Research Proposal

I. Title

The Effects of Digitisation of the Supply Chain in the Qatari Retail Industry.

II. Objectives of the Dissertation

A. Research Objectives

This research aims at studying the effects of digitisation of the supply chain in the

retail industry.

The research objectives are as follows:

 To examine how supply chains have evolved with the use of digital technology.

 To discuss theoretical models that show how digital supply chains need to be

aligned at the organisational level.

 To evaluate the level of digitisation taken place in supply chain in the retail

industry.

 To identify the advantages and disadvantages of using digital supply chains.

 To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected digitisation of the

supply chain in the retail industry.

 To recommend how organisations can effectively collaborate and communicate

with their value chain partners as their digital supply chain matures.

B. Significance of the study

 It is important to study the effects of digitisation of the supply chain in the retail

industry due to the fact that the retail industry is experiencing tremendous changes

with the introduction of modern technology (Zelbst, Green, Sower et al., 2019). This

has made it essential for retailers to digitise their supply chains as this would enable

them to increase efficiency and reduce costs (Hänninen, Smedlund and Mitronen,

2018). In addition to this, majority of the research done on digitisation of the supply

chain in the retail industry has focused on a single organisation or country. But supply

chain digitisation requires integration not only within the organisation but also

collaboration with various external parties in the supply chain (Plomp, Batenburg and

van Rooij, 2012).

III. Background

Supply chains play an important role in the operations of organisations, in their

development and sustainable growth. Globalisation has resulted in economic, financial,

social and technological changes in markets around the world which has resulted in not

only change but also evolution in supply chain (Plomp and Batenburg, 2010). Supply

chains have evolved in various aspects such as size, shape, communication, technology,

configuration and how these activities are coordinated and controlled by organisations

(Garay-Rondero, Martinez-Flores, Smith et al., 2019). Moreover, the introduction of

digital technologies; information and communication technologies; and the Internet of

Things (IoT) has changed the face of SC applications and logistics in organisations

(Hänninen, Smedlund and Mitronen, 2018). The introduction of these new technologies
 and their implementation has contributed towards the digitisation of supply chains in

organisations.

Moreover, there are various other factors such as increasing competition, changing

lifestyles, changing consumer preferences, rising operational costs, recessionary

conditions in various countries around the world, etc. that have caused organisations to

adopt digital supply chains (Zelbst, Green, Sower et al., 2019). Furthermore, one of the

biggest factors is the growth of electronic commerce in various countries around the

world. The adoption of ecommerce has challenged the profit margins charged by retailers

causing the adoption of digital supply chains with a view to reducing their transportation

costs (Zelbst, Green, Sower et al., 2019). In this view, the digitisation of supply chains

has also resulted from the fact that with ecommerce consumers have started expecting

greater transparency in the supply chain (Garay-Rondero et al., 2019). For example,

customers want to be able to track their products or shipments right from the time they

place an order with an organisation. Overall, there are various advantages of supply chain

digitisation but this process is not without challenges for organisations as they integrate

the digital supply chain with their business model and operations (Mahroof, 2019).

This research aims at studying the effects of digitisation of the supply chain in the retail

industry with a view to understanding how digitised supply chains can be integrated at

organisational levels. Moreover, it needs to be analysed how the COVID-19 pandemic

has increased the need for digitisation of the supply chain in the retail industry.

IV. Literature Review

The current supply chains are being automated and constantly evolving due to market

changes, economic factors, changes in consumer preferences, recessionary conditions in

various countries around the world, and mainly the effect of the Fourth Industrial

Revolution (Bag, Telukdarie, Pretorius et al., 2018). Due to this, more and more

organisations are moving towards digitising their supply chain. Digital supply chain can

be defined as “an intelligent best-fit technological system that is based on the capability

of massive data disposal and excellent cooperation and communication for digital

hardware, software, and networks to support and synchronise interaction between

organisations by making services more valuable, accessible and affordable with

consistent, agile and effective outcomes” (Garay-Rondero et al., 2019, pp. 13). However,

a digital supply chain does not mean that digital technology is implemented changing the

way how knowledge and information is managed in a supply chain. The main reason for

this is that digital supply chain requires changes in the entire structure, processes,

operations and flows in response to evolution in markets that require transparency,

efficiency and speed (Remes, Mischke and Krishnan, 2018). The digital supply chain

requires the creation of a virtual value chain by technologies from the Fourth Industrial

Revolution focusing on the digital supply chain (Zelbst, Green, Sower et al., 2019).

It is highly important to distinguish between traditional supply chains and digital supply

chains by identifying their important characteristics. One of the main differences between

a traditional supply chain and digital supply chain is in terms of hierarchy whereby the

traditional supply chain is hierarchical in nature whereas multidimensional in nature. The

second difference is focus the traditional supply chain focuses only on speed and quality

whereas the digital supply chain goes one step ahead and focuses on responsiveness
(Hänninen, Smedlund and Mitronen, 2018). This is mainly beneficial in cases where

customers have to return or exchange products which become easier in digital rather than

traditional supply chains. Moreover, traditional supply chains are ineffective in getting

customer feedback as it often gets distorted until it reaches the manufacturer.

