Digitalization and Business Growth: Oak Cash and Carry Project Report

This report analyzes the implementation of mobile technology within Oak Cash and Carry, a UK-based retail company. The project explores the impact of digitalization on business growth and innovation, focusing on the adoption of mobile technology to enhance productivity, customer service, and market reach. The report includes a project management plan outlining costs, scope, time, quality, and communication strategies. It presents a work breakdown structure and Gantt chart for project organization. The research employs qualitative and quantitative techniques, including questionnaires distributed to employees and consumers, to gather data on the effects of mobile technology. The findings aim to identify the benefits and challenges of digitalization, providing recommendations for successful implementation and drawing valid conclusions regarding the impact of mobile technology on Oak Cash and Carry's future prospects.

Managing a successful
business project

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................2
P1 Analysis of project aims and objectives ...........................................................................2
P2: Project management plan with cost aspects, scope, time, quality and communication risk.3
P3 Production of work breakdown structure and Gantt chart................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
P4 Carrying of small scale research through application of qualitative and quantitative
techniques...............................................................................................................................8
P5 Analysis research and data using appropriate tools and techniques................................10
TASK 6..........................................................................................................................................20
P6 Communication of recommendations to draw valid conclusions ..................................20
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................20
P7) Reflect on the value of undertaking the research to meet stated objectives and own
learning and performance in this research............................................................................20
CONCLSION.................................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22
APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................................24
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INTRODUCTION
Digital technology has unlocked doors of endless opportunities for a business
organisation. It is useful for the organisation to easily attract large number of customers and gain
competitive advantages (The Impact Of Mobile Technology on Small Business, 2018). Majority
of companies irrespective of their size and nature are opting for digitalization to achieve growth,
profits and giving distinctive feature to their products and services. The overhaul of business and
reinvention of its operations, products and services greatly impacted by advent of social, mobile
and bid data analytics (Hillson, 2017). The report is based on Oak Cash and Carry is a UK based
retail company established in 2000. It offers a variety of products comprising groceries and
general merchandises in bulk to retailers, caters and other local businesses. The report will
discuss aims and objectives in context to implementation of digitalization through mobile
technology. The project will provide a extensive research about the probable impact of
introducing mobile technology with necessary recommendation for its effective implementation.
TASK 1
P1 Analysis of project aims and objectives
Mobile technology is refer as an effective technology that is followed in cellular
communication and many other related aspects. This is because digitalization helps firm to be
more attentive towards changing corporate values, customize products and responses with
customers on a personal level and most significantly to streamline and automate all its operations
(Technology Is Changing Business, 2018). Oak cash and carry realizing importance of keeping
pace with new technological advancements and innovations is to adopt mobile technology in its
business process that is expected to enhance firm's productivity and to produce better informed
employees (Nicholas and Steyn, 2017). The integration of mobile devices including smart
phones, laptops, PDA's etc. with various software makes it easier for firm to communicate with
its staff, customers and vendors.
Background of Project: The report is based on impact of digital technology in supporting
small business growth and innovation. Oak Cash and Carry is a small scale retail organization
based in UK. With emerging popularity and adoption of digitalization by various market
competitors, Oak Cash and Carry is also thinking to introduce mobile technology in its business
operations so as to attain sustainability and growth. The IT managers of organisation in particular
have suggested to implement Application Program Interface that will enable various software
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and applications to effectively get connected and interact with its employees, customers and
other stakeholders. Further, it will also help firm to attain efficient use of staff time, improve its
customer service and to reach large target audience in cost and time effective manner.
Topic: “The impact of digital technology supporting small business growth and innovation”.
Aim: “ To identify the influence of digital technology, specially mobile application on business
success and innovation”. A case study of Oak Cash and Carry Limited.
Objectives:
 To ascertain the need for adopting digitalization by Oak Cash and Carry in its business
and operations.
 To examine probable positive or negative effect of mobile technology on profitability and
growth of Oak Cash and Carry. To determine presumptive impact of adopting mobile technology on firm's growth
prospects.
Research Question
 What is the major reason for adopting digitalization in a business by an organisation?
 Would are the positive or negative effects of mobile technology on growth and profit
aspects of Oak Cash and Carry?
 What are the probable affect of mobile technology on company and its future growth
prospects?
