Assessment Housekeeping:
You are required to follow the University's regulations regarding plagiarism and citing sources and references used. Assignments may not be submitted late. Marking penalties for late submission will follow the University regulations for PMC and late submission.
Assignment Brief
Case Study: Mobiez
Mobiez is a mobile phone and accessories retailer based in England, owned by Anand. The business started with a single shop, which Anand has grown into a chain of eleven. The first four shops were opened from scratch but in July 2014Anand bought ‘PhonesRUs' a group of three outlets, which he intends to operate under the Mobiez brand. The recent acquisition is a significant expansion in the operation of the business, not least because two of the new outlets are in Belgium. Anand is hoping that this will help him to gain a foothold in the European market. As a result of the expansion Anand has identified a need to open a new warehouse in the East of England, and he has decided that this would be an excellent opportunity to launch an eCommerce arm to the business, capitalising on the success of the Mobiez brand, but with a relatively small additional overhead.
You are a consultant with OIM Consultants, who specialise in business analysis and information technology design and delivery. OIM Consultants have been employed by Anand to advise on how to address the technology needs of the growing business. Mobiez and PhonesRUs have different IT systems, and in addition to integrating the two parts of the business there is the need to add ‘b2c' eCommerce functionality. Anand would like this to be fully integrated with the retail stores, allowing customers to collect and return stock via the stores, as well as via courier. He has asked whether the use of open-source software is appropriate for the business, as Mobiezuses packaged software from commercial vendors, which is proving increasingly expensive.
Your Task
You are a consultant who has been employed to advise Anand on the effective implementation of these strategic changes. You are required to produce the following:
Part A: Analysis - Business Process Models and strategy analysis
In this section you should
It is recommended that you use Microsoft Visio to create the models although you may if you prefer use Word, PowerPoint or appropriate alternatives.
2. Strategic analysis for Mobiez. You should use a recognised analysis technique such as SWOT, PESTLE etc.
Part B: Open Source Software Comparison Table
In this section you should conduct research into a suitable software solution for Mobiez. You should decide on the set of characteristics which you will use to evaluate the software and your research should consider 4-5 alternatives in detail. This section should be presented as a table.
Part C: Report
In this section you should write a report which provides an overview of the current situation together with a roadmap outlining how the proposed changes to the business can be achieved to the benefit of the business. This should draw on your analysis in Part A, include your recommendation for software, and provide recommendations for ensuring that the strategy is effectively implemented, including consideration of the challenges ahead.
You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that we have covered in the module, to inform and justify your recommendations.
This section should follow a standard report structure:
Title Page - Contents - Introduction - Main Section - Conclusions and Recommendations - References.
Part D: Reflection on your contribution to the online discussion and wiki
In this section you should submit a 250 word reflective summary, accompanied by your own self-assessment of your contribution to the online discussions throughout the module, using the table labelled Reflection Self AssessmentProforma in Appendix A (copy and paste it into your assignment document and highlight where you think your performance lies). The reflective report should include your detailed reflection, supported with evidence from the online discussion.