Academic Research and Writing: Technology Adoption and Business Issues

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of technology adoption in business, using Marks and Spencer as a case study. It begins by outlining key business issues related to adopting new technologies, such as limited resources, stakeholder dissatisfaction, employee-related issues, and financial risks. The report then includes a reflective writing section, detailing the skills gained and lessons learned during the project, emphasizing communication, time management, and critical thinking. Finally, it presents a personal development plan focusing on skill enhancement in decision-making, time and work management, and critical analytical skills. The report concludes by summarizing the challenges of technology adoption and the importance of skill development for both personal and professional growth, offering insights for future projects and career advancement. The report incorporates various academic sources to support its claims, and the student demonstrates an understanding of academic writing and referencing throughout the document.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH
AND WRITTING

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Part 1................................................................................................................................................3
Current business issues................................................................................................................3
Part B...............................................................................................................................................5
Reflective writing ........................................................................................................................5
Part 3................................................................................................................................................6
Personal development plan..........................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Adoption of new technology denoted as implementing the advanced and new techniques
in order to channelise the business practices. This report is based on the case study of Marks and
Spencer Company in regard to its adoption of new technologies in channelising business
practices. The organisation was established in the year 1884 by the founders Michael Marks and
Thomas Spencer. Comp[any is currently operating its practices under the retail sector that is
vibrant and transforming across the globe. Headquarter of the company is located in London,
United Kingdom. Company is currently operating its business operations at approximately 15000
business locations. This report will discuss different aspects related to adoption of new
technology in business. Henceforth, report will emphasis over the variety of business issues
company face in order to adopt new technology in market. Furthermore, report will also discuss
the reflective assessment over the learning taken from the entire study. Personal development
plan will also discuss.
Part 1
Current business issues
Adoption of new technology is about to either install new systems and infrastructure or to
modify the existing system business entity hold. Marks and Spencer Company work in retail
sector that contain huge demand of product further the organisation is entertaining its services in
both the medium online and offline mode of trading. In such a situation to maintain operations of
company efficiently and contain a healthy management of operations it require business entity to
continuously work over its technological advancement and development in order to sustain an
effective flow of operations. There are various business issues company face every time it
proceeds to develop technology part of company or to modify the system.
Limited resources: is among the major issue company face every time it tries to adopt any new
technology in business operations. It becomes essential in context to the adoption of the new
technology to implement it in the most fluent way possible. Technical advancement contain a
nature which allow the business entity either to adopt the change completely or not to go forward
to achieve such a change in a ha;f way possible only (Awin and et.al., 2019). Resources in every
technical advancement seek plenty. Company should only proceed for any technological change
if it holds the more than required number of resources than only it can adopt the change in the
best way possible. Resources in case of any business organisation like Marks and Spencer

Company are limited in number. This create a huge issue for the business entity top adopt such a
change in business. Many times due to the limited amount of resources changes are adopted, but
they are not completely equipped at the organisation level. This further do not allow the business
entity to take complete advantage against the technological development company has adopted in
the organisation.
Stakeholder dissatisfaction: is also a kind of issue company face every time it is proceeded
towards adopting new technology in business. Stakeholder group especially the investors and
shareholders are concerned in respect to any change company adopt as it seek huge amount of
financial resources. This is also obvious that change contain significant amount of risk as to
where the business entity will be capable enough to adopt such a change (Fajri and et.al., 2020).
Also the risk is that the effectiveness of the respective change in context to the business entity.
Stakeholder dissatisfaction do not allow the business entity to achieve a proper control over the
implementation part of technological advancement. Especially at the initial level investors and
shareholder report dissatisfaction as they do not contain proper knowledge regarding change to
be adopted.
Employee related issues: This is also a major issue that company face when it comes to
adopting any new change in the organisation. Every time Marks and Spencer Company adopt
new change employee feel insecure regarding the change. The basic nature of human being also
not allow taking positively many changes as it will be requiring extra efforts of such employees
to adopt the respective change positively. Technological advancement seek constant learning
related to the equipment and techniques over how to adopt such changes. All these aspects create
a constant pressure over the mindset of employee. In order to adopt the change company needed
a constant support of human resources at all aspect of change management such as from planning
to implementation stage and further to utilise the change (Lehtonen, 2018). Most of the cases
instances have been noticed where employees do not feel positive about the change to be
adopted. Management at the Marks and Spencer Company try to communicate constantly with
the employees every time it motivates to any technological development in company. This make
the process easier ion favour of the business entity to convince and gather support of company's
employee in process to adopt the respective change.
Financial risk involve in technological development: is also one of the key concerned area
associated with the change adopted to advance the technology at the organisation. Every change