P2: Project management plan with cost aspects, scope, time, quality and communication risk
Project management plan is the most crucial tool through which a project could be done
in an adequate manner. However, this is rightly observed that before making any project plan,
there must be an appropriate planning so that the success of this can be assured (Jeston, 2014).
Apart from planning, Oak Cash and Carry must form strategy in order to execute and handle
project and processes which are linked to the knowledge areas of scope, schedule, cost, quality,
human resources, communications, risk and procurement etc. At the time of incorporating plan,
this must be known about the time under which all the activities related to the project could
comprise.
A sound project management plan comprises all the costs, scope, time, quality,
communication, risk and resources. The project manager is accountable to detect baseline for
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scope, schedule and cost budget. Although, this would not finish to the detection of baseline but
also, measure project performance against the baseline they set out.
A Project Management Plan would comprise traditionally three constraints- Cost, Scope
and Time. These normally called as the “Triple constraint” each constraints form vertices, along
with quality as the centre theme:
 Project Must be done within cost.
 Project must be completed on time schedule.
 Project must achieve the set scope.
 This must likewise achieve customer quality needs.
Scope: The use of APIs techniques in mobile technology will wider down scope of Oak
Cash and Carry and enable firm to achieve efficacy in its various business operations from
marketing to human resource and strategic planning to accounts. According to statics, there are
about 222.9 million smartphones users who are using mobile technology fotor operate various
online apps in order to buy products and services (Crane and Matten, 2016). Also, recently many
renowned and big social apps like Snapchat, Facebook etc. have recently launched an API that
will assist company to advertise its goods and services.
Cost: This reflects the finite budget as consumer is ready to spend a fixed amount of
money for delivering of an advanced product or service. If production manager limits the product
cost, then this would limit its scope or enhance its time. Hereunder, the total forecasted budget is
explained:
Total forecasted budget
Particular 2017-18(£)
Implementing technology cost 25000
Promotional expense 10000
Advertisement expense 5000
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Catalogues 2500
Training charges 9500
Total cost 52000
Time: This factor is related with the approx time that project takes for implementing
mobile technology in business operations of Oak Cash and Carry. In addition to this, it also
ascertain the probable pay back period for project. Oak Cash and Carry to compute the estimated
time period for installation of new technology that could make use of critical path method. The
project for implementing mobile technology in Oak Cash and Carry will take approx 5 weeks to
get completed.
Communication: It is another part of the project management plan which is essential in
creating collaboration among the workforce. In order to complete project successfully,
communication plays important role in providing accurate and relevant information to the
employees about specific topic. Along with this, project manager is concern regarding proper
communication channel to allot roles and duties to the workers.
Resource: It is refer another essential aspect of project management plan, it is needed by
the project manager to complete each and every activity of project systematically. Oak Cash and
Carry is concerned with maintaining proper flow of certain resources namely human resource,
capital, knowledgeable workforce and so on. In order to implement mobile application in
organisation, business manager is required appropriate amount of fund and knowledgeable
employees. P3 Production of work breakdown structure and Gantt chart
Work Break Down Structure: It is a technique that involves disintegration of work into
several small chunks in form of phases, deliverables and work packages which helps managers
of Oak Cash and Carry to efficiently handle their project and tasks that are been delegated to
workers (Polonsky and Waller, 2014). More precisely, it is a pictorial description of scope,
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project arrangements and various activities associated with a project. It will further enable
company to identify and distinguish consumers inclination and align its business objectives with
it.
Illustration 1: Break Breakdown Structure for Project Management, 2018
(Source: Break Breakdown Structure for Project Management, 2018
Gantt Chart: It can be defined as a graph that depicts the entire schedule of a project
through horizontal bar charts that indicates timeline of a project (Pekuri and et. al., 2014). A
typical Gantt chart will include project duration, job sequences, date of starting and closure of
project etc. Oak Cash and Carry project managers prepares Gantt charts that enables them to
effectively schedule activities and to assign right task to right individual. Further, it also helps
managers to ascertain minimum time for its completion, to determine high priority tasks through
critical path and to work around potential problems and issues before they emerges.
