Digital Transformation in Business Operations

Abstract

The modern world is characterized by business processes thriving amidst competitive market environments globally. The fateful conception of technological advancement has induced efficiency in many business organizations through the provision of digital applications that not only steer forth internal business value chain; but also external. For those pursuing a degree, seeking business dissertation help can clarify how these digital tools impact business operations. This essay begins by discussing different aspects of digital applications and how they have impacted business operations. The essay seeks to unravel the place of digital applications amidst both internal and external value chains. A presentation on different digital transformation perspectives is also given herein, with various methodologies for collecting, analyzing and presenting business data. The essay also takes the cognizance of digital innovation blog where different wearable technologies are argued concerning their suitability in the modern era; where physical fitness is invoking attention. Through the blog, elemental awareness, interest and desire for the products is aroused to prospective customers. The essay concludes in the appreciation of how technological merits have impacted the business world, and the needs to accommodate it in the pursuit to improve business outcomes.

Digital Business Applications and how they can Change a way of Doing Business

Bell, Bryman, and Harley (2018) define digital businesses as the application of new technologies in the creation of new value chain in customer experiences, business models and the internal strengths all which traditional businesses cannot guarantee. Bharadwaj et al., (2013) suggested that digitalization should be perceived less like a tool and more as a philosophy of doing things. Most business ventures have embraced the will to create value and adopt digital technologies for the pursuit to drive growth, increase revenue generation and performances in mannerisms contrary to the traditional.

It may be critical for businesses to review common components of a digital business and then compare them with their own models, for a better decision making and outcomes. The application of the digital market is likely to improve marketing online marketing strategies which capture the broader target audience when done in accordance with the norms and ethics of online marketing. Essentially, Bohnsack, Pinkse, and Kolk (2014) highlighted that the application of digital innovations can trigger the need for renewing, re-engineer and regenerate the present workforce for the common good of adapting with the incoming applications.

The application of recent technologies in production and marketing; and the exploration of new business models to immerse customer experience at the center of digital strategy are elemental trends that distinguish digital business operations from traditional ones. Additionally, digital businesses have demanded to embrace the concept overlying digital transformation, and cultural dynamics (Bonchi et al., 2011). The overdue management and implementation of digital practices may call for a transformation in organizational structure, to suit the demands of new applications such as information technology which will call for IT experts to run the affairs therein.

Digital Business Applications and their Place in the Internal and External Value Chain

A value chain is a broad array of activities and processes constituting of designs, marketing, production and distribution of business productivity. For the firms which engage in the production of goods, the value chain commences with an assemblage of raw materials that produces the goods and integrates all things that are induced to ensure the goods are produced (Chaffey, 2015).

Recent studies have forwarded several views on digital transformation. The concept of digital transformation is founded on the premise of corporate information technology and personal environments that inspire the transformational effect of contemporary digital innovations. Such digital technologies include; social media platforms, mobile phones, cloud, internet and analytics of things (Chesbrough, 2010). Digital business operations are founded on the application of these technologies to improve industrial performances and enterprises. A deeply rooted perception sees digital transformation and applications as the use of the modern technologies (social, mobile, analytics, cloud and the Internet of Things) to influence three organizational domains (Christensen, Wells, and Cipcigan, 2012). The domains include the external dimension which on digitally facilitating the customer experience and altering the whole experience. Secondly, the internal dimension affects business practices organizational structures and decision-making processes. The holistic dimension within which all business functions and segments are inscribed is the third elements. This holistic dimension also constitutes a pool of business models that can be harnessed to steer forth the business progressiveness. In a more generalized premise, different scholars are inclined to concur that digital transformation is associated with a basic shift oriented in reaching high standards of performance and an orientation which prefers external, internal and holistic dimensions (Chen, Chiang, and Storey, 2012).

