The Role of IT Systems in Sainsbury's Business Operations Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the role and impact of Information Technology (IT) systems within Sainsbury, a prominent UK retail company. It begins by exploring the usage of IT across various functional areas, including marketing, human resources, production, and finance, highlighting how IT tools such as social media, SEO, recruitment software, and lean management techniques are employed to enhance efficiency and achieve business objectives. The report then delves into the role of IT in achieving Sainsbury's goals, emphasizing how IT facilitates communication, innovation, market growth, and improved efficiency. Furthermore, it examines different types of IT used for data storage and processing, such as commercial data processing and batch processing, and their significance in maintaining data security and operational efficiency. Finally, the report discusses the impact of IT in supporting value-added changes within the company, emphasizing its role in adapting to market trends and meeting consumer demands to maintain a competitive edge. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical role of IT in Sainsbury's success and its ability to adapt and thrive in a dynamic business environment.

Business IT System

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Usage of IT system within functional area of business .......................................................1
P2 Role of IT for an accomplishment of firm goal ....................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
P3 Various kinds of IT in storing and process data ...................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
P4 Impact of IT to support value added changes in company ...................................................5
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
In this modern world, innovation and advanced technology plays a vital role in every
forms of organisation as it enable them to make a difference in terms of value, quality and
productivity. Moreover, it helps company to prove themselves as a competing element in various
areas like decision making, marketing, customer support, resource management, globalisation
and so on in order to obtain profit maximisation with an optimum utilisation of resources in an
effective and efficient manner (Wu and Lichman, 2014). For this report, Sainsbury company is
considered which is one of the reputed and branded firm among UK retail industry. It is
incorporated in the year of 1869 and serve wide range of products like hypermarket, superstore,
convenience shop etc. across the globe in a better way. In this study, it involves influence of IT
system over business function of firm as well as how it help organisation to achieve its goal.
Additionally, various usage of IT in securing and operating data and also its role to aid value
added modification is also mentioned here.
TASK 1
P1 Usage of IT system within functional area of business
Information technology is the only technique or determinant which render enormous
opportunity to business which lead them to expand their market size or shares in an innovative
and creative style. However, it has been stated that technology or digital advancement played a
huge role in changing the way business is done, and makes an establishment to survive within
this competitive marketplace. Apart from this, IT impacted greatly over all business function or
operation of an organisation as it help them to enrich their communication process, aid to make
effective decisions, improved efficiency in an impressive and productive way. In regard of
Sainsbury, it has been proved that digital marketing tool played heavily over its different
functional areas as it assist them to promote its varies ranges of product or services to the global
market in an innovative and creative style without any hindrances (von Appen and et. al., 2015).
Hence, some of the uses of IT system within Sainsbury departments are explained below:
Marketing : This business unit is concerned with promoting or advertising the product or
service in order to gain targeted population at a maximum level which boost up the proficiency
ratio of organisation in a amended manner. However, with an invention or progression of
technology, it help firm to cope with all emerging trends or demand in a productive style. In
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context of Sainsbury, it takes an initiative to enlarge its productivity with the help of adopting
various tools like social marketing platform, search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click
(PPC), blogging, smartphone advertisement app, web market and many more. However, by
these tools Sainsbury can identify its target audience as well as they can observe their trends or
needs in order to provide increased level of customer satisfaction as well as enrich brand image
among industry.
Human Resource: This functional area is related with examining the potentiality of an
individual and based on that assigning them at an appropriate position for obtaining high level of
motivation and encouragement from personnel and also to increase firm's productivity (Verfuerth
and Potts, 2014). Hence, in relation to Sainsbury, for acquiring highly skilled or qualified
employees they make use of different modern technologies like recruitment software,
performance solution and so on which help its managers to hire or select highly talented or
capable personnel and place them on their appropriate post. Due to which, it empowers each
manpower to put their full contribution towards organisational goal that enhance Sainsbury
productivity.
