TASKS FOR "WHAT IS E-BUSINESS"

Task 1: Doing Business Electronically

If "doing business electronically" is not an adequate definition, what is?

• Write down your own definition of what e-Business is and what it means to you

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Task 2: What is e-Business like today?

Much of what we call e-Business is about buying and selling online

• Draw a quick flow diagram which would show the process of a sale occurring online, from the moment someone decides they want something to the moment they finally receive it
• This is a conceptual flow diagram so there's no need to worry about technology as such
• There should be around 9 or 10 stages to the process

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Task 3: Perspectives

Have a think about some of these issues and write some responses down

• What's moving people to buy and sell online - what are the business and personal drivers?
• Why would someone buy from a particular e-Business?
• When is an e-Business site a good site?
• What makes a bricks-and-mortar business need to consider an e-Business approach?
• How do purchasers benefit from a company with an e-Business offering?
• What is it about the Internet that makes e-Business a realistic option?
• Why do you suppose some e-Business approaches fail?
• Why is it risky to be a consumer online? Why is it risky to be an e-Business?

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Task 4: Important Players

Have a look at these sites:

http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.expedia.com/
http://www.ebay.com/

You may find there's a localised version of these sites for your country.

• Can you see any common ground between the cases and the sites?
• Are there any very distinctive differences between them?

Task 5: Real World Perspectives 1

You need to speak to a number of people from different walks of life. These conversations need only be a few moments of your time, and should include where possible a mixture of professional workers, students, people who are homemakers, senior citizens and young people still in compulsory education. The aim of the conversation is to find out how e-Business plays a part in their everyday lives.

• Do they engage in any learning using online technologies?
• Do they do their shopping online?
• Is e-Business particularly useful to any one group in society?
• Why do they engage in any of these e-Business activities - is it to save money, time?
• Is there a pattern in consumer behaviour?
• What are their feelings about buying online?

Make sure you keep good notes.

Task 6: Real World Perspectives 2

You need to speak (where possible) to people in a business environment. These conversations need only be a few moments of your and their time. You could try someone who owns a store, perhaps someone in a professional business (such as lawyers or an architect), a manager in a large business. Do you know anyone who runs a "dot-com"?

You need to ask similar questions as before and also:

• How is e-Business useful to their organisation?
• How could it be used within their organisations?
• What kind of "not-so-obvious" organisations could take advantage of an e-Business offering?

Once again, make sure you keep good notes

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Task 7: The Difference between the Virtual World and the Real World

Have a think about the real world and the virtual world:

• What significant attributes make a virtual organisation different from a physical organisation?

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Task 8: Business Processes

Have a think about what you know about new business processes:

• What changes in each of the significant processes have quite clearly occurred since the inception of the Internet?

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Task 9: Business Benefits

Have a think about different types of business:

• How are small businesses affected differently compared to these bigger companies?

Task 10: Different Effects

You need to look for a number of businesses that operate in the same industry - for example retailing books, selling pharmaceuticals, or offering a service. You should try and look at about 4 or 5 e-Businesses and about the same number of bricks-and-mortar companies.

• How do they use technology in different ways to help?
• Are there any obvious differences between those that are online and those that are not?

Now take a look at Overview of e-Business tutorial