Whereas several business enterprises are pilot-testing the digital transformation, scholarly works exhibiting success stories have demonstrated that the success of business enterprises is not only embedded on digital applications but also in strategies the business leadership deploy. Moreover, there is already a pre-existing gap between the executive management’s intentions and the adoption of the most effective strategic options (Edquist, 2013). The digital application is a talk of the day in many firms all over the world. According to Gray (2013), the firms that will fail to adhere to the needs of digital applications will suffer from what he terms as digital Darwinism. In this condition, the incumbents are likely to go extinct with the most adaptable firms which are responsive to innovational trends thriving along the competitive environments. In the modern days, there are a plethora of firms which are unable to carry on with the pace alongside the spinning wheel of the digital era. Most managers are yet lacking clarity on strategic considerations in their intentions to invest in digital transformations.

Digital Transformation Perspectives

From a digital era point of view, digital transformation emphasizes the basic changes that have become integrated with business processes as a result of the proliferation and pervasive nature of digital technologies. The globe is currently in the fourth industrial revolution which is constructed on the threshold of the other three revolutions. The remarkable difference between this revolution and the former; is that the current revolution heavily applies digital technologies as a result of accelerated diffusion of innovations and new business world economy characterized by customization, dynamism and extensive competition is evolving, with the ability to succeed in such environments lying on technology, knowledge and innovation (Hair and Lukas, 2014).

The industry perspective demonstrates how the disruptive characteristic of digital innovations has revolutionized the mannerisms under which businesses function, and how the ancient boundary lines between them have disintegrated. The new applications have equally accentuated the unstable network dynamics to accommodate digitally-involved customers. In this regard, the products consumers get to co-create utility in a digital atmosphere (Hair et al. 2015).

In the study of the contemporary digital application, five critical dynamics have been conceptualized (Mithas, Tafti and Mitchell, 2013). First, is the de-materialization of possessions in forms of videos and photos; secondly, is the re-embodiment of the human body into videos and photos, thirdly, is the accelerated sharing which is induced by digital innovations and fourth, is the co-constructing the idea of digital enablers including blogs and social media. The finally is the distributed memory upon where human memories get outsourced to hard drives and engines. This personalized stage of digital dynamism and transformation enables the exponential increment in digital information volume, thus unveiling vast volumes of information floods that supersede constructed barriers. Generally, it is arguably notable that digital applications and transformation is a more elaborate and complex form of technology-enabled enterprise transformations which ought to give attention to the strategic functions of contemporary digital technologies. Digital transformation in view of this is defined as the process by which business enterprises converge different new technologies that are capacitated with connectivity, with the purpose to reach more superior performance. Additionally, digital transformation is engineered to change many business approaches including business model business operations and customer experience (Pitas and Venetsanopoulos, 2013).

Operational and Strategic Implications Arising from New Business Technology Applications

The continuous thriving of technology application in business processes has, in turn, affected many changes. For optimal incomes, the various technologies applied ought to be compatible with every aspect of economic, social, and political needs which can impact the organization’s nature, actions, and survival. When the environment changes, the firm must respond accordingly; to maintain resources supply required to foster production process. The evolution of science and technology is a long-term trend which explains the dynamic nature of organizations. As Saunders (2011) notes, the organizational environmental change is both antecedent and long-term, and therefore with the advent of time; there is a need for a responsible approach to digital applications.

The increase in scientific knowledge in the field of information and transportation has facilitated globalization; which in turn has impacted on the behavioral patterns of organizations. The increment in the levels of scientific knowledge, therefore, is the primary cause of organizational structures. Such that there is a continued application of more complex communication technologies that increases access to different knowledge produced. There has also been elemental instant communication with social media platforms allowing room for rapid flow information within huge geographical gaps (Tsatsou et al., 2010).

The digital applications have also induced the platforms to understand the customers’ demand patterns. To initiate loyalty and trust, the business ought to be transparent and showcase their company ethos and personality. This will in turn influence the intended audience into buying the products under disposal. As the world of business changes, the digital leaders should understand the precepts of customer demands and ensure the customers are acquainted with realistic and relevant information (Westerman et al., 2012).