such as technology change require huge amount of financial resources. Also one of the limitation
attached with the change management denote that every change contain a significant limitation
where it is not necessary that company will be completely capable to adopt the respective change
properly (Pheng, Arain and Mingdong, 2019). Is it also possible that at the end the respective
change do not feel useful in context to the business entity as the culture or the nature of operation
do not support such a change. All these aspects create a certain level of financial risk that needed
to overcome by the business entity in order to implement such a development. Financial risk are
already limited in number and in such a situation this aspect of technological development
improve the level of risk involve under the change management practice,.
The above mentioned changes are significant in nature and associated with the business
entity in respect to adopting changes at the organisation level.
Part B
Reflective writing
In the duration of completing the entire project I have learnt many new aspect of
technological development company entertained at the organisation level. I could learn the
communication skill. I get to communicate with many stakeholders in order to complete the
respective project. Further I get to learn other skills like presentation skill, decision-making skill,
time and work management skill and other such hard and soft skills (Sawarynski, Baxa and
Folberg, 2019). Further I could know about ITC skill as I had to scroll internet to gather the best
level of information against the completion of project. I also get to understand what are the key
areas an individual must consider before making any decision at a professional level. I also get to
know that I have learnt many hard and soft skills in the completion of this project.
This entire learning of this module is useful and effective in context to my future growth
and development. In the current situation skill development is among the main aspect related to
personal and professional level growth. All the skills I could learn allowed me to achieve smooth
control over developing the entire personality at a personal and professional level. All the entire
learning could grow me at personal and professional level (Reymen and et.al., 2017). I could
achieve a positive change in my personality that will empower me in future to reach a best level
of designations in different organisations where I will get to deliver all my knowledge and
experience. The new knowledge would favour me to achieve a good height in the professional
career.

This learning that I could adopt against doing this project will be used by me in doing my
future project. As time management, work management, communication, ITC, delegation skill
and any such aspect would always be needed by me in order to perform any responsibility.
Further studios that I will entertain would consume all these aspects of knowledge.
Part 3
Personal development plan
Skill Strategies Resources Evaluation Time frame
Decision-making
skill
 Developin
g
programm
ing
knowledg
e
 Writing
down pros
and cons
 Analysis
the entire
work
 Assess
skill
required
in work
Internet, finances,
professional
guidance.
Performance
based assessment
6 weeks
Time and work
management skill
 Set
SMART
goals
 Setting up
weekly
basis
priorities
Conducting time
audit, writing
daily to do list,
learn to delegate,
The 80/20 rule,
meetings and
using right tools
Performance
evaluation based
assessment.
5 weeks

 Time
block the
schedule
 Delegate
task
 Avoid
multi
tasking
 Make
meetings
productive
 Different
time
manageme
nt
techniques
(Watanabe and
et.al., 2018).
Critical analytical
skill
 Be
observant
 Learn how
things
work
 Practice
problem
solving
Books, software,
information
technology tool,
internet, playing
brain games,
practice problem
solving skill and
other such
resources.
Performance
based assessment
and also the
feedback strategy
will use.
6 weeks
CONCLUSION
Adoption of new technology always face plenty of issues such as limited resources,
stakeholder issue, employees issues and many such challenges that company needed tp face in

order to implement the respective change at the organisation level. Skill development allow the
individual to entertain both personal and professional level of growth.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Awin, F. A. and et.al., 2019. Technical issues on cognitive radio-based Internet of Things
systems: A survey. IEEE Access. 7. pp.97887-97908.
Fajri, I. and et.al., 2020. Innovation model of citizenship education learning in the 21st-century
skill-learning environment of students in Aceh. Innovation. 7(16). p.2020.
Lehtonen, M., 2018. User-centered design methods in adopting new software in an
organisation (Master's thesis).
Pheng, L. S., Arain, F. and Mingdong, T., 2019. ADOPTING GAME-CHANGING
TECHNOLOGIES FOR CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY: A PILOT
STUDY. International Journal of Construction Project Management. 11(1). pp.3-13.
Reymen, I. and et.al., 2017. Decision making for business model development: a process study
of effectuation and causation in new technology‐based ventures. R&D Management.
47(4). pp.595-606.
Sawarynski, K. E., Baxa, D. M. and Folberg, R., 2019. Embarking on a journey of discovery:
developing transitional skill sets through a scholarly concentration program. Teaching
and learning in medicine. 31(2). pp.195-206.
Watanabe, H. and et.al., 2018, May. Poster: Multidisciplinary Skill Assessment for Embedded
Software Development Education via a Robot Contest. In 2018 IEEE/ACM 40th
International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion (ICSE-
Companion) (pp. 151-152). IEEE.