Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The difficulty in building a justifiable business case is preventing Fruitways from adopting a unified
communication solution. Subsequently the research set out to determine the business value that
Fruitways can expect to derive from implementing a unified communication solution before
committing to a full-scale implementation. The results of this research have put Fruitways in a
position to make an informed decision on whether or not to adopt unified communication.
In order to answer the research question a unified communications pilot project was initiated within
the Fruitways group using the introduction of Microsoft Lync (a unified communications application)
as the event under study. The research described and analysed a unified communications pilot
project in a bounded system, Fruitways (the case). The case study made use of abductive reasoning
in order to synthesise a case for the business value that Fruitways can expect to derive from
implementing unified communication technology.
The literature study showed that unified communications provide value to an organisation on four
levels; namely, the personal, workgroup, enterprise and infrastructure level. However, participants
in the pilot project indicated that they experienced value from unified communication only on three
of the four levels as identified in the literature; these levels were:
• Personal level. Participants indicated that they felt more productive with unified
communications at their disposal. The rich choice of communication methods empowered
participants to choose the most appropriate mode of communication given the communication
need and context.
• Workgroup level. The main drivers of value for participants on this level was found in the
increased speed of group tasks, working more effectively across distance and evidence of
more effective work practises forming.
• Enterprise level. The study showed improved coordination between departments in Fruitways
with the deployment of unified communication technology.
Surprisingly there was no indication that Fruitways could expect to save significant infrastructure
related costs by consolidating communication onto a single data network. The infrastructure related
cost saving value proposition that is most often cited by vendors of unified communication systems
was not clear for Fruitways.
Although the study showed that unified communication presents value to Fruitways, the literature
also pointed toward the importance that this value needs to be aligned with the strategic objectives
of the business in order to constitute true business value. The business value that unified
communication presents to Fruitways does indeed support its strategic objectives.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97276 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Claassen, Hendre |
| Contributors | Butler, Martin, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 75 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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