A Critical Appraise of existing innovative technologies to fit operation requirements and strategic needs

In a world where technology is rapidly changing to become a basic factor in business operations; it is almost a challenge in selecting which actual technology to put in place. The application of technological innovations may lead to technology disruptions. The business becomes transformed from traditional practices to new technologies such as cloud, IoT, RAD, and Big data (Woodard et al., 2012). Such technologies are characterized to increase speed, lower efforts, and costs, and increase the conception of better results.

Digital business transformations are motivated by innovative technologies, market demands, environmental factors, and consumers’ behavior. Customer demands render customers with a happy experience in all aspects of product delivery. Through such happiness, customer trust is enhanced through the mannerism exhibited on how they speak about your brands. Innovation in business invokes the digitization of the present business models to inspire the production of new products to cater to peoples’ dynamic needs (Zikmund et al., 2013).

Methods for collecting, analyzing and presenting Digital Business Data

The process of data collection for marketing research is a deeply rooted procedure where a structured search for real information is sought by the researcher. The effectiveness of market research is enshrined on the thresholds of relevance and integrity of data. Additionally, Van den Driest and Weed (2014) observe that the quality of the collected depends on the methodologies applied. A great deal of expertise and experience is vital in the selection of right methodologies.

To enact proper decision; the need for accurate data is mandatory. The source of the information is varied; in sabermetrics which are used to extract data from spreadsheets, and Google Analytics. Supermetrics for Google Sheets is essential in reporting and analysis of Google Sheets. They can also extract information from Google Ads, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook (Cheong, De Gregorio, and Kim, 2010). URL Profiler is also used to collect information related to URLs. The tool is extensively used in the classification and content analysis based on its versatility and fast speed. The integrated semantic data capture tool returns information concerning content. The Office of National Statistics is another method for collecting business related data. This site provides useful information to form a basis for enriching customers profiling information and get to master the demographic patterns of people living along specific store locations (Acker et al., 2011).

Digital business data analysis can be culminated using tools. The first one is event-based tools which track the website, app or platform users. Best event-based tools are deemed to have wide-ranging abilities. According to Oestreicher-Singer and Zalmanson (2012), the more events, channels, and devices one can track, the easier it is for firms’ team to unify and analyze their data. Testing tools are also used in allowing teams to test and verify many features or a single message. Visual behavioral tools use data collected by viewers’ cursor movement as a proxy. The tools reveal the most frequently viewed sites. The teams can then use visual behavior data to align their product and make better the delivery.

Digital marketing analyses tools fall into different categories such as Search Engine Optimization, social media platforms, display ad platform, search engine markets, and predictive scoring model (Royle and Laing, 2014). Every platform is characterized by particular strengths and limitations the most common limitation is that most of the platforms do not integrate with each other. Search engine optimization (SEO) assists business organizations to comprehend how their internet website is likely to be shown up in online search engines. Additionally, social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn provide their own particular analytics which showcases to business teams on how potential customers interact with their posts and profiles (Chaffey, and Smith, 2013).

Search engine marketing platforms such as Bing Ads and Google AdWords render analytics for search engine search ads. The business marketers are able to see content results, research keywords and learn to better their ad performance. Display a platforms which comprises of Facebook ads, Taboola, Google Adwords, Bings Ads, and Outbrain render a threshold to showcase contents to assist marketers to improve their success capacities (Järvinen et al., 2012). Finally, predictive scoring model tools such as Tech Target, Bombora, Lattice Engines, and Everstring provides fundamental algorithms for firm marketers to score prospective customers depending on the probability to buy or renew (Siedlecki and Depaoli, 2016).

There are various ways in which digital data related to business can be presented. The first method is the application of global and country internet usage breakdown. This refers to the globe’s largest sample representation of a huge picture of digital gadget users and intercontinental trends; and utilization of mobile and fixed broadband access by a state per one hundred people. The following, for instance, is the Global and country internet usage breakdown report at the end of the year 2016 demonstrating the advances for internet access and speedy Smartphone use worldwide (Ryan, 2016).

