Globalization and Business IT - Research Paper Example

?Globalization and Business IT (Research Proposal) IT and Globalisation’s Contribution to Business for Improving the Supply Chain Cycle in a Global Scale: An Illustration of FedEx Executive Summary The paper intends to provide a research proposal for the topic of ‘information technology (IT) and globalisation’s contribution to business for improving the supply chain cycle in a global scale: an illustration of FedEx’. The research proposal has been designed to make a proper framework of research which can be followed and hence implemented for further processing of the proposed study. In order to complete this proposed research, a research question has been prepared for the proposed study. A brief overview of relevant literatures has also been provided so that a proper understanding of the selected topic is obtained. Moreover, based on the proposed research objectives a section of methodology has been incorporated in the paper which comprises the selection of data collection and data analysis techniques. A brief section comprising the expected findings of the research is also presented. Moreover, the expected implications of the research are also highlighted. The proposed research study would facilitate the comprehend the prevailing scenario of global supply chain and the influence received by it owing to the influences of IT and globalisation with reference to FedEx. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Topic Area 4 Title 5 Research Question 5 Specific Project Objectives 5 Review of Existing Research 6 Methodology 10 Findings 13 Implications of the Research 13 Conclusion 15 References 16 Appendix 19 Introduction Topic Area Globalisation is a much used business term and it has many advantageous affects which help in shaping up the business in global perspective. Globalisation is a very broad business term and it has and it supports all round innovation in business. The globalisation of business has made many changes which increased the overall profitability of the organisations. Fedex, as a company is very global in its approach. With the advent of globalisation, the company has improved its supply chain channels at a much higher level. It delivers its products all over the world. The company values timely delivery of service for which they are recognised worldwide (Butcher & et. al., 2008). Information technology (IT) and the globalisation of business have made the global supply chain very efficient and contributed to large profits in the business. Both IT and globalisation are aspects of modernisation and growth. IT sector is one of the most booming sectors and the globalisation focuses on the overall development of a country, market, sector and industry among others. Fedex, as a company, strongly believes in globalisation and therefore manages to provide its services globally. The company operates a large range of branded companies which come under the main brand Fedex, and all these companies serve logistics services. With the incorporation of IT, FedEx has been able to leverage superior globalised service by entailing technologically upgraded features in its global operations such as wireless technology and shipping along with tracking system (Network World Fusion, 2002; Cisco Systems, 1999; Butcher & et. al., 2008). Title IT and globalisation’s contribution to business for improving the supply chain cycle in a global scale: An illustration of FedEx Research Question For completing the proposed research, it is required to find out the contributions that are made by IT and globalisation in business and the process through which IT and globalisation has made the overall supply chain cycle more effective and contributed to greater profits in the business of FedEx. Therefore, for the completion of the proposed research study, the main question that will be addressed upon will be: How did IT and globalisation managed to improve the overall supply chain process in a global scale which resulted in improved business and profits for FedEx? Specific Project Objectives The specific objectives for the completion of the proposed research would be: To find out whether the logistics and supply chain services of FedEx meet with customer satisfaction level at all levels such as packaging and printing of the products To know whether globalisation is only affecting the logistics and supply chain services of the company or the overall operations and management of the company To find out whether the company has achieved sustainable growth already, or there are any future expansion plans of the company To know whether the logistics and supply chain services of the company are as efficient as the supply chain services of its competitors Review of Existing Research According to Bookbinder (2013) complexity in the supply chain process has been increased due to globalisation. The supply chain process has augmented in a drastic manner. A deeper understanding is required by companies while selecting locations, mode of transportation and selection, and flow of material and their costs. The author further agreed upon the fact that globalisation has been playing an important role for promoting the scope of supply chain management in a drastic level. The author further illustrated that there is a need to take into consideration all the factors that involve the overall operation of the supply chain process i.e. locations, mode of transportation and selection, and flow of material and their costs (Bookbinder, 2013). According to Christopher & et. al, (2005), if the process of supply chain management as well as the process of distribution and production is followed in a global context, it will lead to improved supply chain management and that will make other strategic objectives also possible. The authors further highlighted that the supply chain process will improve even more only because of globalisation in the coming years (Christopher & et. al., 2005). According to Swinnen & Maertens (2007), if the process of supply chain management as well as the process of distribution and production is followed in a global context, it will lead to improved supply chain management