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Homework answers / question archive / Consider the organization you work for or an organization with which you are familiar
Consider the organization you work for or an organization with which you are familiar. Using that organization, answer the following questions in your discussion post: • Describe the organization you have selected to your classmates and instructor in a short summary. • How have technological trends helped the organization innovate its business processes? • How has IT technology caused disruption in the organization? Explain. • How did the disruption facilitate a competitive advantage? • Embed course material concepts, principles, and theories, which require supporting citations along with at least two scholarly peer reviewed references supporting your answer. Keep in mind that these scholarly references can be found in the Saudi Digital Library by conducting an advanced search specific to scholarly references. • Use academic writing standards and APA style guidelines. Be sure to support your statements with logic and argument, citing all sources referenced. Post your initial response early, and check back often to continue the discussion. Be sure to respond to your peers’ posts as well.
Business and IT: AutoZone
Overview of the Company
AutoZone is the largest automobile retailer based in the United States. It serves the Americas, and its primary market is North America. The corporation also deals in light truck parts. It is a Fortune 500 company that reaches close to $5billion in sales annually. Joseph Hyde III invented the company in 1979 in Forrest City. It started as a small auto parts shop known as Auto Shark in Arkansas. In 1996, the company expanded by purchasing Alldata Corp and took over the company's software development and services of diagnosis and repair of automobile parts. Currently, the organization operates 6549 stores majorly distributed in the United States. In addition, some of the stores work in Mexico and Brazil (AutoZone, 2020).
Technological Trend’s Influence on the Innovation of Business Processes
Technological advancements in communication, transportation, and the automobile industry influenced the corporate strategies of the organization since the company was required to keep up with the changes to prevent becoming obsolete. These advancements resulted in the innovation of an e-commerce platform to provide services online and physically. The company resorted to retail in e-commerce because of the technological trends, and customers leaned toward automation of services they had to keep up with. Additionally, the technological trends influenced the company’s business processes by providing various electronic avenues for research and development to provide quality service based on the changing customer needs. The corporation exploited the technological trends to its advantage by developing efficient information technology systems for easy research, coordination, and development.
IT Development Causing Disruption
Technological advancements have disrupted industries globally (Cozzolino et al., 2018). For instance, the automobile industry has faced disruption with the continuous development of the IT sector. IT is developing rapidly and fails to give the established and non-established players time to cope with the changes in information technology. The IT developments have disrupted AutoZone's business in auto parts since the automation of cars led by Google Inc has reduced the maintenance costs of vehicles disrupting the sales of auto parts by the corporation. With decreasing sales, the company's revenue and business operations plummet, and inefficiency in production occurs. As a result, the company will fail to maintain the high-profit margins as recorded in the past.
IT technology has also disrupted AutoZone's business dealings since its constant development and advancements have necessitated the company to keep up with the changing pace by continually developing and implementing new information technology systems. This ensures the company operations are running smoothly, given that they are heavily dependent on their information technology systems. These changes in information technology cause disruption in AutoZone operations since it requires the company to invest in financial and human resources, cost surges heavily and required modifications. These investments prevent the corporation from experiencing delays in production or critical data losses.
Disruption and Competitive Advantage
The progressive IT technological advancements have created opportunities for AutoZone to develop a competitive advantage against its competitors in the Automobile industry. With the disruption necessitating modification of information systems and investment in human and financial resources, the company had a chance to improve its service delivery. In addition, the training of employees makes them specialists, which enhances their service delivery and customer interaction competencies. Coupled with a corporation that operates like a cog and wheel due to information technology advancements, the corporation offers top-tier customer services that its competitors cannot reach, giving it a competitive advantage.
The disruption also resulted in the diversification of the AutoZone business model. These disruptions caused AutoZone to reintegrate its corporate objectives. The corporation developed two websites and ventured into e-commerce, hence giving it a competitive advantage. They operated as a brick-and-mortar store and accommodated clients who wanted to obtain auto parts online by developing an e-commerce retail platform (AutoZone, 2020). The fast technological disruption revealed the corporation's adaptability. Despite the struggle to remain profitable, the company regained its competitive potential by responding to the technological disruptions leveling the playing field against retail giants like Amazon.
Business and IT: AutoZone
Thesis statement: AutoZone is the largest automobile retailer in United States. The corporation deals in auto parts and light truck parts. Technological trends have influenced AutoZone’s innovation of business processes. Additionally, the IT technological changes have caused disruption in the company’s business. The company’s response to the disruptions conferred competitive advantage.