Digital Transformation. The Realignment of Information Technology and Business Strategies for Retailers in South Africa

Digital Transformation. The Realignment of Information Technology and Business Strategies for Retailers in South Africa PDF

Author: Albert Mubako

Publisher: diplom.de

Published: 2017-06-27

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 396067614X

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Remaining competitive in the retail industry of South Africa in the digital age is a major business concern. In the age of „digital natives”, people are well-connected on various digital technology platforms and are digital consumers. Digital technologies offer retail organizations new innovative ways to create value by utilizing digital business strategies, processes, and products. This qualitative research study explores the perception of retail strategy experts and decision-makers toward realignment of IT and business strategies considering digital transformation in South Africa. Based on interviews with seven managers and decision-makers in the retail industry, the study reveals that digital technologies have disrupted traditional ways of doing business. The study proposes eight major recommendations, in which retail traders could innovate their business strategy to enhance value creation beyond traditional approaches to retailing. It provides a good starting point for academic research in a domain that is deficient in theoretical and empirical research on the South Africa retail sector, and offers retailing managers a conceptual model to guide them toward a digital business strategy for transient competitive advantages.

Digital Strategies And Organizational Transformation

Digital Strategies And Organizational Transformation PDF

Author: G Reza Djavanshir

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2023-08-02

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9811271992

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In today's highly competitive business environments, with the rise of digital businesses and digital economy, digital strategies and organizational changes go hand in hand. Organizations that possess a robust digital strategy benefit greatly from the advancements of emerging digital technologies, and hence, making necessary organizational changes in order to maximise the benefits have become vital for their survival. According to MIT Sloan's Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), '[i]n this period of digital disruption, businesses focused narrowly on value chains are at a disadvantage'. Next-generation enterprises need to think more broadly about their business ecosystems, leverage digitization to understand their customers better, and establish options for future success. Therefore, competitive businesses have started using a variety of digital tools including artificial intelligence, alongside other digital applications, making the required changes to their organizational models and cultures to better serve their customers efficiently and effectively.This book contains a collection of chapters describing these digital strategies and how they go hand in hand with organizational changes. We solicited contributions from well-known academics from universities, business leaders, and experts within businesses and government organizations for this book. The majority of the chapters examines the necessary relationships between these two critical issues. Specifically, this book discusses how to infuse new knowledge into ongoing discourse and debates within academia and business organizations regarding digital strategies and organizational changes, and how to accomplish seamless integration of digital tools and applications into organizational platforms in order to accomplish the required organizational changes smoothly.In summary, this book discusses the integration and implementation of digital technology and the required organizational changes to take advantage of the phenomenon of digitization. In order to create competitive advantage, leadership organizations must address the challenges of formulating and implementing robust digital strategies and simultaneously, start making the required organizational changes, as this book concludes.

Digital Service Delivery in Africa

Digital Service Delivery in Africa PDF

Author: Ogechi Adeola

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2022-03-11

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 9783030839086

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The dynamics of the world’s pervasive digital technologies is transforming organisations and enabling enterprises to create sustainable competitive advantage. This presents huge economic opportunities for Africa. This book responds to the need for African enterprises and organisations—particularly those in the service sector—to fully exploit the inherent potential in digital platforms by putting in place processes to respond effectively to changing consumer demands. Digital service delivery is conceptualised as a key driver of effective management and service delivery across the value chain of businesses. The authors offer insights into the opportunities, drivers, structures, and models of digital service delivery specific to the African context, using case studies and country-based themes that highlight how the adoption of digital platforms and practices can transform service delivery for value-creation. The book examines the scope and applications of digital businesses, emphasising the emergence, value-creation, and strategic implications for Africa’s private and public enterprises. Students, entrepreneurs, IT innovators, academics, and policymakers will gain a greater understanding of how digitalisation is shaping consumer expectations, industry practices, and service delivery in Africa.