and that will make other strategic objectives also possible. This impacted the overall rise of food markets and agricultural commodities worldwide. It was considered to be a drastic change which resulted in huge profits for the companies. The statements of Swinnen & Maertens supported the fact that globalisation has been in a continuous expansion from the last four decades which resulted in huge profits through Foreign Direct Investment. Globalisation proved to be a great source of profitability to the companies and it helped the economies to expand the commodities sector among others (Swinnen & Maertens, 2007). According to Ramaswami & et. al. (2005), globalisation in supply chain was one of the best revolutions that had ever happened in the period of last 30 years. Due to globalisation in Supply Chain Management (SCM), the SCM process became very diversified, less complex and contrary. The authors further stated that an effective supply chain process collaborates itself with various other activities which results in the proper flow of supply chain process. Globalisation proved to be very effective in framing the overall cycle of the supply chain, it made the supply chain process simpler, diversified and more widespread (Ramaswami & et. al., 2005). According to Waters (2010), logistics and supply change went through many extensive changes in the previous four decades in order to meet with the ever-changing business trends. Logistics and supply chain process tends to grow even more and broaden its scope in the future for meeting the operational results of the company. Waters further explained that the supply chain process of a company is a very important aspect which reflects the overall efficiency and operational capabilities of any company. And, apart from this, the author has also commented that the supply chain process will improve even more in the coming years which will tend to increase all round operational efficiency in and around the organisation (Waters, 2010). According to FedEx, (2013), the company recently i.e. in 2013 expanded its operations in more than 65 locations and employed nearly 1000 fresh team members. FedEx’s reach to customers has increased even more. The company decided to take out expansion and supply chain processes to a whole new level. Based on the above observations of varied literatures, it is apparent that FedEx, being a multinational company also values and follows the process of supply chain in a very efficient manner. It associates the process of supply chain with every expansion plan it follows because the process of supply chain is very important and Fedex, being a distribution and services company values and prioritises the concept of supply chain. The company recently introduced its operations in more than 65 locations and employed nearly 1000 fresh team members. By making this expansion effort, the company looks forward to improve its services and reach to the customers. Similarly, the company will look forward to expand its supply chain operations in order to support large manpower and expanded places of their operation. Moreover, all the efforts will definitely lead to the overall globalisation of the economy (FedEx, 2013). According to Soosay & et. al., (2008), many companies rely on designing and providing value added service options for their customers. For increasing the value added service options, companies generally use Information Technology (IT) for designing proper service schemes which may include services like internet marketing. From the observation of Soosay, it is further determined that apart from globalisation, the context of information technology also plays a major role in the development of the supply chain process. The authors opined that information technology and its components tend to simplify the supply chain process by providing more clarity to the services. The utilisation of IT will develop the supply chain process even more in the future (Soosay & et. al., 2008). According to Tan (2002), feasibility between supply chain partners is made very easy through the use of information technology and its components. Thus, IT can be used as an effective tool for ensuring improved links with the supply chain partners. The author further tried to explain the importance of IT in today’s world. Information Technology and its proper usage can make many changes that can tend to simplify the process of supply chain. This facet can in turn enable companies to render superior customers service thus enhancing their overall profitability at large (Tan, 2002). After considering all the reviews made by the different authors, it can be summarised that the involvement of supply chain processes and information technology is regarded as one of the most important factors that has strong link with context of globalisation. The use of IT should be initiated and practiced at all levels for achieving organisational excellence as well as the concept of supply chain should be initiated even more for the better operations and functions of the company. Supply chain process tends to satisfy the end consumers by making the products available to them. In order to follow the supply chain process, emphasis should be given to all the factors that comprise to build a product. These factors consist of: • Procurement of the raw-materials • Manufacturing of the products • Making the products into completed goods • And finally, delivering the products to the end consumers Methodology In order to conduct the research, a mixed research approach will be followed. This approach is very broad in its scope as it deals with all sources of information that consist of various approaches and methods of data collection and analysis i.e. qualitative and quantitative approaches as well as primary and secondary data collection methods. Following the mixed approach may lead to more refined results as this process deals with all the techniques of data collection, but this process may also create hindrances as the methods of data collection and approaches would be given importance equally. Information gathered by following the qualitative and quantitative approach as well sources of information