Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CHAPTER 1
Definition of Electronic Commerce: there are lots of standard definitions typified on the basis of
use of e-Commerce.
1. Suggestion divides the evolution of information technology (IT) into 20 years periods.
1955.74 The Electronic Data Processing (EDP) era
1975.94 The Management Information System (MIS) era.
1995.2014 The Internet era.
If you accept the proposition that the third steps is differentiate by world wide access to the
internet
“Electronic Commerce is commerce enabled by Internet-era Technologies.”
2. Electronic Commerce is a general concept covering any form of business transactions or
information exchange executed any form of business transactions or information exchange
executed using information and communication technology, between companies, between
companies and their customers, or between companies and public administration.
“Electronic commerce includes electronic trading of goods, services and electronic
material.”
3. Formulating commercial transaction at a site remote from the trading partner and then
using electronic communication to execute that transaction.
TRADE CYCLE:
Classified as
1. Nature of organization
2. frequency of trade between the partner to the exchange
3. nature of goods and services
It is use to support
1. finding, negotiating
2. order, delivery, payment
3. after sale services
SEARCH
PRE-SALE
NEGOTIATIE
ORDER
EXECUTION
DELIVER
INVOICE
SETTLEMENT
PAYMENT
ELECTRONIC MARKET:
E-market can also be applicable in EXECUTION and SETTLEMENT phase also. For
example Airline Booking System- the primary use of electronic market is to locate an available
seat according to the customer (time, place, price basis). Then it is also allow deal to be executed
and payment to be made.
E-market consider in credit transaction in trade cycle. And e-market also tends to be
available to intermediaries (travel agent).
SEARCH
PRE-SALE
NEGOTIATIE
ORDER
EXECUTION
DELIVER
INVOICE
SETTLEMENT
PAYMENT
EDI based on a set of standardized messages for the transfer of the structured data between
computer applications. It can have many applications, for example sending test result (lab to
hospital), dispatching exam result (board to school). But it is principally used for the trade
exchanges- order, invoices, payments, and other transactions that can be uses in national and
international trade exchange (vehicle assembler, computer assembler).
EDI is used for the regular repeat transactions, and it is a formal system and it does not
really have a place in the search and negotiation phases.
REPEAT
SEARCH
PRE-SALE
NEGOTIATIE
ORDER
EXECUTION
DELIVER
INVOICE
SETTLEMENT
PAYMENT
INTERNET COMMERCE:
I-commerce basically used for once-off or infrequent purchases of items such as computer
and office supplies. This form of e-Commerce may give its customers credits facilities but it is
typified by the “cash” trade cycle (where case payment is taken to include settlement at the time of
purchase by a credit card or some form of e-cash).
Internet can be used for all or part of the trade cycle
1. search
2. settlement and execution (order, deliver, invoice, payment)
3. after sale services (online support for the product)
REPEAT
SEARCH
PRE-SALE
NEGOTIATIE
ORDER
EXECUTION
DELIVER
INVOICE
SETTLEMENT
PAYMENT
The internet as a marketing and sales channel can be examined in this context:
Supply chains:
The products sold in shops and purchased for use in organizations are the result of a
complex web of relationships between manufacturers, components suppliers, wholesalers, retailers,
and the logical infrastructure that links them together.
For large retailers and manufacturers of complex products the number of supplier organizations
will be hundreds and possibly thousands.
Manufacture
Support Activities
Firm Infrastructure
Technology Development
Procurement
Margin
Primary Activities
Once analyzed of performance deficits can be addressed to improve product quality, customer
service and/ or price competitiveness.
The efficiency of the linkages may be enhanced by the user by the use of information and
communication technologies (ICT’s).
Use of ICTs:
• Human Resource Management: vacancies advertisement.
• Procurement: Online search for supplier.
• Marketing: Online advertisement for the products.
• Servicing: Online assistance, fault diagnosis.
Value chains differ considerably across trade sectors and between different organizations within a
trade sector. Value system in automobile assembly, food, supermarket, and insurance sector are
summarized as follows:
1. automobile industry
Internal
Supplies
Vehicle
Component Assembler Dealer
Supplies Network Consumer
AUTOMOBILE ASSEMBLY
Automobile assembly uses a vast number of components. The making of a car is a component
assembly job. Some of the components, such as engines and body panels, may be produced by the
company (possibly in other plants), whereas most of the parts: lights, break, wheel, tyres, etc. are
brought in from supplies. Components are delivered to the production line on a just-in-time basis;
larger components might be “sequenced delivery” with their arrival synchronized to match the
order of the vehicles on the assembly line.
The sales channel is the dealer network; each vehicle assembler sells through a chain of dealers
tied by contract to that marquee. Vehicle supply to the network is a mixture of the carmaker
instructing the dealers what to stock and the dealers ordering to meet demand. The dealer network
also has a system of swapping vehicle so that the specific requirement of a customer can be met.
