Implementation plan for an online business community - A case study in logistics
Aho, Lauri (2011)
Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu
2011
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0 Suomi
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201105066618
http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201105066618
Tiivistelmä
Through a case study, this thesis examines possibilities to how can Logiera, a regional logistics integrator, use social media as a shared learning environment for its forthcoming logistics business network.
Using literature sources and concrete examples, this paper explains the concepts that pertain to social media, including its emergence, significance in corporate use and possibilities in supply chain integration as well as issues that relate to the deployment of social media systems.
Combining the theory with primary results, which were acquired through interviews with Logiera’s partner companies, the paper then discusses the main aspects that should be taken into consideration upon implementing a social media platform in a network of businesses.
The implications of the paper conclude that emergent social media software could indeed help integrating distinct logistics operators, bring higher efficiency levels and enable collective industry development through information sharing. The research also shows that a clear and comprehensive deployment plan is required in order to facilitate a successful implementation and ensure user engagement.
Accordingly, a concrete social media implementation plan was agreed as the outcome of the thesis. In the event the supposed online business network is in operation, further studies are recommended to evaluate the success of the implementation and, more importantly, to find out whether the achieved results correspond to the expected benefits when using social media as a tool to coordinate business cooperation.
Using literature sources and concrete examples, this paper explains the concepts that pertain to social media, including its emergence, significance in corporate use and possibilities in supply chain integration as well as issues that relate to the deployment of social media systems.
Combining the theory with primary results, which were acquired through interviews with Logiera’s partner companies, the paper then discusses the main aspects that should be taken into consideration upon implementing a social media platform in a network of businesses.
The implications of the paper conclude that emergent social media software could indeed help integrating distinct logistics operators, bring higher efficiency levels and enable collective industry development through information sharing. The research also shows that a clear and comprehensive deployment plan is required in order to facilitate a successful implementation and ensure user engagement.
Accordingly, a concrete social media implementation plan was agreed as the outcome of the thesis. In the event the supposed online business network is in operation, further studies are recommended to evaluate the success of the implementation and, more importantly, to find out whether the achieved results correspond to the expected benefits when using social media as a tool to coordinate business cooperation.