Impact of Technology on Small Business: Talent Plus Project Analysis

This project report analyzes the implications of technology adoption in Talent Plus, a UK-based placement agency. The assignment begins with an introduction to technology's impact on business operations, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Task 1 outlines the aims and objectives of the study, focusing on identifying the benefits of digital technology, its impact on business growth, and recommendations for technology implementation. Task 2 covers the application of quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. Task 3 involves the analysis of research findings and provides recommendations based on the study. The project includes a project management plan, work breakdown structure, and a Gantt chart to illustrate the project's timeline and organization. The report concludes with a self-reflection on the work undertaken and provides references to support the analysis.

Managing Small
Business Project

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1. Aim and objectives of study.................................................................................................1
P2 Project management Plan.......................................................................................................3
P3 Work breakdown structure and Gantt chart...........................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
P4 Application of quantitative and qualitative tools of data collection......................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
P5 Analysis of research...............................................................................................................8
P6 Recommendations for this study..........................................................................................18
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................18
P7 Self reflection of the work undertaken.................................................................................18
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................20

INTRODUCTION
Technology is defined to be a summation of skills and techniques which are employed by
a business in the process of production. Introduction of technology in business operations have
redefined the manner in which business operations are carried out. Small and medium sized
businesses have opted for digital technology to successfully compete in the market with mega
corporations (Ahmed Dine Rabeh, Jimenez-Jimenez and Martínez-Costa, 2013). It can be seen
that technology has helped in making products and operations of a business efficient and more
profitable. This assignment focuses on technology adopted by Talent plus. It is a placement
agency operating in the United Kingdom employing over 80 employees. This assignment will
take into consideration the aim and objectives of research. A small scale research will be
conducted to gather and analyse information in respect of the organisation and suggestions will
be given. Lastly, the support of technology in sustaining business operations will be ascertained.
TASK 1
P1. Aim and objectives of study
The market is dynamic and an organisation needs to continuous evolve its operations so
that they can match pace of the environment and ensure their sustainability in the market for a
longer period of time. The development of technology have been beneficial for an organisation
as it helps in improving efficiency and convenience in the approach in which operations are
carried out. It has become crucial for a business to adopt to various technological advancements
so that company can attain superior position in the market. An ideal digital circumstances is
attained where physical resources of a company are associated with digital technology to carry
out operations in an automated manner.
The digital edge attained by the company will be helpful in enhancing level of customer
with the organisation and accomplish better financial outcomes. It does not matter how old a
company is, adoption of right set of technology will help them in creating a triumph over its
rivals. This task is assigned to senior management of an organisation to create an ideal relation
between digital and physical resources of an organisation (Chesbrough, 2010). Talent plus is a
consultancy agency and provides outsourcing functionality to human resources function to
companies. Selection of right set of technology helps in right transformation of organisational
 1

functions. The another major reason for organisation are opting for the same is that it can lead to
positive outcomes in terms of operations and profits.
A company can adopt to various tactics which modifies the manner in which resources
interact with each other to attain results. Technology redefines the manner in which this
company cater the needs for human resources and its functions to other organisation. It is the
time when business organisation have kept technology to its forefront to render value services to
consumers. It helps in continuously reviewing the process which fulfils needs of customer which
are to be improved to achieve ideal customer experience with the organisation.
Talent plus is an organisation which supplies human resources to the company. The task
of conducting market research is also carried out by organisation which helps a business in
making decision which stands most profitable. The company have always taken help from
scientific technology to ensure that operations are as per desires of the company. This
organisation have introduced digital technology into its operations. The introduction of
technology in business have promised higher automation and productivity in the task (Crane and
Matten, 2016). The another side to attaining technology is about people throwing out of jobs as
their work is carried out by machines in an error-free manner. The main aims and objectives of
this study are as follows:
Aim: “To identify the implications of technology in a small business enterprise and its
contribution in innovation and growth- case study of Talent Plus”
Objectives:
 To identify benefits of implementing digital technology.
 To ascertain the impact of digital technology on business
 to evaluate relation between growth of business by implementing new technology Recommendation of various ways through which technological measures can be
approached.
Research questions:
 what are the benefits of implementing digital technology in business environment?
 What are the impacts of incorporating technology in business operations?
 Analyse relationship between growth and innovation in company through technological
advancements.
 How business can implement technology in an organisation.?
 2

