Please read the case study below of Subway and answer the following questions

1. In your view, at which stage Subway is on their digital transformation journey and why?

2. What are your thoughts on its digital initiatives?

Subway

Subway is an American privately held restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches (subs) and salads. It is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the world and, as of October 2019, had 41,512 locations in more than 100 countries. More than half its locations (23,928 or 57.6%) are in the United States. It also is the largest single-brand restaurant chain, and the largest restaurant operator, in the world.

As of 2017, the Subway Group of companies was organized as follows:

- Subway IP Inc. is the owner of the intellectual property for the restaurant system.

- Franchise World Headquarters, LLC leads franchising operations. FWH Technologies, LLC owns and licenses Subway's point of sale software.

- Franchisors include Doctor's Associates Inc. in the U.S.; Subway International B.V.; Subway Franchise Systems of Canada, Ltd.; etc.

- Advertising affiliates include Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust, Ltd.; Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust, B.V.; Subway Franchisee Canadian Advertising Trust; etc.

Subway's international headquarters are in Milford, Connecticut, with five regional centers supporting the company's international operations. The regional offices for European franchises are located in Amsterdam (Netherlands); the Australian and New Zealand locations are supported from Brisbane (Australia); the Asian locations are supported from offices in Beirut (Lebanon) and Singapore; and the Latin American support center is in Miami.

Digital transformation isn't a task that you can accomplish overnight, and with so many facets to consider, having people that specialize in particular areas of the business will help you on your path towards digital success.

While currently in its infancy, Subways CIO is leaving little to chance regarding the sandwich giant's digital strategy. Responsible for governing core capabilities such as the website, mobile apps, payment systems and loyalty programs, Carman Wenkoff has hired a bank of technology, marketing and operational professionals.

The plan for these new employees is to help overhaul the companys mobile app and redesign the stores for the future, including self-service kiosks and other capabilities in the process.

Speaking when he was on the cusp of his fresh digital recruitment venture, Wenkoff said the company was going to take its time to meet its strategic goals:

"We'll be recruiting for all these positions now. We literally have 150 positions that are open and what we're doing is because we're also realistic about our timeline and relocating people, we're not going to rush it."

Currently, Subway's diverse range of fresh digital roles includes data analytics, campaign management, software development specific to digital, user design experts and graphic design.

Not only does restructuring departments and acquiring specialist digital talent help to drive future success, but it will also help others in the business to thrive by learning valuable skills and gaining practical experience from new forward-thinking recruits.

The world in which we live is now digital and companies - much like those explored above - that embrace its impact on customer's everyday personal and professional lives will be the ones who thrive today, tomorrow and long into the future.