Production: This department is concerned with manufacturing the products by
converting raw materials into finished goods in a best quality for improving the enterprise
proficiency in an trenchant way. Hence, in case of Sainsbury, for surviving among marketplace
in a competitive style, it makes an attempt to adopt various advanced tactics such as lean
management, Kaizen tool, Just In Time, continuous improvement and etc. which enable them to
minimise the wastage of product and also can deliver the product with full quality assurance
(Chowdhary, and et. al., 2014).
Finance: It is regarded as the lifeblood of an establishment as it mainly responsible for
accounting, auditing, planning as well as ascertaining the financial statement of company in an
economical way. In relation to Sainsbury, various digital platforms which aid organisation to
estimate its financial performance effectively in order to maintain their brand value among
marketplace (Stubbs, 2017).
Thus, information technology plays a crucial role in Sainsbury's functional area as it
enable them to make use of all available opportunity and also assist them to implement best
strategic declension in order to gain competitive advantage in a productive style.
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P2 Role of IT for an accomplishment of firm goal
In the current scenario of industry, technologies has important effect on business
operation as it help them to expand their profit margin ratio as well as assist them to improve its
brand value within competitive industry in an effective and efficient way. However, it also aid
them to maintain a better relationship among different departments in order to acquire
sustainable profitability rate within prescribed time limit. Furthermore, information technology
have a greater influence over Sainsbury's business operation which benefit them in various ways
that are explained below:
Enrich communication: With the help of modern communication infrastructure, it help
an organisation to exchange their ideas or views in a transparent and clear manner for attaining
high level of proficiency without nay obstacles. Moreover, various tools like e-mail, cell phones,
teleconferencing, video chats enable Sainsbury's internal process to build an effective
coordination among different functional areas which helps them to reduce conflicts or ambiguity
among team members (Shezan, Das and Mahmudul, 2017).
Enhance innovation: In order to obtain increased level of profit maximisation, an
organisation is required to be flexible in nature in terms of adopting latest technology or novel
ideas that lead them to acquire best position among marketplace. Henceforth, IT enable
Sainsbury to promote or enlarge its market share by making use of various modern tools like
email marketing, online campaigning, social media advertisement. This is the reason, it assist
them to cope up with all challenges or threat in an innovational and ingenious style.
Developed efficiency: As the technology and strategies progressed, information
technology enable company to improve its production or operation section in an effective
manner. Additionally, modern techniques empower Sainsbury to obtain inventive tools like
automation or computer system within their business operation that help them to produce high
or best quality of products in a very cost effective manner that directly reflects in enlargement of
market share (Sarkar, 2015).
Expand market growth: One of the foremost component on which every organisation
success or development relies s that best number of population towards any particular brand.
Hence, in context of Sainsbury, innovative technology enable them to examine present or
upcoming trend or demand of customers and also aid them to introduce those commodity in an
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amended quality so that Sainsbury can easily accomplish their targeted potential customer
towards brand image.
Henceforth, it has been evident that information technology influenced greatly over
Sainsbury productivity as it enable them to be more competitive and challenging in order to
survive within advanced industry for a longer period of time without any obstacles (Gupta and et.
al, 2014).
TASK 2
P3 Various kinds of IT in storing and process data
Every establishment seeks for an impressive or productive working culture by keeping
their data or information safe and secure as well as helping them to maintain a clear
communication procedure among department for attaining high level of proficiency within an
industry. However, the advanced information technology assist an establishment to maintain
their brand image in a better manner and also help them in storage and processing the data in a
transparent mode (Rammal and Zurbruegg, 2016). IN addition to this, storage is a key element
of digital devices in which every firm is rely on it for preventing information from getting lost or
copied by any competitor in marketplace. Thus, data storage signifies keeping data in a best
suitable format with the available medium whereas data processing is concern with the process
of accumulation management, enable initiation of valid or useful information from gathered
information for improving the overall performance of company. Henceforth, there are several
types of information technology of data processing and storage which Sainsbury implies within
its functional unit are as follows:
Commercial data processing: This phase is mainly uses for marketing, customer
relationship management, banking, selling, payroll function and etc. that help an organisation to
estimate the data clearly in order to improve the overall performance in a better way. However,
this tool help Sainsbury to identify the market trend in an innovative manner so that they can
deliver the product as per the customer requirement. Moreover, it enable its subordinates to
generate standardised information without containing any form of error which empowers them to
maintain a better relationship as well as helps them to build a positive perception in customer
mindset (Pearce and Bainbridge, 2014).