P2 Project management Plan
Projects are the efforts of the company to create something new which carries a value.
The process of value creation is undertaken by organisation irrespective of size of operations.
The company takes up projects on a regular basis as life cycle of a product have reduced. This
enforces a business to create new products and services on a regular basis. The complexity of
projects have increased manifolds therefore it is essential for a business to employ right set of
people to achieve results of the same (Den Hertog Van der Aa and De Jong, 2010). This is where
Project management is applicable. It is the set of tools and tactics which ensure that the activities
undertaken achieve desired outcomes. It involves variety of practices such as initiating, planning,
monitoring and closing at the end. Talent plus looks after the various needs in the human
resource sector therefore such a project which is mostly undertaken by them is regarding change
in culture in an organisation which has become root cause of failure of an organisation. This is a
complex project and must be dealt by experienced staff in an careful manner. To execute such it
is essential to plan and organise factors to accomplish it in an ideal manner.
The crucial element which deserve emphasis are mentioned below. This duty is assigned
to project manager to carefully consider all the major element to make sure that there are
minimum hindrances and chances of failure. Some of the are:
Cost: it refers to the expenditure of the company to execute the project. A project is
accompanied by a cost which is paid by company to create something of value. This organisation
is looking for change in the culture which is a costly process as it involves education, training
and development and formulation of new practices and policies.
Scope: Scope in context of project management refers to the activities which are
undertaken to successfully complete the project (Eckerson, 2010). To inculcate a productive
culture in an organisation there are variety of steps which are to attained such as informing them
about the change, organising of various factors and adoption of technology in educating and
informing about the change which is about to take place in an organisation.
Time: the activities which are to considered are time bound. There is a certain time
allotted for each project. This is done to motivate employees to achieve the same in the given
amount of time. The change in the culture of an organisation is given appropriate amount of time
so that it can results in benefit of a business. The tasks such as learning, training and recruitment
are given adequate time so that it can be carried out in an ideal manner.
 3

Risk: the change in culture which an organisation can undertake. The efforts are aimed to
inculcate new ways and means of accomplishing a task and elimination traditional methods of
task accomplishment. It is the biggest risk which an organisation can take as failed attempt in
this sector will disrupt the functioning of a business and will take time to attain a defined level of
certainty. The introduction of digital methods will help in better learning and training of
employees with the organisation to minimize risk to a lower level (Gebauer, Edvardsson and
Bjurko, 2010).
Communication: it is the most crucial element which is to be examined by a project
manager. There is a needs of an ideal communication channel which can help in providing
information and solving their queries. While trying to create a technology and performance
oriented environment it is essential for a business to emphasize on the communication pattern
adopted. The culture of an organisation cannot be transformed without opting for a suitable
communication tool. It can help in identifying problems which are being faced by employees and
try to resolve the same so that better performance can be attained.
Quality control: Maintaining quality is an important aspect of project management. All
the activities are carried out keeping in mind the quality which is to be provided to an
organisation (Incelli, 2013). Talent plus have to ensure that right set of workforce is provided to
organisation so that they are able to maintain their brand name. The changes in organisation
culture can only be attained when project manager manages to provide quality training and
learning platforms to the same so that project's quality can be maintained.
The manager responsible for the project have to identify and examine these factors in an
ideal manner so that project can be planned and executed in an desired manner (Jones, G. and
Lubinski, 2012.). The project should carry minimum amount of risk which paying special
emphasis to quality delivered to other party.
P3 Work breakdown structure and Gantt chart
These are the major tool which are incorporated by a business in planning a project. It is
known that a project is an complex system which needs to be broken down into various
components which are time bound. This is done to allocate ideal time to all activities which are
essential to accomplish project in the manner defined.
Work Breakdown structure
 4

As the name suggests, work breakdown structure aims to braking down a project into
smaller element so that they are managed effectively. This is done so that every activity is
completed with appropriate time and resources which leads to ideal completion of project. The
hierarchical division of activities can be managed and monitored effectively rather than
supervising a whole project (Kankaanranta and Planken, 2010). The change in the culture which
is undertaken by cited organisation will be categorised on the grounds of education, training,
development activities to develop a culture which is performance oriented. This is done so that
an organisation can compete in the market in a better manner. This management consulting
agency helps in catering the needs of mega organisation in domain of human resources. Talent
plus have formed a separate division who is responsible for successful completion of projects.
The decomposition of work is undertaken in project and smaller elements are formed so that they
are deliverable to the organisation.
Il
lustration 1: Work Breakdown structure
(Source: Work Breakdown structure, 2016)
Gantt chart
The activities which were broken down to smaller components are now allotted with time
under which they are to be achieved. This tool with the help of graphical representation can
depict the amount of work completed in a project. The tool formulated by Henry Gantt in context
of project management. This chart also shows time, resources and progress which has been
carried out in process (Lai and Ong, 2010). In domain of project management, this tool have
garnered worldwide appreciation. It is very important to look after each and every segment of
project to prevent it from getting failed. This tool is utilised in planning and scheduling of
 5

