The internet of everything sustainable advantages and synergies in clustered retail

Abstract

The Internet of Everything (IoE) is a concept introduced by Cisco as the succeeding phase of the Internet of Things (IoT), consisting in creating a network connection of objects, people, processes and data (Cisco 2013). The novelty in this concept is that instead of referring simply to the network connection of physical objects, the IoE allows for connected ‘things’ to send higher-level information back to machines, computers, and people for further evaluation and decision making (Cisco 2013). ! This dissertation aims to analyze the IoE concept’s strategic impact in clustered retails. In order to contextualize the concept and, later, perform the correct analysis of the subject, a review of the technologies at its core and Cisco’s perspective of IoE’s realization in retail is made. Furthermore, making up the core of sustainable strategic advantage analysis, a review is made regarding Resource-based View (RBV) model according to Barney’s framework and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) through Payne and Frow’s framework. In the subsequent chapter, the model of analysis is explained, incorporating the proposition that a smartphone application is, at a first phase, the optimal presentation layer for consumers. Empirical data collection is then performed through a questionnaire intended to give answer to the dissertation’s research question of sustainable competitive advantage. The results, collected from a population sample of 120 respondents, ascertained the importance of the smartphone app and its most appealing features. The strategic applicability of IoE in clustered retail is, then, confirmed through the application of both RBV and CRM models, which verify the system’s potential to generate sustained competitive advantage, confirming the dissertation’s main objective.

Date of Award	12 May 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Paulo Fernando Vieira de Carvalho Cardoso do Amaral (Supervisor)