IMA7006 Dissertation: IT Impact on Supply Chain Management (M&S)

This dissertation investigates the impact of information technology on supply chain management, focusing on a case study of M&S UK. It examines the role of supply chain management and the latest technologies used by businesses to gain a competitive edge. The research incorporates theories like Six Sigma and various supply chain management principles. A quantitative research method, utilizing questionnaires, was employed to gather data and achieve research objectives. The study evaluates factors determining the use of information technologies in logistics and supply chain management, examines the goals of standardizing IT infrastructure, and discerns the impact of IT on supply chain management. It also recommends ways to improve supply chain management through advanced technologies. The research aims to understand the competitive pressures arising from the latest technologies in supply chain management.

MSc International Management
IMA7006 Dissertation
Dissertation Title
(The Impact of Information Technology on
Supply Chain Management A case of M&S
UK)
Table of Contents
Abstract i
Acknowledgement ii
Glossary iii
List of tables iv
List of figures v

List of appendices vi
Chapter 1: Introduction 1-p
1.1 Background to research topic p
1.2 Background to research organisation p
1.3 Research rationale p
1.4 Research questions p
1.5 Research aims and objectives p
Chapter 2: Literature review p-p
2.1 Introduction of literature review p
2.2 Main body with heading and sub-headings p
2.3 Conclusion of literature review p
Chapter 3: Methodology p-p
3.1 Research philosophy p
3.2 Research approach p
3.3 Research strategy p
3.4 Research methodology p
3.5 Research instruments/tools p
3.6 Sampling p
3.6 Ethical implications p
Chapter 4: Findings (data presentation) pBHP group,
Chapter 5: Discussion (data interpretation) p
Chapter 6: Conclusion, recommendations and implications for further
research p
7.1 Conclusion p
7.2 Recommendations p
7.3 Implications for further research p
References p

Bibliography p
Word Count p
Appendices p

Abstract
The above research is related with understanding the role of supply chain
management and latest technologies used by the businesses in order to segregate themselves
from others. The current report elaborated regarding the different methods used by the
organisation to manage the supply chain and to acquire success into the businesses. Using
latest technologies, the organisation may develop various edges to manage their business
functions and to acquire prominence into such functions. There are various theories and
principles which are added within the report such as Six sigma theories and different supply
chain management principles which are used within an organisation in order to succeed in the
business functions.
The current research was based on quantitative research methods in which
questionnaire was conducted. Using questionnaire, the researcher has acquired knowledge in
respect of the research topic and this has helped the researcher in acquiring research
objectives in overall manner. The quantitative research methodologies have helped the
researcher in gaining statistical views on the research topic.

Acknowledgment
I would thanks my sincere gratitude to my professors and teachers those have given me
opportunity to conduct the current research on the topic of supply chain management and its
role within developing innovation. My teachers and professors has given immense support to
me whole performing the current research and this helped me in attaining the research
objectives in timely manner. Through the guidance, I was able to complete the research in
systematic manner and assisted me throughout the research. I would also like to draw my
thank to my friends and family members who supported me to their extreme level which
helped me in conducting the research to in timely manner.

Glossary
Supply chain management: It is defined as handling of the entire production of goods and
flow of information which are executed within the business starting from the production
process and it ends at reaching out to end users.
Innovation: Innovation is considered as practical implementation of different ideas which
may result into inclusion of amendments in goods and services provided by the organisation.

List of tables
Table 1: Knowledge on the concept of supply chain management......................................................35
Table 2: Information technology plays a role on supply chain management in recent time................35
Table 3: Most important theory of supply chain management in improving quality of production.....36
Table 4: Competitive pressure among companies increases due to adoption of information technology
in supply chain management...............................................................................................................37
Table 5: Important factor that helps in determining the information technology adopt by organisations
to manage their supply chain...............................................................................................................38
Table 6: Crucial information technology used by the companies in managing logistic and supply
chain in effective and efficient manner...............................................................................................39
Table 7: Goal behind standardizing the information technology into the supply chain management
system of the company........................................................................................................................40
Table 8: Benefits acquired by the companies after using different information technologies in logistic
and supply chain system of the organisation.......................................................................................41
Table 9: Impact of technologies on entire supply chain management in order to increase the
productivity of company.....................................................................................................................42
Table 10: Overall impact of information technologies on logistic and supply chain management of the
organisations.......................................................................................................................................43

List of figures
Figure 1.1: Conceptual framework of the competitive pressure that is building up due to the latest
technologies being used in supply chain management and how they are segregated...........................25
Figure 1.2: Knowledge on the concept of supply chain management……...………………..35
Figure 2: Information technology plays a role on supply chain management in recent time...............36
Figure 3: Most important theory of supply chain management in improving quality of production....37
Figure 4: Competitive pressure among companies increases due to adoption of information
technology in supply chain management.............................................................................................38
Figure 5: Important factor that helps in determining the information technology adopt by
organisations to manage their supply chain.........................................................................................39
Figure 6: Crucial information technology used by the companies in managing logistic and supply
chain in effective and efficient manner...............................................................................................40
Figure 7: Goal behind standardizing the information technology into the supply chain management
system of the company........................................................................................................................41
Figure 8: Benefits acquired by the companies after using different information technologies in logistic
and supply chain system of the organisation.......................................................................................42
Figure 9: Impact of technologies on entire supply chain management in order to increase the
productivity of company.....................................................................................................................43
Figure 10: Overall impact of information technologies on logistic and supply chain management of
the organisations.................................................................................................................................44