Emarketer.com is another method by which digital business data can be presented. This refers to a collection of data about consumer and business integration of innovations and models. Intense care has been granted to of sample sizes reflecting the context of the United Kingdom. Emarketer more often present Pew Internet Statistics that currently are best suited in showcasing the latest statistics on how people make use of their technology and digital media (Hoang, 2014). Additionally, the European Union Digital Marketing Statistics is also a splendid source of Europe’s utilization of modern technologies and in every country. The Information Society Page is a crucial point from where to begin.

Digital Innovation Blog

Fitness wearable Technology Apps

Recent rapid spread of wearable innovations continues being an unprecedented trend globally; especially as technological advances and health demands a linear course take the course. The smart wearable market is constantly changing to induce more value to the consumers. Millions of users are currently utilizing smart rings, watches, pendants, fitness trackers and glasses to safeguard the interests of the health (Boulos and Yang, 2013). As a matter of fact, the current world as characterized by scientific evolution in dietetics and food, it is palatable that one embraces the physical fitness journey to keep off the outbreak of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension amongst other related conditions (De Lyon, Neville, and Armour, 2017). Here in is a presentation of the best wearable technologies for the betterment of one’s fitness domain.

Player Smart Coach

This gadget is relatively new in the fitness’ market stores but a new representation of an effective FIFA approved GPS tracker. It is worn prior field training. When worn is able to record the body activities such as heartbeat rate, distances covered, and performances during the play. There is a need for a hurry up to grab this outstanding technology for the upkeep of your statuses and physiological activities such that when things are not working out; you seek the indulgence of a medical practitioner. This wearable application comes with a great deal of comfort when worn, and is light enough to keep you running along with.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

This highly specialized watch is a new technologically advanced gadget in the market. It has ability to track more than forty exercises, therefore, maximizing the user’s ability to achieve optimal awareness about his/her fitness condition (Quinn, 2018). The incorporated Samsung health app helps in the checking heartbeat rates, sleeping patterns, health statuses, and nutritional objectives, confirming its usefulness in the modern era where many people are ever busy to make a living. The application can be used at any convenient time, even at night. It submits in the morning time; the generalized view of one’s health aspects.

Peloton Spinning Bike

This gadget is championed by different world celebrities such as David Beckham the legendary footballer, Rita Oran ad Hugh Jackman (Raven, 2018). When in application, the user gets instructed virtually by the best trainers in the field, yet from one’s comfort zone. To assure the customer of its durability and confidence, the machine is sold with a one year warranty, giving the buy an ample time to reflect on its usefulness and efficiency. The following is a diagrammatic representation of Peloton Spinning Bike and a link to where you can see how it operates.

Fitness App

This is an interactive application which helps the trainers and users to train and learn from anywhere; be it at home, with experienced personal trainers. The gadget in an equal measure operates merely as a computer program that records the performance as achieved by the trainer. The gadget is innovated alongside various unlimited studios that allow for rebalancing, strength and a cardio strap which is normally worn purposely to track down the training progressiveness (Bhowan, Johnston and Zhang, 2012).

The advent of the wearable technologies has however raised a lot of moral and security concerns based on the fact that some of them can compromise one’s confidential and privacy status. Some of these gadgets can record the links on the internet that which can enable other people to track down your geographical location. Therefore, this begs for a need to carefully examine the type of wearable one ought to purchase. It is important to scrutinize and check out whether the device is enabled with settings which can alleviate security threats while practicing.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the crack of technological innovation shell has heighten for business opportunities and operations through the introduction of effective marketing plans that increases customer contacts with the produced goods. As discussed in this presentation, the digital business application is new trends that every business s organization should find a place for in their internal structures. The applications of the same will not only ease the operational load and tasks but also cut short on costs incurred in operating the business. There is a need to continually adapt and adapt your business with the contemporary technological application in the pursuit to optimize the rates at which the business’s intended outcomes are to be achieved.

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