E-Business and E-Commerce

1 Overview of E-Business and E-Commerce Electronic commerce (e-commerce, EC). The process of buying, selling, transferring, or exchanging products, services, and/or information via computer networks, including the Internet. E-business. A broader definition of EC, including buying and selling of goods and services, and also servicing customers collaborating e- learning, and conducting electronic transactions within an organization.

Pure versus partial EC Electronic commerce can take several forms depending on the degree of digitization- the transformation from physical to digital- involved. The degree of digitization can relate to:(1) the product (service) sold, (2) the process, or (3) the delivery agent (or intermediary). In pure EC all dimensions are digital. If there is at least one digital dimension, we consider the situation partial EC. Brick- and-mortar organizations. Organization in which the product, the process, and the delivery agent are all physical.

Pure vs Partial EC cont… Virtual organization. Organization in which the product, the process, and the delivery agent are all digital; also called pure – organization Click-and– mortar. Organization in which the product, the process, and the delivery agent may be physical or digital .

Types of E-Commerce Transactions Business-to-Business (B2B): E-commerce in which both the sellers and the buyers are business organizations. Eg. SAIL- Steel junction Collaborative commerce ( c-commerce): E – commerce in which business partners collaborate electronically along the supplychain. Business-to-Consumers (B2C): E-commerce in which the seller are organizations and the buyers are individual also known as e-tailing.

Types of E-Commerce Transaction cont… Consumer-to-Consumer(C2C).:E-commerce in which an individual sells products or services to other individuals. Customer -to-Business (C2B).:E-commerce in which customers make known a particular need for a product or service, and suppliers complete to provide the product or service to consumers . Eg. Priceline.com Intrabusiness( intraorganizational) commerce. E-commerce in which an organization uses EC internally to improve its operations.

Types of E-commerce cont… B2E( business to employees) EC: A special case of intrabusiness e-commerce in which an organization delivers product or services to its employees. Government–to–Citizens(G2C): E-commerce in which a government provide services to its citizen via EC technologies. Government-to–business (G2B): E-commerce in which a government does business with other governments as well as with businesses. Mobile Commerce (m-commerce): E-commerce conducted in a wireless environment.

EC Business Model Business Model. The method by which a company generates revenues to sustain itself .

The Scope of EC EC applications are supported by an infrastructure that includes hardware, software, and networks, ranging from browsers to multimedia, and also by five support areas. People Public Policy Marketing and advertising Support services Business Partnerships

A framework for e-commerce

Benefits of E-commerce Benefits to organization: The availability of natural and international markets, The decreased cost of processing, distributing, and retrieving information. Benefit to customer: The access to a vast number of products and services, around the clock. Benefit to society : The ability to deliver information, services, and product to people in cities, in rural areas and in developing countries.

Limitations Technological Nontechnological The lack of universally accepted quality, security and reliability standards. Insufficient telecommunication bandwidth. Need for special web servers in addition to network servers Expensive accessibility Nontechnological A perception that EC is insecure. Unresolved legal issue. A lack of a critical mass of sellers and buyers

Major EC Mechanism The major mechanisms for buying and selling on the Internet are electronic catalogs. Electronic auctions, and online bartering Electronic Catalogs. Electronic catalogs on CD-ROM and the Internet have gained popularity. Electronic catalogs consist of a product database, directory and search capabilities and a presentation function. Electronic Auctions (E-auction). A market mechanism by which sellers place offers and buyers make sequential bids, and prices are determined dynamically by competitive bidding. Electronic bartering. The exchange of goods or services without a monetary transaction.

Online shopping Three features A catalog for searching product information A checkout section where you can make secure payments A customer service page for assistance Click & Mortar stores has a physical store as well as a website where you can shop Electronic catalogs should be like directories grouping similar products and also provide a search facility within a product group for items Shopping cart- electronic holding area for selected products till billing Payment through One time credit card Set up online account- information is provided once only

Customer Services Site should have Online banking Online finance Contact information- tel and regular mail addresss Return policies Shipping policies Charges and fees- what are hidden fees Online banking Creating accounts, fund transfer, statements, view /record transactions, pay bills, apply for loans Online finance Investing, credit cards, insurance buying, mutual funds, tax returns filing, financial planning etc.

Types of Electronic Auctions: Forward auction: An auction that sellers use as a selling channel to many potential buyers; the highest bidder wins the item. Reverse auction:: An auction in which one buyer, usually an organization, seeks to buy a product or a service, and suppliers submit bids; most common model for large purchase.

3 Business-to-Consumer Applications Electronic relating (e-tailing): The direct sale of products and services through electronic storefronts or electronic malls, usually designed around an electronic catalog format and/or auctions. Two popular shopping location online are electronic storefronts and electronic malls: Electronic storefront: The website of a single company, with its own Internet address, at which orders can be placed. Electronic malls (cyber mall): A collection of individual shops under one Internet address.

B2C Applications cont… Cyberbanking. Various banking activities conducted electronically from home, a business, or on the road instead of at a physical bank location. Virtual bank. A banking institution dedicated solely to internet transactions.

Phases in Customer Service Life Cycle. Phase 1: Requirement: Assist the customer to determine needs by providing photographs of a product, video presentation, textual descriptions, articles or reviews, sound bites on a CD, and downloadable demonstration files. Phase 2: Acquisition: Help the customer to acquire a product or service. Phase 3: Ownership: Support the customer on an ongoing basis Phase 4: Retirement: Help the client to dispose of a service or product.