from primary and secondary sources would be treated with equal importance in this proposed study. No sources of information i.e. either primary or secondary would be ignored. In order to make the complete the proposed research some of the most useful approaches of research methodology will be followed. For conducting the research, both the research approaches i.e. quantitative approach and the qualitative approaches will be used. Qualitative approach will be used in this research for attaining various facts about the company which are gathered from different sources but are not strictly based on numerical values. Qualitative sources of information will be collected through the internet sources and websites of FedEx. After obtaining the required information, an idea about the company and its operations can be gathered. Qualitative research can be done by meeting the employees, observing them and by conducting informal interviews whereby the respondents will be called for one-on-one discussion about the company and the role that the respondents/employees play in the company. Informal interviewing method will be followed as it will provide the employees the chance to speak about themselves and about the company. It will offer them the opportunity to open up with the interviewer and hence through this process a lot of valuable information about the company could be gathered. Thus, informal interviewing method can used at all levels of research as it facilitates to initiate information from the respondents and is one of the most efficient methods of information collection. For conducting quantitative research, a questionnaire will be prepared, which will consist of 10 questions involving the supply chain operations of the company as well as the manpower of the company and their various roles in the organisation. A number of respondents will be 100, out of which 50% of the respondents will be lower level and middle level employees, the rest 50% will consist of higher authorities in the organisation. In order to conduct the research for the proposed study, data will be collected by following both the methods of data collection i.e. primary data collection methods and secondary data collection methods. Similar to quantitative research approach, questionnaire will be used for collecting primary data. Through the use of questionnaire, a lot of numerical information will be gathered about FedEx and the percentage of feedbacks given by different respondents for diverse questions will be obtained in a numeric form and that will create an added point. It is very important to analyse the data along with making proper representation of the collected data through diagrams which is equally important as representing the facts through diagrams create a unique display of the facts and also proves its authenticity (Saunders & et. al., 2011). Additionally, a lot of information will be collected from different secondary sources which will include information gathered from the internet and its different components such as company websites, project reports and annual reports of the company and information from journals and books available in the internet. By collecting information from these secondary sources, substantial amount of valuable information can be gathered about the old and traditional supply chain policies of the company which are not in practice now. For analysing the collected data, there are specific techniques that will be followed. Proper use of statistical tools such as Excel, Bar Diagrams and Pie Charts among others will be used in order to determine the authenticity of the data collected (Bamford & Greatbanks, 2005). It will help in determining the actual facts and figures of the company in numeric terms once the collected data is utilised and shown in the form of diagrams and pie-charts (Lenz, 2010). Findings After undergoing the entire proposed study, it has been found that in order to design an appropriate research plan all the methods of the research and analysis i.e. data collection methods and analysis of data hold primary importance while conducting any kind of research. These activities help in determining the actual scenario of the organisations. Based on the research, it is found that there are a few of the important factors that are needed to be considered in order to complete this proposed research. From the proposed research, it is anticipated that as findings a number of imperative factors regarding the supply chain cycle of FedEx will be determined. The main stress would be laid upon to find out whether the logistics and supply chain services of the company meet with customers’ satisfaction at all levels or not. It is expected to be found that whether globalisation is affecting the supply chain process of the overall operational process of the company or not. A proper understanding of globalisation and its positive effects in the context of supply chain should be understood and found. Apart from this, it should also be analysed that whether FedEx has already achieved a sustainable amount of growth or not. Whether the company has reached the saturation level or not? If yes, then are there any future scope of development for the company or does the company has any kind of future expansion plans. It is also required to be studied about the competitor companies of FedEx who are delivering similar services like the company to its customers. The services of the competitor companies are required to be compared with that of FedEX, from which a detailed finding can be derived. Implications of the Research While undergoing the research, the importance of the use of all the methods of conducting research would be taken into consideration. While conducting the research, a mixed research approach would be followed. The mixed research approach includes all the basic type of research methods which are widely used in all kinds of research i.e. quantitative and qualitative research approaches as well as for the collection of primary and secondary data (Whittemore & et. al,. 