Factors influencing the implementation of data analytics in South Africa
Date
2015-05-27
Authors
Rooplahl, Ramesh
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Abstract
The study explores the factors influencing South African businesses to implement
data analytics to gain a competitive advantage. This was accomplished by a
qualitative research method based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with
identified proponents of analytics in South Africa.
Businesses today store vast quantities of data that are obtained from the day to day
operations of the company. Organisations have realised that exploring this raw data
utilising data science and statistics, can aid the business in formulating new
strategies or disproving existing ones, thereby giving them a competitive advantage,
at the same time.
In the current economic and competitive climate, businesses require the ability to
make fast, effective and accurate decisions to gain an advantage over their rivals.
These decisions are made at all levels of business, including strategic and
operational and have to address how customers wish to do business and their
priorities and preferences are. Companies have increasingly started to use analytics
on existing business data to understand their customers better and make offerings
that are more relevant and customised to suit each customer individually, in a timely
manner.
The results of the research indicate that organisations that wish to use data analytics
to differentiate themselves, in their respective industries, need to be mindful of
certain factors that impact their effectiveness at being an analytics competitor. The
study has also uncovered that South African companies that have implemented data
analytics tend to follow similar thinking to international analytics leaders, when
adopting data driven decision making.
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Keywords
Information technology -- Management. Data mining.Decision making ;Strategic planning -- South Africa.