The Role of IT and Marketing in Ensuring Collaboration: Parkinson's UK

This report examines the collaboration between IT and Marketing at Parkinson's UK, focusing on digital transformation initiatives led by the CIO, Julie Dodd. The report provides an overview of Parkinson's UK's IT history, highlighting the implementation of Snowflake computing, data science training, and machine learning platforms. It explores the strategies and approaches taken to enhance services, including the use of Benevolent AI for drug discovery. The report analyzes the positive and negative aspects of these changes, addresses potential issues within the information system, and offers recommendations for future strategies, emphasizing the importance of digital thinking, cultural shifts, and staff skill development to scale services and improve efficiency. The report concludes that digital transformation is essential for charitable organizations like Parkinson's UK to foster collaboration and address challenges effectively.

Running head: ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
Role of IT and Marketing to ensure Collaboration
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1ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.................................................................................................................................3
Overview of the company’s recent IT history:......................................................................3
CIO’s view:............................................................................................................................4
Strategy and approach to the stated theme.............................................................................4
Positive and Negative points about the theme:......................................................................7
Issues within the information system of the company that might have taken place:.............8
Recommendation for future strategy and direction for the company:...................................8
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................10

2ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
Introduction:
Over the last few years, different companies and organisations are embarking on the
initiative for digital transformation within their business so as to upgrade all aspects of
business to capture a giant leap in the bid data and technologically driven productivity
(Stewart 2016). As a means to implement this initiative within business process, companies
often tried to tie up IT and marketing to establish a direct contact with business and
marketing field. For marketing the goal is focused on leveraging the best technology in order
to optimize the experience of the customers while shaping their journey with the help of
technology. Introducing marketing with technology in other hand an be described as ensuring
the best technology while optimizing the technology use to create a better user experience. It
is the ultimate responsibility of the CIO of the organisation to reconcile the objectives of the
company and to establish a true partnership that helps in driving the success for the company.
In this report, the selected organization is Parkinson’s UK and will mainly focus on the
initiative that the CIO of the organization took for implementing IT and Marketing at
Parkinson’s UK in order to ensure collaboration within the organisation.
Discussion:
Overview of the company’s recent IT history:
Parkinson’s UK is one of the researches and support charity in UK. It had its name
from the Parkinson’s Disease Society early in April 2010. The main aim of the charity
organisation is to improve the quality of living of the people who are affected by the
Parkinson’s Disease while finding a curable solution. From the beginning of its journey, the
organisation is very much interested to bring in Information Technology Services within its
services in order to provide more satisfaction among its users. From the beginning of its
journey, the organisation urged for implementing changes ad has the desire to implement the

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best possible things into the organisation so as to benefit the people who are affected by the
Parkinson ‘s disease.
CIO’s view:
Julie Dodd who was the director of digital transformation and communication at
Parkinson’s UK, understood the huge range of requirements that were needed and she joined
into the approach for helping the charity organisation to achieve its aim via digital
transformation. Julie Dodd before joining the Parkinson’s charity organisation, worked for
many consultancies and from there only she has determined the fact that charity sectors needs
to be changed in terms of modernization. As a result, Julie Dodd conducted a big research
where she took interview of 50 senior leaders from the charity sectors and from other
executives of big technological companies to study about the view point of implementing
digital transformation in charity sectors. On her research study named The New Reality, Julie
Dodd presented her view on developing a digital transformation approach to charities on a
consultancy’s basis. She reflected her ideas about delivering technology in charitable
organisations aiming to deliver digital transformation (Wang et al. 2015). After joining the
charity organisation of Parkinson’s UK, Julie Dodd clearly understood the positive role that
digitization could play in the non-profit sectors. According to her view, technology plays an
important role in delivering world class services transforming organisations to work and play
simultaneously in clinical based researches. According to Julie Dodd, the combined role of IT
and Marketing functions would make it easier to ensure strong relationship between the
technology of organisation and marketing professionals (Chad, Kyriazis and Motion 2014).
Working with the Parkinson’s UK, Julie Dodd’s main aim was to ensure tight bonds
producing greater results.
Strategy and approach to the stated theme:

4ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
In order to approach with the stated theme of implementing IT and marketing within
the organisation of Parkinson’s UK, to ensure strong collaboration, Julie Dodd took the
strategy to drive technology across the organisation. Consulting with the executive of the
charitable organisation, they implemented the strategy to advertise the role of digital
technology in transforming Parkinson’s UK (Shi and Zhu 2014). As a part of the strategies
and approaches taken, Julie Dodd formed a part of the organisation with executive leadership
teams. She took the overall responsibility in order to maximize the potential technology in
order to transform the lives of the people who are affected by the Parkinson’s Disease (Kee
and Yazdanifard 2015). The strategies and approaches that were taken include-
1. Implementation of Snowflake computing: Previously, the organisation of Parkinson’s
UK, faced challenges for storing data across various functions and had the trouble in
having separate database systems. Julie Dodd previously worked with the project of
the implementation of cloud-based data warehousing technique and implemented the
same in the charitable organisation of Parkinson’s UK. The technology after a series
of formal procurement process was finally implemented in March (Dageville et al.
2016). While using this Snowflake Computing, the organisation moved its first step
to support the introduction of digital transformation and joined up with different
sponsors leading to data led working across the entire charity.
2. The next strategy that they took, focused on improving the process of decision making
within the charitable organisation: As a part of this strategy, the organisation started
investing in data science training providing commensurate interest in training to its
staff members across all departments including, HR, service delivery and healthcare
(Wang, D. and Shi 2014). This strategy included transforming efforts in providing
advices in the charity services. This technological approach in the organisation of

5ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
Parkinson’s UK, helped in doubling the number of people to reach with the current
number of staffing level.
3. A key management software was also implemented under strategies and approaches
that can taken in order to trace and track the performance within the organisation.
4. Other approaches that were taken for implementing digital transformation within the
organisation included several developments around services based on user facing and
improving the machine learning platform (Witten et al. 2016). With the help of the
machine learning platform, the charity started developing products to understand the
experiences of the individuals affected with Parkinson’s. The algorithm that was used
in this context was based on a tool that analyses the data collected from people having
similar experiences and helps in recommending the suitable advice via email.
5. Another broader approach that was taken in this context, is by introducing the
artificial based advice system in order to facilitate appointments more quickly. This
included, introducing robust video conferencing environment which helped the
workers to provide services more efficiently while saving time.
6. The organisation of Parkinson’s formed its partnership with Benevolent AI who is a
specialist in developing applications based on AI. Parkinson’s UK utilized the
machine learning platform of Benevolent AI as a means to search for drugs that helps
in curing the condition. The platform helps the organisation of Parkinson’s UK to
clinically trial the drugs that were meant as a life changing potential in order to cure
the disease named Parkinson.
7. According to Julie Dodd, the organisation is aiming to implement more changes in
their strategy while approaching towards digital transformation leading to an overall
shift in culture of the organisation. Other approaches that are yet to take place
includes introduction of various digital products, improving the data infrastructure of

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the organisation, and changing the internal culture of the organisation including the
skills of the people (Said et al. 2015).
8. The strategies and approaches of the organisation aims in scaling services so a s to
double the number of people to serve than from the existing capacity.
In a digitally driven age, it is very much important that charities and non-profit
organisations should also take steps in implementing digital transformation within their
services. Implementing digital changes within the charitable sectors, helps them in supporting
the core purpose of the organisation and helps them in developing more advanced strategies
and design. As the Chief Information Officer at Parkinson’s UK, Julie Dodd played a vital
role in realizing the need to implement changes within the organisation and from her previous
experiences and research works she deigned a well beneficial strategy in order to drive digital
transformation within the organisation. She realized that implementing technology will help
the organization provide more services to the people while spending more time with them
rather than losing time in administrating.
Positive and Negative points about the theme:
The positive points that can be reflected from Julie Dodd’s approach towards driving
digital transformation within the business includes-
1. With the introduction of the digital data ware housing technique called Snowflake
computing, the organization benefited while having a stronger grip on the data that are
collected from the organisation and used it in gaining insights to build stronger
relationship with the individuals affected by Parkinson’s (Hashem et al. 2015).
Introduction of this technology helped the organisation in developing more faster
efficiency (Roski, Bo-Linn and Andrews 2014).

7ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
2. Also, the introduction of the data science training helped the organisation in doubling
the. number of people they served and helped about 400 staffs in getting training
about how to use information effectively for better decision-making process
(Petrakaki 2017).
The overall digital transformation created a positive impact on the organisation where
more people are now interested to be become a part of it.
Though there is no such negative impact that has been reflected but while introducing the
digital transformation with in the organisation, the main constraint that Julie Dodd came
across is related to issues in budgeting to meet her aims compared to private organisations.
Issues within the information system of the company that might have taken
place:
Introduction of any digital change, includes a series an issue within an organisation as
it leads to the change in the overall framework of the organisation. This issue may comprise
of managerial issues which includes problems while stabilizing the model within the
company’s infrastructure, problems regarding scalability, complexities while shifting
products to service based models and most importantly partnership conflicts (Killian and
McManus 2015). As the CIO of the organisation plan to implement various digital products
within the company’s culture, she might face situations with these issues which needs to be
addressed professionally and delicately.
Recommendation for future strategy and direction for the company:
The charitable organization of Parkinson’s UK need to be more strategic in terms of
digital thinking. It is important to point out the understanding of digital transformation and
the benefit of achieving data within the organisation. It is also recommended that the charity
should recognize the fact that digital transformation should also change the internal culture of

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the organisation. Necessary steps should be taken in order to implement new digital products
and also necessary training should be provided in order to enhance the skill sets of the
employees working in the organisation.
Conclusion:
Thus, from the above report it can be concluded that digital transformation plays an
important role in potentially transforming the working behavior of the charitable
organisations. The technology development in charitable organisations helps in turning the
disruptive challenges that are faced within the organisation into new opportunities while
ensuring greater collaboration with in the business. Introduction of new and advanced digital
transformation products within the charitable organisations helps in scaling the services and
points outa beneficial difference between the organisation and the people to whom they serve.

9ROLE OF IT AND MARKETING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION
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