You are a consultant who has been employed to advise Phab on the effective implementation of strategic changes outlined in the Case Study (below). You are required to produce a report, which addresses the following elements:
- The changes that will be required to business processes
- How these changes can be supported by the use of new Open Source packages such as a CRM or ERP system. You are not required to suggest a specific package, but if you choose to make a specific recommendation then you should be clear about how you have evaluated it and how it meets Phab's needs.
- A discussion of the key challenges that Ogonwe will face in implementing the new strategy within the business, together with recommendations for how they may be addressed.
Case Study: Phab
Phab is a smartphone, phablet, tablet and accessories retailer based in England, owned by Ogonwe. The business started with a stall in a market, which Ogonwe moved into a shopping centre, and then into a shop. The business now has eleven shops. The first three shops were opened from scratch but in July 2014 Ogonwe bought ‘Networkz,' a group of eight outlets, which he intends to operate under the Phab brand. The recent acquisition is a significant expansion in the operation of the business, which until now had specialised only in smartphones, phablets and tablets; Networkz deals with the whole mobile phone market, and supplies a range of networking kits and accessories for home broadband, and arranges deals on devices with the major carriers in the UK, such as Vodafone, EE, and O2. Networkz' eight shops also included two outlets in Norway. Ogonwe is hoping that this will help him to gain a foothold in the European market. As a result of the expansion Ogonwe has identified a need to open a new warehouse in the North 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 Phab brand, but with a relatively small additional overhead.
You are a consultant with OIM Consultants, who specialise in business analysis, logistics consultancy and information technology design and delivery. OIM Consultants have been employed by Ogonwe to advise on how to address the technology and supply chain needs of the growing business. Phab and Networkz have different IT systems, and in addition to integrating the two parts of the business there is the need to add ‘b2c' eCommerce functionality. Ogonwe 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 Phab uses packaged software from commercial vendors, which is proving increasingly expensive.
You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that we have covered in the module, to inform and justify your recommendations.
The RKC Forum thread "Final Assessment - Due date, July 19th" should be used to explore the assignment; it is recommended that you use it to:
- Share papers and articles that you have found on relevant topics (remember to include links / reference / pdfs if you do
this!)
- Discuss the changes to the ways of working for Phab - i.e. discuss what processes will change, and explore how these
might work in practice. You might also consider the changing information needs of the business
- Discuss and share examples of Open Source software that could be of use for Phab
Please do not be shy in using this - the purpose is to give you experience of using collaborative technologies.