Strategic Digital Transformation

Strategic Digital Transformation PDF

Author: Alex Fenton

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-11-25

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 0429670370

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Emerging technologies are having a profound impact upon business as individuals and organisations increasingly embrace the benefits of the ‘always on’ attitude that digital technologies produce. The use of the web, apps, cloud storage, GPS and Internet-connected devices has transformed the way we live, learn, play and interact – yet how a business can fully benefit from this transformation is not always clear. In response, this book enables students and business leaders to take a strategic and sustainable approach to realising the value of digital technologies. It offers results-driven solutions that successfully transform organisations into data-driven, people-focused businesses capable of sustainably competing at a global level. Split across four key parts, the material moves through understanding digital business to planning, implementing and assessing digital transformation. The current challenges facing all small organisations, including limited resources, financial pressures and the lack of dedicated IT departments, are explored. The authors consider the ways in which innovation can increase competitive advantage, how innovative business models can create new opportunities and how a data-driven perspective can release embedded value within the organisation. Contemporary international case studies and examples throughout each chapter bridge theory with practical application and systematically document the patterns of activities that enable success. This textbook is a vital resource for postgraduate and undergraduate students of digital business, innovation and transformation. By showing how to initiate digital transformation across an organisation, it will prepare business owners, directors and management of small- and medium-sized businesses to take strategic advantage of new and emerging technologies to stay ahead of their competition.

Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation

Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation PDF

Author: Neil Perkin

Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers

Published: 2017-04-03

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0749480408

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Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation is an in-depth look at transforming businesses so they are fit for purpose in a digitally enabled world. It is a guide for all those needing to better understand, implement and lead digital transformation in the workplace. It sets aside traditional thinking and outdated strategies to explain what steps need to be taken for an organization to become truly agile. It addresses how to build organizational velocity and establish iterative working, remove unnecessary process, embed innovation, map strategy to motivation and develop talent to succeed. Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation provides guidance on how to set the pace and frequency for change and shows how to break old habits and reform the behaviours of a workforce to embed digital transformation, achieve organizational agility and ensure high performance. Full of practical advice, examples and real-life insights from organizational development professionals at the leading edge of digital transformation, this book is an essential guide to building an agile business.

Business Modelling in the Dynamic Digital Space

Business Modelling in the Dynamic Digital Space PDF

Author: Omar A El Sawy

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-08-14

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 3642317650

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​This Springer Briefs volume guides the reader in a comprehensive form to design new digital business models. The book provides strategic roadmaps for enterprises in the digital world, and a comprehensive framework to assess new business models. It aligns both, research and a practical perspective through real case study examples. Even extreme scenarios are employed to ensure that innovative approaches are being considered adequately.

Structural Transformation in South Africa

Structural Transformation in South Africa PDF

Author: Antonio Andreoni

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 411

ISBN-13: 0192894315

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Taking South Africa as an important case study of the challenges of structural transformation, the book offers a new micro-meso level framework and evidence linking country-specific and global dynamics of change, with a focus on the current challenges and opportunities faced by middle-income countries.

Digital Kenya

Digital Kenya PDF

Author: Bitange Ndemo

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-11-18

Total Pages: 518

ISBN-13: 1137578785

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This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. Presenting rigorous and original research, this volume offers key insights into the historical, cultural, social, economic and political forces at play in the creation of world-class ICT innovations in Kenya. Following the arrival of fiber-optic cables in 2009, Digital Kenya examines why the initial entrepreneurial spirit and digital revolution has begun to falter despite support from motivated entrepreneurs, international investors, policy experts and others. Written by engaged scholars and professionals in the field, the book offers 15 eye-opening chapters and 14 one-on-one conversations with entrepreneurs and investors to ask why establishing ICT start-ups on a continental and global scale remains a challenge on the “Silicon Savannah”. The authors present evidence-based recommendations to help Kenya to continue producing globally impactful ICT innovations that improve the lives of those still waiting on the side-lines, and to inspire other nations to do the same.

The Economics of Information Technology

The Economics of Information Technology PDF

Author: Hal R. Varian

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2004-12-23

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 1139456725

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The Economics of Information Technology is a concise and accessible review of some of the important economic factors affecting information technology industries. These industries are characterized by high fixed costs and low marginal costs of production, large switching costs for users, and strong network effects. These factors combine to produce some unique behavior. The book consists of two parts. In the first part, Professor Varian outlines the basic economics of these industries. In the second part, Professors Farrell and Shapiro describe the impact of these factors on competition policy. The clarity of the analysis and exposition makes this an ideal introduction for undergraduate and graduate students in economics, business strategy, law and related areas.