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Automatic verses manual data processing: Information technology modified the entire
business process as it decreases the usage of manpower which benefits an establishment in
various aspect i.e. time, cost, energy. However, automated database empower Sainsbury to
maintain its production process by making use of available resource so that they can render high
and best quality of products to market. Additionally, it help Sainsbury to capture the attention of
wide range of population and also can easily coordinate the process with other functional unit of
organisation with less conflicts or disputes which improves their internal communication in a
better way.
Batch processing: This procedure is mainly utilised for financial purpose or to secure
data of medical records in order to accomplish business goal or objective in an effective mode.
However, this batch processing means simplifying single commands to render actions to multiple
data sets (Mazzarol and Clark, 2016). Thus, this determinant assist Sainsbury to complete a
queue of task without an interference of manpower as well as they can easily execute the
transaction which improves their relationship with customer or employees in an trenchant mode.
Moreover, Sainsbury's superior can easily handle entire internal process which help them to
control disputes or miscommunication within their business premises and enrich its customer
relationship service (Kumar, Khurshid and Waddell, 2014).
Therefore, advanced technology enable Sainsbury to maintain its all internal records in a
secure manner as well as can provide any sort of information in a transparent or clear manner to
is manpower which improve their overall performance and also help them to gain competitive
advantage.
TASK 3
P4 Impact of IT to support value added changes in company
In order to obtain sustainable profitability in an impressive and productive manner, IT
plays crucial role fro accomplish its goal or objective within prescribed time period. Along with
this, it enable an organisation to examine or determine market trend or demand and according to
that take corrective course of action for attaining increased level of productivity or profit margin
ratio (Marzouk and Azab, 2014). In addition to this, Sainsbury's main objective is to provide
best quality of products or service so that they can maintain its value in an impressive and
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economical way. Additionally, digital techniques help Sainsbury to make use of modern
technologies which lead them to fulfil the requirements of consumer in a satisfactory way.
Furthermore, value added activity assist Sainsbury to add value to customer and also to meet the
criteria of an organisation in terms of giving service, building relationship, promoting products
and many more in order to gain competitive advantage (Maginn and Foley, 2014).
TASK 4
Recommendation
Some of the suggestions which Sainsbury can imply to enhance their IT solutions in a effective
manner are as follows:
 One of the third largest grocery retailer Asda recently adopts IT application service from
HCL which is termed as DevOps delivery model as it help them to drive data and analyse
back office operations which enhance their overall performance in an improved manner.
So, it has been recommended for Sainsbury that they can also acquire this tactics as it
allow them to respond faster to business requirements and can decrease time to market.
Due to this, they can gain increased level of satisfaction and experience as well from
customers and employees.
 Another giant in retail industry is Mark and Spencer who took an initiative to make a deal
with world famous IT service i.e. TCS as it focus on obtaining new apps, automation and
block chain. This technologies help M&S customers to purchase their product in an
creative way. The new application name is 'magic mirror' in which consumers can
communicate to mirror and it recognise their voice as well as come up with product.
Hence, this has been suggested for Sainsbury also that they can make use of such
technologies which aid them to capture the attention of large number of population and
also customer can benefit in terms of saving cost, time and energy. With the help of this,
Sainsbury can acquire best position among competing marketplace as well as can gain
sustainable profitability ratio in an amended way.
However, these recommendation help Sainsbury to obtain maximisation of profit with an optimal
utilisation of resources and also can be challenging for other competitors within retail industry in
an efficacious and expeditious way.
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CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above discussed report that to survive within this
competitive industry for a longer period of time , an efficacious advertising and promotional
strategy is required which lead them to capture the attention of large number of population
towards their brand in a better manner. Along with this, various sort of tools or methods enable
an establishment to acquire profit maximisation with an optimal utilisation of resources in an
impressive and productive manner. Moreover, it make more convenient and easy for organisation
to handle or manage all data or information in an appropriate way for acquiring best positioning
within competing marketplace.
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REFERENCES
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