IoT's Role in Achieving Business Sustainability: A Report

This report delves into the transformative impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) on business sustainability, examining how it provides strategic advantages and fosters sustainable practices. It begins with an overview of IoT's evolution and its potential for revolutionizing business operations, highlighting the shift from traditional models to interconnected systems. The report emphasizes the importance of IoT in cost reduction, improved efficiency, and the creation of new revenue streams, using examples such as online business models, e-procurement systems, and cloud-based software. It explores real-world applications, including smart buildings and smart city initiatives, illustrating how IoT enables better resource management, energy efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. The report also addresses the challenges of adopting IoT, including the need for skilled IT consultants and the importance of aligning with strategic frameworks such as Michael Porter’s five forces model. It concludes by emphasizing the long-term benefits of integrating IoT into business strategies for achieving sustainable competitive advantages and driving innovation. The report highlights how IoT can lead to growth, differentiation, and innovation by automating processes and leveraging data analytics.

Running head: IOT FOR SUSTAINABILITY 1
IoT for Sustainability
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Abstract
It has been discussed earlier in review of the present technology in relation the
question of whether technology can offer no or little sustainable strategic advantage to human
economic activities. In a number of past years, there has been enormous digital revolutionary
transformation on how business operations have been carried in the developing world. This
has taken all walks of commercial activities including online commerce which has seen very
wide strides technologically. One may sit down think about technology and how it has
affected business activities, they will actually nod that technology has unquestionably
facilitated the evident growth in business operations.
Literature Review
Beier, G., Niehoff, S., & Xue, B. (2018). More Sustainability in Industry through Industrial
Internet of Things?. Applied Sciences, 8(2), 219. doi: 10.3390/app8020219
Over a few years ago, Beier, Niehoff, and Xue, (2018) published their argument
widely discussing reasons why Information Technology does not matter in relation business
operations. In his article, he argued that the opportunities for obtaining an Information
Technology based advantages were being farfetched and receding. However, technologists
put best practices and effort to built best software and hardware. In addition, more
transformations were observed. As if that was enough, Nicholas criticized it more by arguing
that the transformations that were being observed had been already done or they were in the
process of being implemented. As result, many borne ideas suffocated before they surfaced.
In this piece of paper, we will be focusing on Internet-of-things in plight to answer the
question whether the technology has enabled business stakeholders to gain a strategic
advantage over their competitors and how it has sustained them on the market. Additionally,

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IoT will be discussed as one of the new trend technology and whether the trends can offer a
sustainable strategic advantage to stakeholders and the way forward.
The gaining of strategic sustainable advantage from business operations from
technology is immense and it has seen micro-businesses grow into elephant size businesses.
This does not mean medium sized and large sized businesses have been excluded. As we
speak today, there are myriad ways in which technology can be utilized, information systems
to be specific, to improve business processes and operations. Business can deploy IoT to
tremendously shift the business costs. Other than shifting costs, costs of businesses can be
lowered. A good example is that of an online business to customer and business to business
models. E-procurement system is another example IoT can be fixed and minimize the costs of
operations.
Bullet HQ is a software application being used in Ireland. This is an example of
business to business model software application aiming to dissolve the accountancy market
place. It has the capability to perform online accounting and payroll. The software product
targets medium and small sized enterprises. Businesses whose staff population is up to twenty
may find this software product useful to them as it is able to do books, payroll and tax returns
automatically. Thus this will allow the engaged staff to have time to perform other allocated
duties. The cost of hiring a second person here will be reduced.
Why mention Bullet HQ in IoT subject?
IoT denotes to a system of networked computing applications, digital and mechanical
machines, animals, objects and individuals that are offered with distinctive identifiers and
they have an ability to transfer through a network short of need of human intervention. Bullet
HQ software proves to be an IoT thing because it is cable of performing business to business
transactions without human intervention.This platform uses cloud technology which has