2. Food Supermarket
Regional
Warehouse
Super-
Food Market
Manufacturer Consumer
SUPER MARKET
Food retailer is dividing into two parts-
Large supermarket chains (direct deal with manufacturer)
Small retailers (deal with wholesaler rather than manufacturer)
Supermarket supply chain is start from food manufacturer. Produce is either delivered to a regional
distribution depot or direct to the shop. Items that are relatively small or are sold in modest
quantities can be delivered by the manufacturer to the regional depot where the load can be split up
and sent on to the shops where they are needed. Items required in large quantities or that need to be
very fresh can be delivered direct from the supplier to the supermarket, obviating the need to
“double handle” the goods at the regional warehouse. Supermarket sells directly to the consumer;
there is no requirement for any intermediary or channel.
3. Insurance
Agents
Insurance
Company Consumer
Insurance
Broker
INSURANCE
Insurance is a service industry and it is not directly reliant to its suppliers, its value system is
therefore focused on sales. Insurance policies to the public can be:
• Sold by an agent (company employee).
• Sold by an intermediary (like insurance broker).
• Direct sales using telesales or the internet.
Value chain in organization itself- An organization needs to analyze its own value chain and it
should apply similar techniques to its overall value system. The organization needs to establish
which of its inter-organizational relationships working well, providing profit and which fail to
achieve appropriate level of quality and prices. The linkage in the value system has to be managed.
The physical linkage involve goods handling, transport, warehousing. And including following
aims to accomplish-
• Pre-sale: finding supplier & agreeing terms
• Execution: order, delivery
• Settlement: invoice, payment
• After-sales: supportive services
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
The ability of an organization to prosper arises from its competitive advantage over the
other organization operating within its market sector. There are three basic strategies for
competitive advantage are-
Cost leadership
Differentiation in terms of quality
Focus on a single aspect of the market
Porter’s Model for Competitive Force
Threat of
potential entrants
Threat of
Substitution
Porter’s model helps a firm identify threats to its competitive position and to lay plans that
may include IT and e-Commerce, to protect or enhance that position.
It relates to the new company or a company in a different product area, that how
much easily it can enter a given trade sector. Barrier to entry into a particular market
include the need for capital, knowledge and skills. Where existing firms in the sector may
well have a substantial investment in IS/IT (information system/ information technology).
e.g. - they can use EDI to co-ordinate their supply chain. This experience and investment
can be difficult for a new entrant to match.
Internet e-Commerce is a technology that can facilitate new entrants to existing
markets without the need to match the IT and infrastructure investment of the existing
firm.
e.g. - internet bookshop, internet banks
2. THREAT OF SUBSTITUTION:
When a new product become available that supplies the same function as the
existing product services, where existing firm can protect themselves by keeping their
product up-to-date or alternatively, in some cases, have become major firms in the
business of supplying the substitute product.
Internet e-Commerce provides facility for being substitute distribution channels
for conventional retailing.
e.g. – music retail shops with online music, typewriter by word processors
Where there are a number of competitors in the market or a surplus of supply the
buyers is in a strong position to bargain for a low price and for other favorable conditions
of trade. The threat is that if you do not accept our terms then there are other suppliers
that will.
Bargaining strength of buyer is least threat to the low cost producer, because that
organization can agree to tight terms of trade that competitor firms could not profitably
match. The other defense is to have a branded product that the store will feel obliged to
stock, because their customers expect it.
E-commerce can also used to reshape the supply chain by removing
intermediaries (wholesale and agent).
The organization’s ability to get a good deal is the mirror image of its position with
its buyers. It the supply is plentiful and/ or there are several suppliers it should get its
product at good price.
EDI is helpful to solve this problem, where it provides quick response and faster
supply.
It is to get the buyers and to trade at a price that produces an acceptable profit.
The competitive position of each organization deal is not absolute; in most markets the
factors that lead to a successful deal in one place at a given time will not necessarily be
replicated in the next bargain that is to be struck.
The idea of giving the customer access to tracking information via the internet was
a new one that had considerable appeal to the customer. The use of new system also had
considerable advantage to FedEx who no longer had to deal with a vast number of calls
checking up on progress of consignment; because the customer could now access the
system themselves.
But e-commerce development and implementation could no be entirely private-
customer had to become involved at some stage. The competitor was quick to catch on to
the idea and UPS (UNITED PARSAL SERVICES) was soon able to make available a
similar system built onto their internal IT infrastructure for tracking packages. DHL, on the
other hand, were unable to react as quickly because of technical difficulties in
implementing and integrating a competitive system.
To gain advantage
System need to be out in the market before competitors make a start in copying
ideas
Technical advantage is converted into brand advantage
Provide better and better services to the customer
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Corporate strategy is the pattern of major objectives, purpose or goals and essential
policies or plans for achieving those goals, stated in such a way as to define what
business the company is in or is to be and the kind of company it is or is to be.
e-Commerce strategy
e-Commerce plan
Evaluation