Provide an overview of key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment by drawing on your chosen business

TASK DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The digital technology transformation is rapidly becoming a standard across many business environments. So, without a digital-first strategy, businesses are likely to fall behind the competition and eventually struggle to grow. This is very clear during the times of pandemic. Many successful digital businesses have seen significant growth in their businesses. For example, Amazon reported record net sales of $75.5 billion in the first quarter of 2020 (Rikap, 2020)

TASK

Choose a well-established digital business or e-commerce business in a B2B or B2C context. The chosen business must have a well-developed website, where you can find information about their strategies and operations. You are taking the role of an independent digital/e-commerce business consultant tasked to evaluate the strategies that the chosen digital/ e-commerce business is applying based on the tasks outlined below and complete these in a report.

The tasks include:

1. Provide an overview of key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment by drawing on your chosen business
2. Critically evaluate new and emerging digital business models in the context of key business issues such as cyber security and ethics that your chosen business uses or may use
3. Evaluate the impact of new collaborative relationships and strategic alliances through digital technology for your chosen business
4. Discuss how e-commerce principles could be used by your chosen business.

LENGTH REQUIRED

3000 words [+/-10%]

FORMATTING AND LAYOUT

Please note the following when completing your written assignment:

1. Writing: Written in English in an appropriate business/academic style
2. Focus: Focus only on the tasks set in the assignment.
3. Document format: Report
4. Ensure a clear title, course, and name or ID number is on a cover sheet and a reference using Harvard referencing throughout is also provided.
5. Research: Research should use reliable and relevant sources of information e.g. academic books and journals that have been peer reviewed. The research should be extensive.

The use of a range of information sources is expected – academic books, peer reviewed journal articles, professional articles, press releases and newspaper articles, reliable statistics, company annual reports and other company information. All referencing should be in Harvard style. Provide an overview of key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment by drawing on your chosen business

Learning outcomes assessed:

LO1: Understand the key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment

LO2: Critically evaluate new and emerging digital business models and key business issues such as cyber security and ethics etc. in managing effective e-business

LO3: Evaluate the impact of new collaborative relationships and strategic alliances through digital technology.

LO4: Understand and apply relevant digital business theoretical concepts in practical contexts

LO5: Use a multi-disciplinary approach to apply E-Commerce principles in a business/public/voluntary sector organisation.

THE CHOSEN BUSINESS IS :

Structure/ Template:

Title/ Cover page  - NOT included in wordcount ( state the name of the chosen company in the title)

Executive Summary/ Abstract (aim of the report, summary of the key points emerging from your analysis ; one paragraph for each of the 4 parts) ( max. one page approx. max 400 words) (write past tense) ( no references) NOT included in wordcount

Table of contents (headings, sub-headings with numbering and page number) NOT included in wordcount

Introduction (outlining the aim the report; overview to the chosen digital business (reference the website); discuss/ overview of digital business (present the growth of digital business globally/ nationally, supported with evidence such as statistics, news etc. ); outline structure of report) ( Sources:- references to the website of the digital business / other websites/ news/ magazines) (approx. 300 words)

1. Overview of Key Trends and Advantages

Provide an overview of key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment by drawing on your chosen business (approx. 700 words)

1. Definition of Digital/Virtual Business (Sources: books; journal article)
2. Advantages of Digital/Virtual Business (Sources:books; journal article)
3. Key Trends in Digital/Virtual Business (Sources:books; journal article)
4. Application to using digital business with advantages and key trends applied to your chosen organisation (Sources: website of the chosen organisation; news; magazines; other websites eg. BBC news, Harvard Business Review, Marketing Week, The Drum etc.)

5. New and Emerging Digital Business Models

Critically evaluate new and emerging digital business models in the context of key business issues such as cyber security and ethics that your organisation uses or may use (approx. 700 words) (https://morethandigital.info/en/9-disruptive-business-models-new-opportunities-for-companies/#4_Marketplace_Model)

1. Defining new, emerging digital business models (Sources: books, journal articles)
2. Discussion on new, emerging digital business models in the context of key issues such as cyber security and ethics (Sources: based on book and article above and other similar sources)
3. Apply how your chosen organisation is using / could use any of these new, emerging business models (Sources: website of the organisation, other websites; news; magazines; publications)

Evaluate the impact of new collaborative relationships and strategic alliances through digital technology for your chosen organisation (approx. 700 words) LO1: Understand the key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment

Definition of new collaborative relationship and definition of strategic alliance/s (Sources: books; journal articles)

Advantages and disadvantages of new collaborative relationships and strategic alliances through digital technology (Source: books; journal articles)

Application to your chosen organisation on how they use or could use new collaborative relationships and strategic alliances through digital technology (Source: organisation’s website, other websites, magazines, news, publications)

 Discuss how e-commerce principles could be used by your chosen organisation (approx. 700 words)

1. Define e-commerce (Sources: books, journal articles)

2. Discuss what are e-commerce principles (Sources: books, journal articles)

3. Apply e-commerce principles to your chosen organisation (Sources: organisations’ websites, other websites, news, magazines, publications)

Conclusion (approx. 150 words)- summary of key points emerging from the evaluation ( no references )

Provide an overview of key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment by drawing on your chosen business

References (min. 20 references, well balanced: academic (Sources: books and journal articles from sources such as Ebsco, Emerald etc.) and non-academic sources (websites, news, magazines, online publications) ) NOT included in wordcount LO1: Understand the key trends and advantages of digital technology and implications for managing virtual business in the global environment

LENGTH REQUIRED

3000 words (+-10%)