List of appendices
Appendix 1. A blank copy of questionnaire/interview script………….59-61
Appendix 2. A sample of completed questionnaire/ A sample of Interview
Transcript………………………………………………………………61-63

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background to research topic
Supply chain management is defined as the process of managing the flow of data,
finances and goods in relation to a service or product, from procuring raw materials to the
delivery of commodities at final place or destination (Dutta and et al., 2020). Generally,
supply chain is always linked with logistics however it is just an element of the supply chain.
In today's digital world, supply chain management is related with including handling of
materials along with software of all parties included in the procedure of creating products &
services, fulfilling orders and tracking of information- such as wholesalers, retailers,
transportation & logistics providers and suppliers. Supply chain activities include product life
cycle management, order management and logistics and procurement, supply chain planning.
Supply chain management, companies easily extend the operations around global trade such
as multinational production procedures and management of global suppliers. It is quite
necessary to know the concept of logistics as it executes the efficiency and control of supply
chain procedures which assist in moving forward with the storage of goods and services
(Tönnissen and Teuteberg, 2020). Finding the right component for the consumption of a
product and supplying it to the people with the motive of meeting the delivery needs. It plays
quite important role in satisfying requests of the customers. The current time is seeing great
development in the advanced technologies. Many strategies are formed so that supply chain
management can be improved. With the assistance of technology, proper infrastructure is
included and many organisational policies are also implemented so that diverse culture can
be created globally. As per the logistics, the processing and collecting of data with the help of
sustainable increase in the accuracy and speed of identification. It also gives companies great
competitive advantage through effective supply chain management. Therefore, this study will
record detailed information about the role of advanced technologies in the supply chain
management of companies (Li and et al., 2020). This report will include how technologies
have taken place in enhancing the performance of the whole organisation by making
operations and functions easier and convenient. This will also highlight the positive relation
between supply chain management and Information Technology. Thus, this covers the
detailed knowledge about the factors which hold great significance in improving the
10 | P a g e

productivity and usefulness of supply chain management. It has been observed that at the
time of global pandemic 56% of the UK retailer has experienced little disruption in the flow
of goods, data and resources as the company is using advanced technology in their business
operations. It has seen that with the adoption of high technology in managing the supply
chain of the company the cost of operation has reduce by 35% percent, service rate decreases
by 29 % and the production time of the organisation minimised by 27%. It is also identified
that the top technology which is used by many organisations in their business are data
analysis technology, IoT and cloud computing. the percentage of data analysis technology is
41 percent, IoT is 39 and cloud computing measured 39 percent.
1.2 Significance of the research
The current study holds great importance as it covers the detailed information about how
advanced technologies have taken place in the supply chain management. In today's
competitive worlds, companies are adopting advanced technology so that the company can
gain more success and provide great services to its customers (Jimenez-Jimenez, Martínez-
Costa and Rodriguez, 2018). With the help of advanced technologies in the supply chain
management, companies are able to transfer all the important documents to the right place.
Companies can send all the significant invoices through electronic mode between the
customer and supplier. This assists company to reduce its transaction cost and work in a
paperless manner (Basheer and et. al., 2019). Through this study, researcher focuses over
showcasing the importance of supply chain management and the role of advanced
technologies in improving supply chain management process.
1.3 Research Gap
The identified research gap of the existing study is that earlier conducted
investigations do not include information about the advanced information technologies used
within supply chain management. So, the current research will cover collecting data about the
advanced technologies along with numerical insights and facts. The main motive behind
conducting the existing investigation is to have in-depth understanding about the process of
supply chain management. In the current business world, companies are focusing towards
adopting several advanced technologies so that the operations can be completed in a
convenient manner. This report also focuses over involving several factors that identify the
types of information technologies considered specifically in the areas of logistics and supply
11 | P a g e

chain management (Ardito and et. al., 2018). It also involves the objectives of standardising
the infrastructure of Information Technology into the system components of supply chain
management. This also includes the in-depth data about the impact of information technology
over supply chain management. With the help of current investigation, researcher will attain
two objectives that are personal and professional objectives. In respect of personal
perspective, researcher will get an opportunity to see things with broader perspective and
become more keen to learn about new concepts (Rejeb, Keogh and Treiblmaier, 2019). By
this study also, investigator will have great information about several research methods used
in the investigations for collecting, evaluating and analysing data. On the other hand, this
research will also be helpful for investigator in terms of professional perspective. Researcher
will learn about the several strategies through which they can improve supply chain
management of their own company. Through this research, investigator will learn about
insights through which they learn about advanced technologies that improve the process of
supply chain management in the organisation.
1.4 Research aim and objectives
Research Aim:
The aim of the current study aims at “To understand the competitive pressure that is
building up due to the latest technologies being used in supply chain management and how
they are segregated.”
Research Objectives:
 To evaluate the factors that determine the various information technologies used by
logistics and supply chain management
 To examine the goals of standardising the IT infrastructure into the system
components of supply chain management
 To discern the impact of information technology act upon supply chain management
and how can one analyse its identification into the modern enhancement of the society
 To recommend the ways through which supply chain management can be improved
through adoption of advanced information technologies
12 | P a g e