An
Industry
Prospective
Lecture By Sunil Bhargava
To provide a clear and applicable model for successful E-Business Systems.
Abstract: This paper will cover several topics that are seen as being the most important aspects of an E-Business. This paper assumes that reader will have a good background in the basic technologies that are being discussed. A dictionary of Terms and Quick Knowledge Outline is provided to give the reader a standard vocabulary of often used Industry Terminologies. Where appropriate, ambiguous terms will be spelled out an appropriate length.
A Brief on E-Business Industry Practices
Further Analysis: Key Players and Leaders
During the early years of doing business on the Internet a focus was primarily on the front end of a business structure. The business primarily targeted:
Web based front-end systems to provide broader reach
Application level aspects of electronic interaction.
The fact is that the user of the broader medium could not sufficiently become profitable on its on and a shift in e-Commerce model must include the use of technology throughout the entire business strategy.
Much of the early use of the Internet is focused on the end user interaction with the business, with the leading technology as a front end. After years of shakedown and dot com fallout it has been proven that successful businesses on the Internet must shift its focus from a application/end user specific mentality to a more involving interaction with the entire commerce chain that effects the company’s way of doing business. According to an expert, the focus has shifted to:
Relations between manufactures and costumers
Suppliers and buyers.
This provides a more efficient and cost saving business model. Enriching the value chain by use of technology to smooth out inefficiencies of a paper oriented system would provide a much more attainable gain in profits.
While it is easy to say that a more intelligent business will be a more successful business, the area of Internet Business is still quite young. Much of the way brick and mortar companies handle its business often must be molded in a sometimes-dramatic way to take advantage of the emerging communications developments. This takes not only experience and a good overall picture of the situation.
E-Business models are often complex and most factor in many specifics of real world businesses. During the early years, much of the interior of a business was ignored for the fact that the “WEB” had become a hot medium to do business. Much of the focus went to presentation and not overall product value. After much shake out, several key factors can be seen as important to a successful Internet based Company. While focus still has not died away from end user system interaction (quite the contrary), a much more inclusive scope of factors have been identified. Further elaboration will be provided.
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“You get what you want.” Internet technology is plagued with the question of how to create a sense of intimacy with its end users. Often in a physical store, for example, it is much easier to build a strong relationship with the client. Putting a business on the Internet must recreate a since of intimacy, without jeopardizing the sense of personal security and privacy. Achieving such a goal can be tough, especially when much of the customization over the Internet must be done by collecting personal information (, many times hesitantly) from the end user.
Much of the Internet today is English language oriented. In order for businesses to truly harness the global power of the Internet, they must provide ways to provide information in many languages. This field of technology however is still young and many issues must be dealt with.
In order to maintain a good relationship with costumers, some minimal level of user support must be provided. Users often times feel “in the dark” with purchasing items that must be assembled, processed, and shipped. The Internet provides the perfect tool for costumer handholding during the process of procuring their goods. Easy automation of such systems has become widespread and has become an Industry standard.
The Internet has strayed from often stale and outdated static content to more timely delivery of media through dynamic content delivery. This shift towards on time media calls for content management systems. Such systems should allow editors to easily update content without the need of hard to find technical skills. Specifics include merchandizing, catalog management, and price and on-line collateral management.
In order to provide such functionality software management systems must be put into place. Such software will facilitate the following:
It is important to support workflow and process management. Such systems are the basis for more a more efficient running company. The company must analyze its unique business model to properly use technology for such process support. Again it is important that there is easy access to content management services.
Support for workflow and process management
Appropriation of technology for such systems
Access control in content management
Online collateral management.
After the shake down of the Dot Coms much can be said about the remaining companies. These companies share the ability to implement at least some or all of the technologies listed above to help them stay in the game. Investigating these companies and their practices can help bridge the ideas listed here and its actual implementation.
Providing services for e-Business companies is in itself an industry. This industry however has very little elbow room for competition, with many implementers choosing to stay with well established names. Here are a few companies that provide services to service providers. These players are very important to the shape of the future of E-Business
Services
Net Perceptions
eShare
TaxWare
CyberSource, CyberCash
webMethods
OrderTrust
Double-click
VeriSign
Solutions
Databasing
Oracle
Microsoft SQL Server
Application Servers
BEA's WebLogic
IBM's WebSphere
Microsoft's ASP
Front End
Microsoft