Imagine you have recently had a lunch meeting with a good friend of yours whom you hadn’t seen for some time. Your friend wanted to tell you about her latest venture. Together with three business partners, she is the founder of ACME Global Management Consultancy plc. The aim of their consultancy business is to provide research reports to multinational firms, assessing the impact of technology-related trends on selected industries.
Their business is still at an early stage. Your friend mentions, for example, that the partners haven’t been able to agree on which industries to focus on. But she also makes it clear that her preference is to offer consulting services to firms in the Fashion, Retail and Banking sectors. To be able to convince her partners, she is looking for someone to prepare an initial set of research reports. You are a little surprised when your friend steers the discussion towards your expertise in Technology, Information, and Operations Management. When she asks whether you may be willing to prepare a technology assessment report for their new venture, you are intrigued.
In response to your request for further information, she mentions that she had recently attended several technology conferences. The topic of the first conference was “Internet of things (IoT)” and that of the second conference “Transparency” as a technology-related business trend. (Your friend also mentions having attended a conference on “Big Data” that she describes as “underwhelming” with the topic being “little more than a buzzword” and the conference “just a sales pitch”.)
It is obvious to you that she is convinced that these trends have their potential to fundamentally reshape the Fashion, Retail, and Banking sectors. All that she now needs is the help of a trustworthy friend (such as you)! Before you have a chance to ask a single question, your friend rushes off, saying that she is already late for another client meeting. On her way out, she tells you to “analyze from an Technology, Information, or Operations Management perspective” (obviously!), to ensure that the report “gives meaningful recommendations,” and to contact her assistant for further information.

From what you can gather, you have a choice between analyzing the impact of either “Internet of things (IoT),” “Transparency” or “Big Data” on either the “Fashion,” “Retail” or “Banking” sector.
Your assignment is to submit research report assessing the potential impact of “Internet of things (IoT)” (or, alternatively, “Transparency” or “Big Data”) on the “Fashion” sector (or, alternatively, the “Retail” or “Banking” sector). Your assessment must draw on either Technology, Information, or Operations Management-related research literature.
Using your own judgement is also required when choosing relevant sources to support your argument and the assumptions you have to make in your report. (It is recommended that your reference list includes no fewer than 15 relevant sources.)

News related to “Internet of things (IoT)”:

  1. https://www.techmeme.com/search/query?q=Internet+of+things
    2.http://www.independent.co.uk/search/site/Internet%2520of%2520things
  2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Internet+of+things
    News related to “Transparency”:
    1.https://www.techmeme.com/search/query?q=Transparency
    2.http://www.independent.co.uk/search/site/Transparency
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Transparency
    News related to “Big Data”:
    1.https://www.techmeme.com/search/query?q=Big+Data
    2.http://www.independent.co.uk/search/site/Big%2520Data
  4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Big+Data

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