The objective of this thesis is to examine the critical landscape of digital transformation and provide an overview of the IT Publishing, Marketing Automation, and Digital Marketing industries to Digital360, an Italian leading player in the digital transformation landscape that wants to expand its business in South Africa and Nigeria after deep understanding of these two emerging economies. To achieve this aim, the approach adopted in thesis started by analyzing established literature frameworks regarding strategic formulation process and Digital Maturity Assessment. By analyzing the leadership roles of these two countries within their respective regional blocs, the thesis discovered the political and economic landscapes that influence digital development through conducting P.E.S.T analysis. The PEST analysis sheds light on social and technological factors shaping the target markets. This synergetic approach provided in-depth understanding of the external environments in South Africa and Nigeria. On the other hand, the Digital Maturity Assessment complemented these analysis by offering a data-driven assessment of how effectively South Africa and Nigeria are responding to the demands of the digital age. The results include a comparison of the market and the technological and digital advancement of the two countries, highlighting a substantial disparity: in terms of Digital Maturity, South Africa records better performances in most of the indicators – e.g., South Africa ranks 74th in the Network Readiness Index, while Nigeria rank is the 106th, and they are respectively in the 72th and 130th according to Cisco’s Digital Readiness Index. The difference in the digital advancement is also reflected in the results obtained from the analysis of the two industries, in terms of the presence of large players and market fragmentation. The thesis meticulously dissects these differences, providing valuable insights for navigating these dynamic industries. As a result, internationalization opportunities vary considerably between the two countries. The analysis models provided by this thesis, for both the environmental context and the three industries, provide Digital360 that aims for internationalization with an inclusive view of the digital environment and existing opportunities, so as to provide an external strategic analysis process applicable to any SME operating in the IT sector.
L'obiettivo di questa tesi è esaminare il panorama critico della trasformazione digitale e fornire una panoramica del settore dell'editoria IT, del marketing automation e del marketing digitale a Digital360, azienda italiana leader nel panorama della trasformazione digitale che intende espandere il proprio business in Sudafrica e Nigeria, dopo aver acquisito una profonda comprensione di queste due economie emergenti. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo, l'approccio adottato nella tesi è partito dall'analisi di quadri concettuali consolidati relativi al processo di formulazione strategica e alla valutazione della maturità digitale (Digital Maturity Assessment). Analizzando i ruoli di leadership di questi due Paesi all'interno dei rispettivi blocchi regionali, la tesi ha messo in luce i paesaggi politici ed economici che influenzano lo sviluppo digitale attraverso l'analisi PEST. L'analisi PEST evidenzia i fattori sociali e tecnologici che modellano i mercati target. Questo approccio sinergico ha fornito una comprensione approfondita degli ambienti esterni in Sudafrica e Nigeria. D'altra parte, la valutazione della maturità digitale ha integrato queste analisi fornendo una valutazione basata su dati di come Sudafrica e Nigeria stiano rispondendo in modo efficace alle esigenze dell'era digitale. I risultati includono un confronto del mercato e dell'avanzamento tecnologico e digitale dei due Paesi, evidenziando una disparità sostanziale: in termini di maturità digitale, il Sudafrica registra prestazioni migliori nella maggior parte degli indicatori - per esempio, il Sudafrica si classifica al 74° posto nel Network Readiness Index, mentre la Nigeria si classifica al 106° posto, e si trovano rispettivamente al 72° e 130° posto secondo il Digital Readiness Index di Cisco. La differenza nell'avanzamento digitale si riflette anche nei risultati ottenuti dall'analisi dei due settori, in termini di presenza di grandi player e frammentazione del mercato. La tesi analizza meticolosamente queste differenze, fornendo preziosi spunti per navigare in questi settori dinamici. Di conseguenza, le opportunità di internazionalizzazione variano notevolmente tra i due Paesi. I modelli di analisi forniti da questa tesi, sia per il contesto ambientale che per i tre settori, offrono a Digital360, che punta all'internazionalizzazione, una visione completa dell'ambiente digitale e delle opportunità esistenti, al fine di fornire un processo di analisi strategica esterna applicabile a qualsiasi SME operante nel settore IT.
External strategic analysis and digital maturity assessment for internalization: an empirical analysis in South Africa and Nigeria
ELDAIDAMONY, IBRAHIM RAMADAN ABDELRAHMAN
2023/2024
Abstract
The objective of this thesis is to examine the critical landscape of digital transformation and provide an overview of the IT Publishing, Marketing Automation, and Digital Marketing industries to Digital360, an Italian leading player in the digital transformation landscape that wants to expand its business in South Africa and Nigeria after deep understanding of these two emerging economies. To achieve this aim, the approach adopted in thesis started by analyzing established literature frameworks regarding strategic formulation process and Digital Maturity Assessment. By analyzing the leadership roles of these two countries within their respective regional blocs, the thesis discovered the political and economic landscapes that influence digital development through conducting P.E.S.T analysis. The PEST analysis sheds light on social and technological factors shaping the target markets. This synergetic approach provided in-depth understanding of the external environments in South Africa and Nigeria. On the other hand, the Digital Maturity Assessment complemented these analysis by offering a data-driven assessment of how effectively South Africa and Nigeria are responding to the demands of the digital age. The results include a comparison of the market and the technological and digital advancement of the two countries, highlighting a substantial disparity: in terms of Digital Maturity, South Africa records better performances in most of the indicators – e.g., South Africa ranks 74th in the Network Readiness Index, while Nigeria rank is the 106th, and they are respectively in the 72th and 130th according to Cisco’s Digital Readiness Index. The difference in the digital advancement is also reflected in the results obtained from the analysis of the two industries, in terms of the presence of large players and market fragmentation. The thesis meticulously dissects these differences, providing valuable insights for navigating these dynamic industries. As a result, internationalization opportunities vary considerably between the two countries. The analysis models provided by this thesis, for both the environmental context and the three industries, provide Digital360 that aims for internationalization with an inclusive view of the digital environment and existing opportunities, so as to provide an external strategic analysis process applicable to any SME operating in the IT sector.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eldaidamony_Ibrahim_Thesis_2023_2024.pdf
accessibile in internet solo dagli utenti autorizzati
Descrizione: External Strategic Analysis and Digital Maturity Assessment for Internationalization: An Empirical Analysis in the South Africa and Nigeria
Dimensione
1.99 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
1.99 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in POLITesi sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/10589/222934