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SUMMARY
- GE's approach to e-business
involves addressing supply side, manufacturing and demand side
aspects, referred to within GE as Buy-side, Make-side and Sell-side
respectively.
- E-business within GE is driven
by an e-business strategy and there is a focus on dealing with
technology, organisation and people issues. Achieving business
benefits is the main driving force behind GE's investments in
the Internet.
- Buy-side activities have focused
on moving suppliers to on-line purchasing systems, with suppliers
offering bids in response to requests made by GE for quotations.
Activities within GE in this area date back to 1995, and have
delivered significant cost savings for GE.
- GE has made a significant
investment in sell-side activities, setting up electronic commerce
sites for its customers. This has involved establishing web sites
that provide information, and which enable customers to obtain
prices, place and track orders and to order spare parts. GE is
now moving towards multi-lingual web sites as it expands its
web based operations beyond its US home base into Europe and
elsewhere.
- GE is also using the Internet
(in the form of an Intranet) internally to improve communications
and to share knowledge and experiences.
- GE is not only user of Internet
technology and services. It is using its expertise and experience,
in collaboration with other Internet technology and service providers,
to deliver Internet related business services to its customers.
This case study is described
in more detail in the publication "E-business
Strategy: Case Studies, Benefits and Implementation".
Section headings are as follows:
- COMPANY BACKGROUND
- THE BUSINESS ISSUES
- DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES
AND APPROACH
- Approach
- Buy Side Activities
- Sell Side Activities
- Internet Businesses
- ANALYSIS AND COMMENT
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