Comparatively, digital supply chains are effective in getting feedback from customers in

a short period of time which can be accessed by various parties in the supply chain

without distorting the message (Simchi-Levi and Wu, 2018).

The third difference is in terms of response whereby traditional supply chains are

responsive in well-defined markets with little or no changes (Garay-Rondero et al.,

2019). Digital supply chains are not only responsive but can effectively utilise techniques

like data mining to predict changes in customer lifestyle or preferences to adapt their

operations. The fourth difference is that traditional supply chain uses one or more

combination of systems where information updating is a problem whereas digital supply

chain focuses on computational intelligence. The fifth difference is knowledge

management which is absent in traditional supply chains whereas digital supply chains

focus on continuous learning and innovation (Zelbst, Green, Sower et al., 2019). The

sixth difference is traditional supply chain focuses on collaboration, communication and

integration, both horizontal and vertical, without achieving interdependence in the real

sense between their networks. Comparatively, “digital supply chain keeps open channels

of communication thus enhancing ethics, transparency and accountability” (Garay-

Rondero et al., 2019, pp. 15). In addition to this, digital supply chains also focus on

achieving sustainability in logistics processes and decisions.

V. Research Methodology, Ethics and Timeline

A. Data Collection

The secondary research method would be used to collect data for this research paper.

Under this method, the researcher will collect information from secondary sources

like scholarly articles, newspapers, books, magazines, government reports, and so on.

The method of secondary research offers the advantage of ensuring that information

is reliable and valid in nature. This can be achieved by collecting information from

reputed sources like academic journals that are peer-reviewed to enhance their

authenticity. Moreover, the method of secondary research is also beneficial as the

information collected is already validated by the author and the publishing company.

Additionally, it would not be feasible to consider depending on alternate methods

such as primary research during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because it would be

difficult to contact organisations and fewer organisations would be willing to

participate in any kind of primary research due to health concerns. Therefore,

secondary research would enable the researcher to critically analyse works of

different scholars to study the effects of digital supply chains on the retail industry.

B. Research Ethics

Ethical concerns have been effectively addressed by the researcher in the process of

collecting information for this paper. In this view, the researcher has focused on

collecting information from reputed sources so that its authenticity can be guaranteed.

Moreover, the data has been effectively referenced so that no information is taken

from any author or organisation without giving them due credit for it. Also, the
 researcher has not altered the information in any way to prove a point or include any

kind of bias. Additionally, the researcher has refrained from including any

confidential or sensitive information about the supply chain of any organisation that

could hamper their reputation in the market. This report will also not include any

information that will threaten the competitive positioning of the company.

Furthermore, the researcher respects the clause of confidentiality whereby this report

will only be shared with the relevant academic authorities and not any third party.

C. Timeline for Research

The timescale for this research is given below:

Contents of the Paper 7th 14th 21st 28th 2nd Sep 5th 10th
Aug Aug Aug Aug 2020 Sept Sept
2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020

Introduction

Literature Review

Research
Methodology

Data Collection

Data Analysis and

Discussion

Recommendations

Conclusion
 First Draft of
Dissertation

Final Submission of
Dissertation

VI. Description of Proposed Chapters

The proposed structure has been designed keeping in mind the research objectives and

the research strategy of this dissertation. The research paper will consist of six chapters

which are briefly described below:

 Introduction – The first chapter introduces the role of supply chain in organisations

and how this function has evolved with the advent of globalisation. Moreover, this

chapter highlights how supply chains have evolved with the growth in ecommerce

and introduction of advanced technologies especially digital technologies.

 Literature Review – The second chapter is literature review which focuses on

defining digital supply chains. This chapter also compares who digital supply chains

are different from traditional supply chains. Moreover, this chapter discusses

theoretical models that show how digital supply chains need to be aligned at the

organisational level. It also critically analyses how digital supply chains affect

organisations.

 Research Methodology – The third chapter consists of various subsections like

philosophical approach, research approach, data collection methods, research

objectives, ethical considerations and limitations of the research design. This chapter

discusses the research design which enables in selecting the research approach and

the methods for data collection. Moreover, data collection ensures that the respective
 methods are effectively justified by discussing their advantages and disadvantages.

This chapter also identifies the research objectives of dissertation. Furthermore, it

focuses on the ethical considerations and limitations in research design.

 Data Analysis and Discussion – The fourth section is the data analysis and discussion

section. This section puts emphasis on the use of digital supply chains in the retail

industry. It evaluates the level of digitisation taken place in supply chain in the retail

industry. Besides, this section identifies the advantages and disadvantages of using

digital supply chains. In addition to this, it also explains how the COVID-19

pandemic has affected digitisation of the supply chain in the retail industry.

 Recommendations – The fifth chapter is recommendations it discusses strategies that

would enable organisations in the retail sector to effectively align their supply chain

at the organisational level. It also recommends how organisations can effectively

collaborate and communicate with their value chain partners as their digital supply

chain matures.

 Conclusion – The sixth section is conclusion. This section summarises the main

arguments in the paper. It also discusses future ideas for research in this area so that

scholars and researchers can review these ideas and conduct further research.
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