activities so that all the tasks which are involved in a project are considered. The another main
reason activities are decomposed is that they should be carry out by employees who are assigned
with the task. The right set of employees should be assigned these tasks so that they are able to
carry that out in desired manner. The another added feature which can be availed through
application of Gantt chart is that it helps in identification of critical path. Critical path is
approach discovered which helps a business in eliminating efforts and activities of a project
which are not necessary that further helps in selecting right activities to complete a process (Lin
and Chen, 2012). Talent plus have taken help from Gantt chart to develop a technological and
performance oriented culture for a company.
The activities which are mentioned in the above Gantt chart defines the activities which
are to be undertaken in the project and it defines the time which is to be allotted for the same to
be accomplished. The development of performance oriented work culture is a gradual process
and it involves number of activities which are to be carried out in terms of providing information
and training them through digital platforms to persuade them to perform at a higher level. These
changes will have a positive outcomes on the organisational outcomes.
TASK 2
P4 Application of quantitative and qualitative tools of data collection
Research in context of a business is conducted to gather additional information on the
available topic. The information collected through prospects is essential for a business
formulating decisions. The quality of the services in context of human resources can be
thoroughly evaluated with the data collected. Data in context of a research can be collected
through various primary and secondary sources.
 6

Primary sources: It is the raw data collected by the scholar to carry out his study. The
process which are utilised in collection of information are experimentation and observation. The
data which is gathered is real time data which will be used for the purpose of study. This method
of data collection requires higher expenditures and are more accurate to the subject of study
(Shang, 2012). The research is beneficial for organisation to know views and opinions of
customers. Talent plus have preferred this expensive approach of data collection to address the
problem which arises with the organisation. The company have opted for sampling technique and
gathered data from 20 samples for the purpose of their analysis.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Name:
DOB:
Gender:
Contact details:
Q1 what is the importance of technology for an organisation?
a) Growth
b) Profitability
c) Economic development
Q2 How important is culture for an organisation?
a)Important
b)Not important
Q3 What will be impact of development of culture on an organisation?
a)Productive
b)Unproductive
Q4 Can development of organisation able to improve customer experience?
a) Satisfied
b) Not satisfied
Q5 Can development of technology enhances innovation and growth of an organisation?
a)Definitely
b)Not sure
Q6 The company will be able to uplift consumer experience?
a)Yes
 7

b)No
Q7 E-recruitment will be an effective technique to invite applications?
a)Yes
b)No
Q8 Online training is beneficial for an organisation?
a)Agreed
b)Disagreed
Q9 Adoption of technological tactics is a must for an organisation in human resource
domain?
a)Right
b)Wrong
Q10 Recommend ways in which ideal adoption of technology can be facilitated in an
institution?
….........
Secondary data: it is the data collected by another scholar to carry out his study. The data
collected by the scholar can be utilised to gain further about this study. The main sources which
are used in gathering additional information are government publications, websites and journal
articles. The information can be obtained at economical prices in an effortless manner (Smith,
2011). Relevancy of his data will be minimal as it is obtained for some other purposes.
TASK 3
P5 Analysis of research
Q1 what is the importance of technology for an organisation?
a) Growth-9
b) Profitability-7
c) Economic development-4
Theme: Importance of technology for an organisation
 8

Interpretation: It can be ascertained from the above report that technology is most crucial in
terms of growth for an organisation. Out of 20 respondents 9 believe that it is essential in terms
of growth and 7 see it as a means to enhance profitability of a company rest perceive it as a
means to economic development of the country.
 9
Growth
b) Profitability
c) Economic development
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
7
4
Column D

Q2 How important is culture for an organisation?
a)Important- 13
b)Not important- 7
Theme: Importance is culture for an organisation
Interpretation: It can be seen from the above graph that 13 out of 20 responders believe that
culture of an organisation is important however 7 of 20 answerer state culture is not important
for a company. The majority states that it is important and organisation should make efforts to
develop the same.
 10
Important Not important
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
13
7
Column D