Week 4, Chapter 3: E-BUSINESS

Blog Questions

What is Web 2.0, how does it differ from 1.0?

Web 2.0 refers to how we use the Internet today. It is an interactive communicative tool used by many. As the Internet has expanded, it evolved into a much more social and interactive tools as opposed to being static.

Web 2.0 is user driven compared to the more linear ways which we used Web 1.0. Web 2.0 in contrast is interactive, linking not only text but also people, useful in everyday life instead of just business. Web 2.0 harnesses the power of sharing (through RSS, social media, wikis and mash ups).

How could a web 2.0 technologies be used in business?

Management may implement corporate blogs to enhance communication, build trust, supplement press releases and talk from the heart. A content rich blog can enhance the positive image of the company while encouraging effective internal communication and sharing of information across functional departments. An RSS feed provides website statistics to managers in real time and could also update potential customers with product updates and company news

What is eBusiness, how does it differ from eCommerce?

E-Commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet whereas e-Business is conducting business on the Internet including, not only buying and selling, but also serving customers and collaborating with business partners

What is pure and partial eCommerce? 

The terms describe the degree of organisational digitalism. Purely physical organisations do not exist online whereas virtual organisations are companies that are engaged only in ecommerce (pure play). Click-and-mortar organisations are those that conduct part of their business through e-commerce activities, yet their business is primarily done in the physical world (partial ecommerce).

List and describe the various eBusiness models?

An e-Business model is an approach to conducting electronic business on the Internet. Various models include:

Business-to-business: Applies to businesses buying and selling to each other over the internet

Business-to-consumer: Applies to any business that sells its products or services to consumers over the internet

Consumer-to-business: Applies to any consumer that sells a product or service to a business over the internet

Consumer-to-consumer: Applies to sites primarily offering goods and services to assist consumers interacting with each other over the internet

List and describe the major B2B marketplace models? 

The major models include sell-side B2B and buy-side B2B.

The Sell-Side B2B model is a web-based niche marketplace in which one company sells to many business buyers from e-catalogs or auctions, frequently over an extranet. Large, well-known companies conduct catalogue sales or build an auction mechanism on the company’s own site.

The Buy-Side B2B model is a corporate-based acquisition site that uses reverse auctions, negotiations, group purchasing, or any other e-procurement method. It is established by a group of buyers that open an e market place and invite buyers to bid on services / goods – RFQ methodology (request for quote (RFQ) The “invitation” to participate in a tendering (bidding) system)