BGMT3300 Digital Business Assignment Sample
Here’s the best sample of BGMT3300 Digital Business Assignment, written by the expert.
1. Analyse the reasons for adopting the digital business solution:
The drive for using a website is primarily focussed on addressing the strategic aims of the business to “adapt to new opportunities using digital transformation.” Using the online platform not only allows a more flexible and convenient method of communicating to existing customers it also allows additional benefits through integration with tools like decision support systems and the like (Por, et al., 2008). Dwivedi, et al. (In Press) have also highlighted the need for digital services in the sector, especially for B2B relationships. COVID 19 has also been one of the most powerful drivers for the need of this online service as the constant restatement of rules regarding social gathering have meat that the suppliers have had to coordinate and adjust very fast based on rules that were inconsistently applied (Young, 2020). Madray (2020) also find that for the entire event planning industry in general, the impact of COVID has been significant and had caused significant changes to the modus operandi as well. He (ibid) also suggests that the use of online services to communicate at the B2B level would be of greater relevance given the imposed restrictions of travel and social gathering, the incorporation of online events, the need for rapid adjustments and the like.
In addition to that, in the case of B2B marketing and sales generation it has been found that “the more an account engages with the service provider’s digital events such as webcasts or digital content on its websites, the more sales leads and won opportunities come from the account” (Wang, et al., 2019). This report (ibid.) suggests that in the case of B2B marketing digital service provision definitely helps in increasing the number of leads and also in increasing the visibility of the business. In addition to that, during the present times of COVID and the subsequent social restrictions, this service can help in establishing a new form of networking that can enable companies to coordinate and function in a timelier manner. Another facet that had to be contended with was that of social media integration which has been found to “not only invite deeper participation, but also reduce perceived risk where buyers and sellers are at an early stage of their business relationship” (Brennan & Croft, 2012). These factors combined form the foundation of the reasoning behind the development of the website created for solving the issues identified.
2. Evaluate barriers for restricting adoption and ongoing management challenges:
One of the critical barriers to adoption is that of the the apprehension to change for most businesses from their existing process of work (Hsiao, 2001). They (ibid.) suggest that unless the fears of those that are expected to change have to be taken into consideration and their needs have to be considered while designing and promoting the new digital solution. Vajjhala & Thandekkattu (2017) elaborate on this and suggest that there are four types of barriers that organisations face when adopting new digital B2B solutions especially in the case of SMEs. These include resource constraints, external environmental factors, organisational issues and the resistance to acceptance of new technology (Vajjhala & Thandekkattu , 2017). In this case however, as discussed in the previous section, the external environmental factors are largely conducive to the adoption of online services and the adoption of this technology for the associate firms would have negligible resource investment. Therefore, the only barrier that needs to be carefully managed is that of the resistance to acceptance of new technology. Another important barrier that was identified was that of the perception of the technology adopters. The perceived need, the perceived ease of use and the perceived barriers all contribute to the decision making regarding the shift to digital solutions in the B2B scenario among SMEs (Siamahka, et al., 2014). Other barriers would include the familiarity to the features of the product offered which could lead from the improper marketing of the product and its features. Improper marketing could also result in a unfavourable perception of the digital solution which can act as a barrier to adoption as noted above. The design and aesthetic of the digital solution is also another barrier for the B2B partners as it could set the negative perceptions for ease of use if improperly designed. These factors constitute the major barriers that can come in the way of the adoption of this digital solution.
These definitely have several managerial implications. First from the project management point of view, the needs of the clients and the key deliverables have to be identified clearly. This would allow a design of the product that could possible assuage some of the fears of the new and existing clients in shifting entirely to the digital channel. Secondly there is a tremendous marketing challenge and responsibility that exists for the company. As discussed previously, perception of the product and the solution that it offers is key to the success of its adoption and as the the manner in which the product is presented and promoted will have great influence on it eventual adoption. There is also a need to highlight the additional benefits of digital solutions like the use of social media integration as a marketing tool for the business and the clients which will further bolster the adoption of the solution.
3. Internal and External considerations
| Strengths
· Social media integration of activities and the resulting marketing and visibility boost can be a great incentive. · The product will also be able to provide a more agile and convenient way to integrate all changes and updates |
| Weaknesses
· The over-all segment is down currently because of COVID and associated lockdowns
· The company is dependent on external consultants · There is no internal management structure set to support the online marketing |
| Opportunities
· There is a general push towards digitisation in all sectors and the event planning sector is not different · If the digital solution and its advantages can be appropriately marketed then the perceptions of the B2B partners can be sufficiently moulded to drive sales |
| Threats
· Inherent resistance to the use of new technology · The perceived need and the ease of use could be also be a threat for the technology adoption. |
4. Evaluating the proposed business solution
Based on the evaluation of the micro and macro environment, the digital solution offered is optimal to the needs of the business and its partners. The template maintained for the website is remarkable simple and easy to use with the most prominent sections highlighted clearly. This would allow a more user friendly experience for the clients, both old and new. In addition to that, the website also offers social media integration through twitter which can further help the partners in bolstering their online profile. The COVID 19 and the associated lockdowns have also changed the manner in which events are held and organised and the use of a comprehensive digital tool allows businesses to mitigate some of those risks. The site also offers online scheduling and planning tools which can allow an integrated assimilation of information for all partners involved which makes the whole operation more agile and flexible. If the digital solution and its advantages can be appropriately marketed, in light of the current scenario, then the perceptions of the B2B partners can be sufficiently moulded to drive sales and new partnerships. The only section that needs to be considered from here is that of marketing and projecting the right image for the website to the new and existing partners. Perception of the product and the solution that it offers is key to the success of its adoption and as the manner in which the product is presented and promoted will have great influence on it eventual adoption. There is also a need to highlight the additional benefits of digital solutions like the use of social media integration as a marketing tool for the business and the clients. This solution could integrate social media into the mix which would allow greater visibility for all the businesses involved and also allow greater marketing opportunities for them.
References
Brennan, R. & Croft, R. 2012. The use of social media in B2B marketing and branding: An exploratory study. Journal of Customer Behaviour, vol. 11, no. 2.
Dwivedi, Y.K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D.L., et al. (In Press). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168
Hsiao, R. 2001. Technology Fears: Barriers to the Adoption of Business-to-Business E-Commerce. ICIS 2001 Proceedings, no. 22. http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2001/22?utm_source=aisel.aisnet.org%2Ficis2001%2F22&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Madray, J.S. 2020. The Impact Of Covid-19 On Event Management Industry. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 533-535.
Por, L.Y., Boey, R.F., Ang, T.F. & Liew, C.S. 2008. An Interactive Web-Based Wedding Planner with Comparative Analysis Decision Support System. WSEAS Transactions On Information Science & Applications, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 211-220.
Vajjhala, N.R. & Thankdekkattu, S.G. 2017. Potential and Barriers to Adoption of b2b E-Commerce in SMEs in Transition Economies: Case of Albania. Management, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 155-169.
Wang, W.-L., Malthouse, E.C., Calder, B. & Uzunoglu, E. 2019. B2B content marketing for professional services: In-person versus digital contacts. Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 81, pp. 160-168.
Young, S. 2020. Brides and prejudice: How the wedding industry is struggling under strict coronavirus restrictions. Independent, https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/coronavirus-wedding-industry-suppliers-impact-uk-government-support-alok-sharma-b904374.html
________________________________________________________________________________
Know more about UniqueSubmission’s other writing services:
