asda on social media has helped to attract the customers thereby increasing the sales and the profitability of the company. The new service has been the result of the implementation of the digital technology in which the process of selection billing and returning the product has become much more comfortable.

Recommendation

1. Carrying Our Market Research: For further development of digital technology, the brand needs to carry out market research. This would help to develop an idea about the latest digital technologies, the strategy of the competitors and the needs and the wants of the customers in the market.
2. Proper Segregation Of Target Market: Asda needs to segregate the market to develop an idea about the needs of different of customers. Social media and other digital media platforms would help to identify and isolate the target and thereby help Asda to introduce better products and strategies to address the need of different customers.
3. Rendering Training To The Employees: The implementation of the digital technology in the stores' and business operation would bring change in the work culture. Hence, the employees should be trained appropriately so that they can lead the organisation towards the meeting the objectives.

Reflection on the worth of researching to achieve the stated objectives and own performance and learning

The study had aided to increase the knowledge about the digital technology and its impact on the business. The collection of the primary data has helped to evaluate the objectives that were designed for the project. The opinion of the customers and the perspective of the managers has helped to address the goals and assess the fact that digital technology has helped Asda to increase their sales and profitability by creating awareness among the customers.

Furthermore, this project has helped me to learn about the research strategies. It has helped me to understand the different ways to collect data, sampling and the process of data analysis. This would be effective for to understand the significance of the research and how various problems can be solved through it. The preparation of the log book and Gantt chart also helped me to und4etasnd the importance of planning activities so that the works can be competed according to and within time.

Conclusion

The present report provided an overview of the impact of the digital technology on Asda. The research has been concerning the marketing and business operation. The collection of made it is evident that increased advertisement of Asda on social media has helped to attract the customers thereby increasing the sales and the profitability of the company. The new service ‘For You’ by Asda has been the result of the implementation of the digital technology in which the process of selection billing and returning the product has become much more comfortable.

References

• Asda.com. (2018).Asda.com - Online Food Shopping, George, & more. [online] Available at: https://www.asda.com/ [Accessed 31 May 2018].
• Saunders, M.N., (2011).Research methods for business students, 5/e. Pearson Education India.
• Schwalbe, K., (2015).Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
• Tcs.com. (2018).Asda Launches “ToYou” Services - Redefines Value Retailing | TCS. [online] Available at: https://www.tcs.com/asda-launches-toyou-services-redefines-value-retailing [Accessed 31 May 2018].

UPTO50%

Avail The Benefit Today!

To View this & another 50000+ Free Sample

Enter Email

Submit