2013). The research approach that will be followed encompasses itself with the latest methodologies of research. Therefore, it can be forecasted that by following such approaches It will lead to better results and a lot of clarity will be maintained. Hence, the data collected can be analysed properly and it will lead to better efficiency and the framework of the operations of the company can be analysed. Apart from the secondary sources, the data will also be collected with the help of questionnaires that will be filled up by the employees of the organisation and also informal interviews will also be conducted whereby opportunities will be given to the actual employees of FedEx to come out with their opinions regarding the discussed area. By following these measures, all the insights about the company’s information could be gathered which is very much necessary in order to complete the proposed research. The proposed research would be undertaken keeping in consideration the aspects of authenticity of the collected and presented data along with findings. Thus, the implications of study can be quite diversified for the reader as it would entail both organisational employees’ viewpoints along with viewpoints of the varied authors regarding the discussed area. Conclusion IT and globalisation are indeed very important factors contributing to the growth of business and it has made many contributions in changing the supply chain cycle. FedEx prioritises upon the concept of supply chain in a very prospective manner. However, there are few factors that require certain amount of understanding. The aim of this proposal has been to follow a proper research methodology which includes all the basic techniques of research and analysis for obtaining certain conclusion regarding the future plans, present operations, competitors and market standing of the company. In order to complete this proposed research, a questionnaire has been prepared which will be filled by the actual respondents/employees of FedEx and informal interviews will also be conducted in the company wherein the respondents will be the interviewee. These procedures will help in successful completion of the research by providing a clear picture of the operations in the company as well as the supply chain process that is currently being followed by the company and the different supply chain processes that the company may follow in the future. References Bamford, D. & Greatbanks, R., 2005. The Use of Quality Management Tools and Techniques: A Study of Application in Everyday Situations. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 376 – 39. Butcher, T. & et. al., 2008. Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management. John Wiley & Sons. Bookbinder, J. H., 2013. Handbook of Global Logistics: Transportation in International Supply Chains. Springer. Christopher, M. & et. al., 2005. The Impact of Product Design on Supply Chain Risk: A Case Study. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 412 – 432. Cisco Systems, 1999. The FedEx Story. Customer Profile. [Online] Available at: http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/ibs/profiles/fedex.pdf [Accessed May 12, 2013]. FedEx, 2013. Continued Expansion in Europe. Delivering More. [Online] Available at: http://www.fedex.com/in/about/europe-growth/index.html [Accessed May 12, 2013]. Lenz, E., 2010. Measurement in Nursing and Health Research. Springer Publishing Company. Network World Fusion, 2002. Fedex Flying High On Wireless Technology. Applications. [Online] Available at: http://www.networkworld.com/yourtake/2002/0225yourtake.html [Accessed May 12, 2013]. Ramaswami, S. & et. al., 2005. An Integrative Framework For Supply Chain Collaboration. The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 257-274 Swinnen, J. F. M. & Maertens, M., 2007. Globalization, Privatization, And Vertical Coordination In Food Value Chains In Developing And Transition Countries. Agricultural Economics. Vol. 37, pp. 89-102. Saunders, M. N. K. & et. al., 2011. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson Education India. Soosay, C. A. & et. al., 2008. Supply chain collaboration: capabilities for continuous innovation: Supply Chain Management: An International Journal. Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.160 – 169. Tan, F, B., 2002. Global Perspectives of Information Technology Management. Idea Group Inc. Waters, D., 2010. Global Logistics. Kogan Page Publishers. Whittemore, R. & et. al., 2013. Validity in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Health Research. Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 522-537. Appendix Questionnaire (For The Employees of FedEx) Q1. How does it feel to work with FedEx? Good Very good Excellent Average Q2. Are you happy with the work environment and work culture of FedEx? Satisfied Partly satisfied Very satisfied Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q3. Do you receive feedback from the customers about your services and product delivery? If yes please specify if there is any negative feedback. Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Q4. Do you feel that globalization is affecting your logistics and supply chain operations? If it is making any positive changes please specify Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Q5. Do you feel that the globalization is affecting the overall operations of the company? If it is making any positive changes please specify Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Q6. Do you feel that your company has achieved all round growth and development or is still developing? If it is still achieving growth please specify the areas. Achieved all round growth Is still achieving Q7. Do you feel that your supply chain services are as technologically enhanced as your competitors? Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Q8. Do you feel that IT has made many revolutions in the process of supply chain in your company? Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Q9. Do you feel that IT and globalization combined has made drastic changes in the process of supply chain of your company? Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Q10. Do you feel that there is future scope of growth in the company? Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree ­­­ Read More