Assignment Brief : Azzaz Case Study
Azzazis a mobile phone and accessories retailer based in England, owned by Lewis. The business started with a single shop, which Lewis has grown into a chain of eleven. The first four shops were opened from scratch but in January 2014 Lewis bought ?PhoneBits,? a group of three outlets, which he intends to operate under the Azzazbrand. The recent acquisition is a significant expansion in the operation of the business, not least because two of the new outlets are in Norway. Lewis is hoping that this will help him to gain a foothold in the European market. As a result of the expansion Lewis 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 Azzaz brand, but with a relatively small additional overhead.
Azzazand PhoneBits have different IT systems, and in addition to integrating the two parts of the business there is the need to add ?b2c? eCommerce functionality. Lewis 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.
The case study requires you to work with incomplete information, an important skill. You are free to make assumptions about aspects of Lewis?s situation or operation where these are relevant to your work ? please ensure that any assumptions made are clearly stated in your report.
Part A: Analysis ? Business Process Models and strategy analysis
In this section you should develop
1. A series of at least two Business Process Models, which capture the existing and yourproposed business processes for Azzaz. The models should follow the BPMN notation shown in the lecture slides. 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 Azzaz. You should use at least one 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 Azzaz. 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 for Azzaz 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 in Part B, and provide recommendations for ensuring that the strategy is effectively implemented, including
consideration of the challenges ahead.
This section should follow 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 elements throughout the module, using the table labelled Reflection Self Assessment Proforma in Appendix A (copy and paste it into your assignment document). The reflective report should include your detailed reflection, supported with evidence (pasted URLs) from the online discussion and wiki, detailed below:
?
You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that we have covered in the module, to inform and justify your recommendations.
Using the Discussion Boards and Wiki to Help With Your Assignment
The Blackboard module site has been set up with discussion boards and a wikifor you to explore the assignment during weeks 2 and 3. It is recommended that you use these 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 Azzaz ? 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 Azzaz
Please don?t be shy of using the discussion board and wiki ? the purpose is to give you experience of using collaborative technologies. See weeks 2-3 schedules for details of drop in sessions etc, including times when I am available to provide technical support using these.
