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E-business is normally divided
into four groups:
- business-to-consumer;
- business-to-business;
- business-to-public administration;
- consumer-to-public administration.
The business-to-business (B2B)
group includes all applications intended to enable or improve
relationships within firms and between two or more companies.
In the past this has largely been based on the use of private
networks and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Examples from
the business-business category are the use of the Internet for
searching product catalogues, ordering from suppliers, receiving
invoices and making electronic payments. This category also includes
collaborative design and engineering, and managing the logistics
of supply and delivery.
The business-to-consumer (B2C)
group is a much newer area and largely equates to electronic
retailing over the Internet. This category has expanded greatly
in the late 1990s with the growth of public access to the Internet.
The business-to-consumer category includes electronic shopping,
information searching (e.g. railway timetables) but also interactive
games delivered over the Internet. Popular items purchased via
electronic retailing are airline tickets, books, computers, videotapes,
and music CDs.
The business-to-public administration
group covers transactions between companies and governmental
organisations, such as city, local, regional, national governments
and governmental agencies such as the European Commission. Activities
in this area include transactions to publicise public procurement
opportunities and the filling of tax returns and payment of taxes.
The consumer-to-public administration
area is similar to business-to-public administration, except
that the focus is on provision of government information brochures,
forms etc., greater openness, public consultations, as well as
submission of tax returns. This area will grow once the business-to-consumer
and business-to-public administration areas start to develop. |