Issues in E-tailing Resolving channel conflict Resolving conflicts within click–and-mortar organizations Organizing order fulfilment and logistics. Determining viability and risk of online e- tailers. Identifying appropriate revenue models

4 Online Advertising Improves traditional forms of advertising in a number of ways: can be updated any time at minimal cost can reach very large numbers of potential buyers all over the world sometimes cheaper can be interactive and targeted to specific interest groups and / or to individuals. It makes sense to move advertising to the Internet, where the number of viewers is growing . Shortcomings: most of which relate to the difficulty in measuring the effectiveness and cost-justification of the ads.

Advertising Method Banners: Electronic billboards, which typically contain a short text or graphical message to promote a product or a vendor. Keyword banner: Banner advertising that appears when a predetermined word is queried from a search engine. Random banner: Banner advertising that appears randomly. Pop-up ad: An advertisement that is automatically launched by some trigger and appears underneath the active window.

Some Advertising Issues and Approaches Unsolicited Advertising: Spamming is the indiscriminate distribution of electronic ads without permission of the receiver. Permission marketing: Method of marketing that asks consumers to give their permission to voluntarily accept online advertising and e-mail. Viral Marketing: Viral marketing refer to online ’’word-of-mouth’’ marketing. The main idea is to have people forward message to friends, suggesting that they ‘’check this out’’ Interactive Advertising and Marketing: The term interactive points it the ability to an individual, to gather and remember that person’s responses, and to serve that customer based on his or her previous unique responses.

Online Promotions: Attracting Visitors to a site. Making the top of the list of search engine. Online events, promotion and attractions. Online coupons.

B2B E Commerce Companies not only sell goods, but also Track inventory Order products Send invoices Receive payments online Collaborative partnerships on Product designs Sales and marketing campaigns Sharing information with partners for efficient working together B2B transactions need not necessarily be only for products – it can be for services as well- eg. Stock broker buying shares from electronic exchange for a client Bank requesting for credit information of a prospect from a credit reporting agency

Security Reputed merchants protect their customers by providing secure web pages Encoding using SSL technology ( Secured Socket Layer). Secure pages will have protocol segment as https://. A closed padlock symbol will come on status bar

B2B Applications In business to business (B2B) applications, the buyers, sellers, and transactions involve only organizations The major models are: sell-side marketplaces, buy-side marketplaces, and electronic exchanges.

Major B2B Models Sell-side marketplace. B2B model in which organizations sell to other organizations from their own private e-marketplace and/or from a third-party site Buy-side marketplace. B2B model in which organizations buy needed products or service from other organizations electronically often through a reverse auction. E-procurement. Purchasing by using electronic support.

Sell-Side Marketplaces The key mechanisms in the sell–side model are: Electronic catalogs that can be customized for each large buyer and Forward auctions.

Buy-Side Marketplaces Group Purchasing: The aggregation of purchasing orders from many buyers so that a volume discount can be obtained. Desktop Purchasing: E-procurement method in which supplier’s catalogs are aggregated into an internal master catalog on the buyer’s server for use by the company’s purchasing agents.

Four Types of Electronic Exchanges Public exchanges (exchanges): E-marketplace in which there are many sellers and many buyers, and entry is open to all; Frequently owned and operated by a third party.

6 Intrabusiness and Business-to-Employees Intrabusiness. E- commerce within an organization (between an organization and its employees or among business units) . Business to its Employees (B2E) commerce E-commerce between and among units within the business E-commerce between and among corporate Employees.

7 E-Government and Consumer-to-Consumer EC E-government. The use of e-commerce to deliver information and public services to citizens, business partners and suppliers of government entities, and those working in public sector. E-government application can be divided into three major categories; government-to- citizens (G2C), government–to–business (G2B), and government-to–government (G2G).

Customer-to-Consumer(C2C) E-commerce in which both the buyer and the seller are individuals (not businesses). C2C auctions Classified Ads. Personal Services. Support services to C2C

8 E-commerce support services

Electronic Payments Electronic Checks Electronic Credit Cards Purchasing Cards Electronic Cash Electronic Bill Presentment and Payments Paying Bills at ATMs.

Three forms of electronic cash Person- to-Person Payment. A form of e-cash that enables the transfer of funds between two individuals, or between an individual and a business, without the use of a credit card. Stored-value money card. A form of e-cash on which a fixed amount of prepaid money is stored, the amount is reduced each time the card is used. Smart card. A form of e-cards, that contains a microprocessor (chip) that enables the card to store a considerable amount of information and to conduct processing .

Security in Electronic Payment Authentication. The buyer, the seller, and the paying institution must be assured of the identity of the parties with whom they are dealing. integrity. It is necessary to ensure that data and information transmitted in EC, are not accidentally or maliciously altered or destroyed during transmission. Privacy. Many customers want their identify to be secured. Safety. Customers want to be sure that it is safe to provide a credit card number on the Internet.

Security Protection E-wallets (digital wallets). Mechanisms that combine security measure and convenience in EC purchasing. Virtual credit card. A payment mechanism that allows a buyer to shop with an ID number and a password instead of with a credit card number.

9 Ethical issues in e-business Privacy Loss of Jobs One of the most interesting EC issues relating to loss of jobs is that of intermediation . Intermediaries provide two types of services. (1) matching and providing information and (2) value-added services such as consulting. Disintermediation: Elimination of intermediaries in EC. Reintermediation: Occurs where intermediaries such as brokers, who provide value-added services and expertise, cannot be entirely eliminated from EC.

Legal Issues Specific to E-Commerce Fraud on the internet Domain names Taxes and other fees. copyright