E-business

Preface

Every business, it is frequently claimed, can expect to be radically changed by Internet and World Wide Web technologies. Reality, however, is very different. The adoption of these technologies will take time and then not all Internet applications will be suitable for every company. Consequently, there are many unrealistic expectations surrounding the Internet. The topic is certainly of great significance but what really matters for each business is the often forgotten question ¾ how can the Internet and associated technologies improve my long-term competitive advantage?

To answer this question, businesses need to better understand the technologies, their potential applications and ways they can be used to add value for customers, support new strategies, and improve existing operations. This book deals with these points but it is not just about electronic commerce (e-commerce), in the narrow sense of buying and selling products over the Internet, but the broader theme of electronic business (e-business) which affects products, business processes, strategies, and relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors and competitors.

Progress is rapid and so we did not wish to record what is available now but to indicate what is coming. For this reason, we contacted authors operating at the frontiers of the developments so the reader can more appreciate the directions in which these technologies are heading. The resulting papers, of which there are over 150, have been collated into ten sections, which have been grouped in three parts: Key Issues, Applications Areas, and Applications, Tools and Technologies:

 

Part I: Key Issues

• The first section deals with Business, Strategy and Policy and gives an overview of the emerging technologies and the technical, legal and organisational barriers that still need to be removed. It considers the requirement to use information and communication technologies within the context of a broader strategy and to manage technical change in an effective manner.
• The second section in the first part examines some Legal, Regulatory, Security, Trust and Confidence aspects. The problems addressed in this section include new legal liability that might arise from the use of the World Wide Web and the legislative developments needed to support e-Business while protecting citizens' rights and helping to prevent criminal activities. It considers also the importance of using tools such as cryptography to ensure safe and secure electronic transactions.
• Training, Innovation and Regional Development form the topics for this section whose papers address three important side issues of the World Wide Web. The papers examine it as means of delivering education, the importance of innovative projects and its potential for development in the regions.

Part II: Application Areas

• The Knowledge Based Enterprise, in all its forms, has been foreseen as an important source of sustainable competitive advantage since the early 1980s. This section describes actions being taken to exploit and share knowledge both within the enterprise and between partners in extended enterprises. Also addressed is the question of valuing knowledge assets.
• Section five looks at Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Topics covered include improvements to supply chains, order fulfillment, as well as tendering and contract bidding.
• The issue of The Virtual and Extended Enterprise is dealt with in section six. The papers in this section deal with ways in which companies are using technologies to operate in partnership with other enterprises, as well as working across both distance and different time zones.
• Section seven, in Part II, deals with E-business for Manufacturing Industry and covers a wide range of topics as well as some projects being undertaken as part of the global Intelligent Manufacturing Systems initiative.

Part III: Applications, Tools and Technologies

• The first section in Part III addresses the familiar subject of Selling over the Internet and the World Wide Web to end consumers. Topics covered include product presentation, data mining, personalisation of services, and intelligent searching.
• A large number of Applications are presented in section nine. These cover the food industry, energy markets, banking, on-line government, and health care, to mention just a few.
• The final section of the book describes the Tools and Technologies that will support applications and use of the Internet and the World Wide Wed: speech activated interfaces, content development, research and development needs, support of tele-work and working across distances.

At the heart of e-business are moves away from analogue towards low-cost digital technology and the linking of individual pieces of technology (PCs, set-top boxes, personal mobile devices) via networks such as the Internet. Digital networks will enable functionality, better ways of operating, and opportunities that are either new or which hitherto have been uneconomic or too difficult to achieve. E-business will blur the boundaries between traditional industries and create new ones.

A business rarely makes radical changes but is constantly making adjustments to circumstances. It must now adapt to the global implications of the Internet and World Wide Web. We hope that this book will aid awareness of the implications so that the changes are managed wisely.

In producing this book the editors were grateful for financial help from Key Action II: New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce which is part of the European Commission's Programme for Information Society Technologies.

 

Brian Stanford-Smith, Stanford Taylor Matchett Ltd
Paul T. Kidd, Cheshire Henbury