Integration of Technology in Business Operations
Introduction
Integrating technology is a strategic link for enhancing efficiency of developing complex products (Dunning, 2013). According to Krajewski et al. (2013), some of the strategies applied in businesses include integrating technology in individual processes, implementation of technology in business processes, meeting market demands, and setting appropriate marketing practices. Such approaches require a functional technological network. Recent technology can be employed in business operations such as marketing, displaying products and services to the public, controlling the supply chain, supervising employees, taking stock, and getting feedback from consumers. This paper will discuss ways of integrating technology in different business processes in an online shop to increase accuracy and efficiency of operations.
Main Problem
In an online shop, there are several challenges when communicating with customers, handling goods physically, taking stock, and ensuring consistent supplies among others. The use of technology in business operations, which will be discussed in this paper, helps to ensure that all activities run accordingly, thereby, leading to increased productivity, profitability, accuracy, and efficiency,.
Primary Objective
To determine how to integrate technology in various business processes in an online shop as a strategy to increase efficiency and accuracy, and save time.
Secondary Objectives
- To identify the benefits of integrating technology in various business operations.
- To determine the best technology to use and how to acquire it.
- To identify costs and risks of investing in a particular technology.
- To determine ways of utilizing the technology to support business operations.
Literature Review
Use of new technology mostly brings positive impacts on activities that stimulate innovations in business. Di Stefano et al. (2012) posit that the top management personnel of an organizationdeterminesthe deployment of technology in various business operations. Chaudhuri, Dayal, and Narasayya (2011) opine that technology and strategic management should share the objectives of the top management representatives. Indeed, through technology responsiveness, innovation and effectiveness are significantly enhanced.
According to Frishammar, Lichtenthaler and Rundquist (2012), to integrate technology capacity that serves the needs of customers, three steps of technology management should be followed; namely, identifying the technology to be integrated, making implementations, and technology commercialization. These processes must be well connected and done systematically to avoid losses or integration of expensive technology that is not suitable for certain operations. Moogk (2012) adds that identification of the right technology requires an adequate analysis. Additionally, an assessment of the facilities is supposed to guide technology-planning process. The implementation of technology requires innovations that call for an appropriate adaptation mechanism that allows tracking the technology, change of organizational structure, development needs, and the new tasks of the company’s staff.
Business process operations are now in a phase of frequent transformations due to advanced technologies (Davenport, 2013). Onetti et al. (2012) argue that powerful collaboration tools, advanced analytics, mobile applications, and cloud-based multiply the effect of global delivery, shared services, process reengineering, supply chain enhancement, outsourcing, and supervision.
Methodology
Practical screening will be done to get the most appropriate information from several peer-reviewed articles. Most of the information to be used will involve a desktop survey. After getting enough sources containing relevant information, a quality appraisal criterion will be identified. The criterion will be formulated in such a way that it will facilitate sifting of the information collected based on quality and relevance of the review. The last step will involve formulation of results. After carrying out the performance appraisal, a scrutiny of the literature will be conducted to identify risks and solutions in the literature.
Conceptual Framework
To determine whether there are improvements in operations where technology is integrated in business activities. The level of improvement will be determined by the level of increased productivity, accuracy, profitability, and efficiency.
Integration Theory, Literature, and Concepts
Bharadwaj et al. (2013) note that information technology networks and physical devices have significantly transformed business operations. Technology has helped most businesses to alter the tastes and preferences of consumers according to the type of products and services they offer (Bock et al., 2012).Hence, taking into account that technology also increases investments, productivity of workers, increases accuracy, improves efficiency of operations, promotes interdependence between companies, and accelerates economic activities (Teubal et al., 2013).
Bibliography
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Bock, A.J., Opsahl, T., George, G. and Gann, D.M., 2012. The effects of culture and structure on strategic flexibility during business model innovation. Journal of Management Studies, vol. 49, no. 2, pp.279-305.
Chaudhuri, S., Dayal, U. and Narasayya, V., 2011. An overview of business intelligence technology. Communications of the ACM, vol. 54, no. 8, pp.88-98.
Davenport, T.H., 2013. Process innovation: reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business Press, Boston.
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Krajewski, Lee J., Larry P. Ritzman, and Manoj K. Malhotra., 2013. Operations management: Processes and supply chains. vol. 1. Pearson, New York.
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Onetti, A., Zucchella, A., Jones, M.V. and McDougall-Covin, P.P., 2012. Internationalization, innovation and entrepreneurship: Business models for new technology-based firms. Journal of Management & Governance, vol. 16, no. 3, pp.337-368.
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