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TASK 2
P4 Carrying of small scale research through application of qualitative and quantitative techniques
Qualitative Research: This research mainly focuses on gathering non numerical data on
some specific topic by adopting scientific techniques and methods for observing people. This
research requires in depth study and analysis of a given phenomenon, situation or event that is
been analysed by a researcher by exploring various aspects of a given scenario. There are
various different sources such as focus group, observation, interview etc. that could be taken into
condensation by Oak Cash and Carry for gathering relevant information and data for research
purpose. Conducting qualitative research is expensive as well as time consuming process
however it provides most realistic and authentic outcomes. For Oak Cash and Carry, quantitative
research could assist in analysing likeable impact of digital technology that involves mobile
technology in firm's case and its connexion in undertaking different business related operations
and work.
Quantitative research: This research emphasize statistical, mathematical or numerical
analysis and gathers data and information in form numbers, percentage etc. by using computation
techniques (Brady and Davies, 2014). The main focus of this research is to collect numerical data
and generalise it among various groups of people or to explain a specific phenomenon. Oak Cash
and Carry could adopt various techniques such as sampling, online polls, questionnaire, online
surveys etc. to determine probable impact of mobile technology on its business growth and
innovation.
Data Collection: For conducting its research Oak Cash and Carry have opted for primary
sources for collecting information and data through questionnaire (Storey, Basterretxea and
Salaman, 2014). The sample size used by the researcher is 30 respondents. Mentioned below is
the questionnaire that company distributed to both its employees and consumers for gathering
relevant information and data:
Questionnaire
Name:
Gender:
Occupation:
Contact no.:
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Email id:
Q1) Are you aware about mobile technology and its various aspects that a firm could use in its
business activities?
 Yes
 No
Q2) As per your opinion, state whether mobile technology forms valuable add on to enhance
performance and productivity level of Oak Cash and Carry ?
 Agree
 Disagree
Q3) What are probable effect of implementing mobile technology on business of Oak Cash and
Carry?
 Increase in sales volumeMainly there are two type of research philosophy known as
interpretivism and positivism. Interpretivism research philopshy is used in this project in
order to examine the collected data and to draw valid conclusion related with the main
topic of research.
 Enhancement in customer relationship
Q4) Is adoption of mobile technology help company to reduce work load of staff?
 Yes
 No
Q5) What are most prominent advantage of adopting mobile technology at workplace?
 Reduce employee burden
 Making employees handle various tasks simultaneously
 enhancement in flexibility and work integration
Q6) What are major challenges associated with introducing mobile technology in operations of
Oak Cash and Carry?
 Resistance from employees
 Huge capital investment
 Time Constraints
Q7) What are the most effective mobile technology tool that contributes in Oak Cash and Carry
growth and innovation?
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 Email
 Smart Phones
 Social Networking sites like LinkedIn, twitter and Facebook
 Business Phones
Q8) What are the main factor required to implement mobile technology at workplace?
 Technology
 Expertise knowledge
 Finance
Q9) What are the business purposes to adopt mobile technology by Oak Cash and Carry i.e.
expected to reap maximum benefits?
 In hiring process
 For enhancing customer relations
 For maintaining good employer and employee relations
 To enhance inter departmental communication
Q11) Any recommendation for Oak Cash and Carry to adopt and implement digital technology?
P5 Analysis research and data using appropriate tools and techniques
Research Design: Out of three types of research design i.e. descriptive, exploratory and
experimental, researcher of Oak Cash and Carry have opted for descriptive research design. This
is most suitable type for company to conduct its research that will assist research team to derive
effective and accurate conclusions (Du, Leten and Vanhaverbeke, 2014).
Research Philosophy : Mainly there are two type of research philosophy known as
interpretivism and positivism. Interpretivism research philosophy is used in this project in order
to examine the collected data and to draw valid conclusion related with the main topic of
research.
Data Analysis: Thematic analysis is adopted where in different themes for every research
question is been prepared that assists researcher to minutely determine responses.
DATA INTERPRETATION
Theme 1: Awareness about mobile technology and related aspects.
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Q1) Are you aware about mobile technology and its various
aspects that a firm could use in its business activities?
Frequency
 Yes 20
 No 10
20
10
Yes
No
Interpretation: As per above given inflammation, it can be concluded that out of 30
around 20 respondents are aware about mobile technology and its associated aspects that could
be adopted by business to enhance efficacy of its operations and to improve its growth. However,
10/30 respondents were not fully aware about use mobile technology in context of
enterprise.Theme 2: Is Mobile Technology improve performance of Oak Cash and Carry
Q2) In your opinion state whether mobile technology
forms valuable add on to enhance performance and
productivity level of Oak Cash and Carry?
Frequency
 Agree 20
 Disagree 10
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