Dissertation

LR/ 2019-20/
Trimester –6 Credits – 9

RESEARCH PROPOSAL- CREDITS 1

Name of Candidate and P.G. No.-Nancy Gupta, PG20181414

Name of Faculty Dissertation Mentor- Dr. Prabhash Chandra

Proposed Research Area (Marketing/ Finance/ OB HR/ Operations/ Economics/ Public Policy/
General Management/ Others (please specify)- General Management

Proposed Research Topic- Digital Strategy in the Indian Context. A comparative analysis of
digital strategies in B2B and B2C organizations.

Proposed Research Problem (Statement in 50 words)- Examine the comparative analysis of B2B
and B2C organizations in digital context. It is known that the rise of the internet has made an
indelible impression on the society and commerce. It has changed how consumer purchase
goods, use services and search information. Businesses do not have a complete understanding
of digital. Key drivers of digital transformation among B2C organizations are profitability,
customer satisfaction, and increased speed-to-market. Therefore to see how the internet paved
the way for new forms of business for both B2C and B2B.

Introduction- Context and Relevance of the Study (100 words)-Over the past several years,
there has been a push for companies across all industries and business sectors to invest in
digital strategies. Nearly half (40 percent) of B2B business earn less than 10 percent of their
revenue from digital. By contrast, only 18 percent of B2C companies and 22 percent of B2B/B2C
hybrid companies report the same. Clearly, B2B organizations have a significant upside
potential for revenue growth through digital. The majority report that they track revenue (61
percent), followed by the second most popular key performance indicator (KPI), digital traffic
(40 percent). There are internal and external challenges that threaten the achievement of
digital goals. Customer retention and acquisition were reported as the most critical challenges,
suggesting that many organizations struggle with high customer turnover acts. Internal staffing
is also an issue for organizations, especially when it comes to skills. Successful digital
organizations are not accidental- they are intentionally structured to enable the company to
achieve key business goals. From operating models to investment priorities, there are several
variables that impact the effectiveness of today’s leading digital organizations. Different Models
are Digital Center of Excellence (DCoE) model, Centralized Model, Fully integrated Model. B2B is
a business model where business is done between companies. B2C is another business model,
where a company sells goods directly to the final consumer. In B2B, the buying and selling cycle
is very lengthy as compared to B2C.

Proposed Research Questions (Please Number)-

1. Which companies are achieving Digital Success?

2. What are Digital Organizations trying to achieve?
3. What are the challenges faced by Digital Organizations?
4. How are successful Digital Organizations Structured?
5. Different Models for developing a digital business strategies?
6. Differences in B2B and B2C ?

Literature Review (Give references in APA format as bullet points) -

 “The online digital media is a real-time medium of communication that uses as a

strategic tool for building brands through marketing and advertising campaigns.
Companies are now more tilted towards the different channels of digital media. The
interactive online digital media is an effective channel for interacting with the
consumers at real-time, and get the instantaneous feedback regarding the products and
services(Rizwan Raheem Ahmed,2019,p.12)”

 “B2B transactions are transaction between companies; items purchased are commonly
to be consumed during the processes in producing end products that selling to general
public. Quantity purchased is relatively large as compared to consumer purchase, but
the industrial products are only needed by companies that involves in the market
segment as relates to the selling company( De Chernatony & McDonald (1998),p.5)”

 “Digital Transformation In The Age Of The Customer, explored the hypotheses that firms
are confused about what constitutes digital transformation (and who should drive it)
 and that many firms don’t have the required skills to transform into digitally mature
organizations(Accenture Interactive commissioned Forrester consulting, May 2015,p.2)”

 “In B2B, the perceived value of an offer has been addressed primarily through economic
and functional considerations (materialized by the cost–benefit computational
approach). Industrial purchasers are often thought of as experts guided by rational
criteria alone. The objectives of the organization, the pressure within the purchasing
department and the strategic importance of goods and services in B2B also plead in
favour of the predominance of a utilitarian perspective on value (Corsaro and Snehota,
2010; Hansen et al., 2008, p.212)”

 “Digital is a very broad term. Overall, a digital strategy focuses on a company’s

electronic business or ebusiness. The Department of Trade and Industry (2000) defines
e-business as an entity that includes all business activities that apply information and
communication technologies to facilitate a company’s operations and create cost-
efficiencies. Using ICT will grow businesses, enhance the competiveness and increase
the customer value (Wright, 2002; Chaffey, 2007, p.13)””.

References(APA style)

1. Chaffey, D., Smith, P. R., & Smith, P. R. (2012). eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and
optimizing your digital marketing. Routledge.
2. Rémi Mencarelli, Arnaud Riviere. Perceived value in B2B and B2C: A comparative
approach and cross-fertilization. Marketing Theory, SAGE Publications, 2015, 15 (2),
pp.201-220.
3. RESULTS FOCUSING ON B2C FROM THE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP PAPER “DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION IN THE AGE OF THE CUSTOMER,” OCTOBER 2015.
4. Digital and Social Media Marketing. . . . Järvinen, Tollinen, Karjaluoto and
Jayawardhena, Marketing Management Journal, Fall 2012.

Proposed Research Design/ Methodology-

Data Sources:The study will be based on Qualitative research- few companies will be examined
on their digital approach and will choose the companies based on some criteria.

Proposed Timeline (For full report) -

As per the timeline of module leader.
Proposal Accepted/ Accepted with changes/ Rejected by Committee

Signatures of the Module Leaders and Mentor

Mentor (Dr.Prabhash Chandra) Bidisha Banerji Sanyukta Jolly