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become an area of investment by many companies to manage their Information Technology
processes. The awake of SaaS (Software as a service) applications permit commercial
organizations to operate a simulated business whose functions are subcontracted from cloud
service.
Pan, J., Jain, R., Paul, S., Vu, T., Saifullah, A., & Sha, M. (2015). An Internet of Things
Framework for Smart Energy in Buildings: Designs, Prototype, and Experiments. IEEE
Internet Of Things Journal, 2(6), 527-537. doi: 10.1109/jiot.2015.2413397
The IoT is therefore not something of the future but it already with us. In fact, it has
received a lot of attention over past few years and them that have impressed have seen a
major positive standard deviation in their business premises. McKinsey report indicates that
internet of things has prospective financial positive effect of 4.9 dollars to 10.1 trillion dollars
annually (Pan, et al., 2015). Note that internet of things is crafting a new globe. This is a
world in calculable world where individuals and business enterprises are capable to manage
their assets in an informed better way. Another good feature about this is that more and more
informed and timely decisions are made about what they need and want to do.
For the first time ever, this is a case where mobile handsets will no longer be the most
common gadget to connect people. IoT does more than connecting people, it goes ahead, and
connects these people with their home appliances, industries, personal cars, wearable and
even cities.it is anticipated that by the year 2020 more than 30 billion connected and more
than half of them being internet of things gadgets.
It should be noted that all these gadgets are linked the novel opportunities that will
ascend for the industries, organizations and cities. Present examples of internet of things are
technology built linked smart buildings.

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Ericson group as business organization has already benefit by assisting in the
implementation of space utilization, the planning of maintenance, space management, air
quality, temperature control and ventilation and optimization, hence in turning offering
optimized funding routes.
There has been large range of technologies for linking the new IoT devices to the new
generation of applications and analytics. Observing it from the angle of commercial
perspective, internet of things signifies an chance to amass actual data about each physical
process of an organization.
Sun, Y., Song, H., Jara, A., & Bie, R. (2016). Internet of Things and Big Data Analytics for
Smart and Connected Communities. IEEE Access, 4, 766-773. doi:
10.1109/access.2016.2529723
IoT of sensors is capable of transmitting information and transform unprocessed data
to organizational and operational insights by use of effective data analytics.
Properties furnished with sensors provide information system capable of communicating
capturing and processing data. This creates erroneous opportunities in the distribution
industry, production industry, and innovation industry. Sun, Song, Jara, and Bie, (2016)
reiterates that the business to business applications can account for nearly 80 percent of the
value that is approximated that will flow out of internet of things.
Countries have begun to impress internet of things in very many ways. Ireland for
example has already begun to impress smart lighting. In this project, Silver Spring which is a
state owned firm has delivered millions of devices in the globe since deployment of internet
of things. For example, 23 million devices were delivered for the Mayo county council for
the smart street project aimed at illuminating the town and residential areas in Ireland. This
project enhanced reduced energy use and emissions such carbon II oxide.

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The internet of things brings with it a myriad of aids for dealing with health
associated issues. A prolonged health issue has been a major route by which resources have
been wasted. Use of internet of things can be applied to reduce amounts of wasted resources.
Zarei, M., Mohammadian, A., & Ghasemi, R. (2016). Internet of things in industries: a
survey for sustainable development. International Journal Of Innovation And
Sustainable Development, 10(4), 419. doi: 10.1504/ijisd.2016.079586
The project enables the paramedics to monitor patients and perform analysis remotely
by GPs and professionals along with the deployment of IoT sensors in the smart home. In the
above section, it has provided an overview regarding the present technical inclinations it is
evident that these developments are here to stay and in terms of offering a sustainable
strategic benefit. Therefore, these technologies shall aid to offer lasting advantages to the
progression of the business. The core means of using these technologies for business decision
making is to transform their intellectual. It is necessary for business individuals to recognize
the significance of information technology hence, to remain ahead on the competition they
should work with technical individuals to realize this competitiveness through working IT
consultants. Small and medium enterprises are able to gain an advantage on rivalry by
applying efficient processes to their business leading to lucrativeness, increased revenues as
well as growth in productivity (Zarei, Mohammadian, & Ghasemi, 2016). The benefit with an
IT consultant is that they will provide outstanding guidance in aiding the business to gain
advantage of rivals. One approach through which a consultant can achieve this is through
utilizing Michael Porter’s five forces model.
Aghazadeh, H. (2015). Strategic Marketing Management: Achieving Superior Business
Performance through Intelligent Marketing Strategy. Procedia - Social And
Behavioral Sciences, 207, 125-134. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.10.161
(Aghazadeh, 2015), Based on the competition among business rivals within the
industry through looking at the threats of new competitors. The risk posed by substitute

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goods that are likely to capture the market share, the bargaining force of consumers as well as
the bargaining power of suppliers. In the essence of analysing these five competitive forces
and through consultation, it plays a vital role when it comes to implementing an approach to
counter these forces Therefore, an organisation should advance and execute approaches to
successfully attack the above five competitive forces. An organization can track one of the
five primary economic strategies that are based on the three Porter’s generic stratagems that
are dedicated strategy, broad differentiation and broad cost leadership. The five competitive
approaches include cost leadership, differentiation, growth, innovation, and alliance. The next
part illustrates how information systems could be of great significance in declining
operational costs.
Cost leadership: Corporations can make use of information systems to primarily
transfer the cost of running a business or minimize the expenses of business operations to
reduce the cost of suppliers or customers. For instance, using online business to customers
and business-to-business models as well as electronic procurements (e-procurement) systems
helps to minimize business operation expenses.
Differentiation: companies can make use of information systems to develop
differentiation elements as well as to decline competitor’s differentiation advantages. For
example, a business can make use of online live chatting systems and social networking
platforms to improve customer service delivery. In addition, a business can utilize technology
to generate informediaries to provide value-added package and enhance customer gluiness to
the business website. Moreover, a company can utilise advanced as well as developed
measures for online operations to offline activities.
Growth by including acquisitions and mergers: Businesses scan utilize information
systems to expand local and international procedures to assimilate and diversify into other

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services and goods such as establishing worldwide intranet and multinational operation
platforms; developing omni channel strategy to gain growth. Indeed, omni channel strategy
considers leveraging benefits both offline and online for non-digital and digital channels
respectively.
Shin, D., & Hwang, Y. (2017). Integrated acceptance and sustainability evaluation of Internet
of Medical Things. Internet Research, 27(5), 1227-1254. doi: 10.1108/intr-07-2016-
0200
Innovation: Firms can utilize information systems to create and identify novel
products and services, to develop fresh market, or to radically transform business operations
by automating them using digital modelling and simulation of product design to minimize on
expenses and time traveling to the market. Additionally, organization can work on novel
initiatives by developing pure online businesses (Shin, & Hwang, 2017). On the same note,
telecommunication network and the Internet offers improve capacities as well as
opportunities for innovation. The integration of innovation in addition to open innovation are
good examples. Before establish network organizations should consider combining large
network components to create innovations. Currently, people are linked through mobile
devices, laptops personal and computers using mobile network, cabled Ethernet and wireless
networks hence there are increase in prospects to co-create with end users, internal
individuals and external partners.
Strategic alliance: Companies can utilise information systems to develop and improve
relationships with associates by use of apps like establishing virtual organizations and
internal organizational information systems.
In conclusion, the potential usage of technology for supportable strategic advantage is
apparent and through innate thinking, it is possible to realize this with the use of the right
technological instruments and strategies. Therefore, technology will evidently help to

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transform how commerce is undertaken and the integration of information systems and
technology will aid to advance operations as well as the living standards of people. In this
essence, it is the work of information systems practitioners to advance technologies and make
use of them to enhance businesses requirements and get resolutions to business
complications. Also, business should look for the opportunity to develop applications such as
software as a service (SaaS) for use in resolving these problems. Lastly but not least,
information systems in itself is a combination with internet of things (IoT) technology and
information systems to develop platforms for consumers.
References
Aghazadeh, H. (2015). Strategic marketing management: Achieving superior business
performance through intelligent marketing strategy. Procedia-Social and Behavioral
Sciences, 207, 125-134.
Beier, G., Niehoff, S., & Xue, B. (2018). More Sustainability in Industry through Industrial
Internet of Things?. Applied Sciences, 8(2), 219.

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10
Pan, J., Jain, R., Paul, S., Vu, T., Saifullah, A., & Sha, M. (2015). An internet of things
framework for smart energy in buildings: designs, prototype, and experiments. IEEE
Internet of Things Journal, 2(6), 527-537.
Shin, D., & Hwang, Y. (2017). Integrated acceptance and sustainability evaluation of Internet
of Medical Things: A dual-level analysis. Internet Research, 27(5), 1227-1254.
Sun, Y., Song, H., Jara, A. J., & Bie, R. (2016). Internet of things and big data analytics for
smart and connected communities. IEEE access, 4, 766-773.
Zarei, M., Mohammadian, A., & Ghasemi, R. (2016). Internet of things in industries: A
survey for sustainable development. International Journal of Innovation and
Sustainable Development, 10(4), 419-442.