B2b In SmeS Perspectives And Future Challenges — страница 7

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well organised the business was before deployment of e-business initiatives, the situation will necessarily change as the result of the initiatives. Organisations must preposition themselves in their structure as well as in execution to flourish in a significantly more dynamic environment. Businesses must set achievable goals and parameters and operate within them. ?Do not promise next day delivery if this is unachievable.? SMEs have challenges similar to that of big businesses but they do not have the benefits of economics of scale, which make it riskier for SMEs to invest in E-business technology. The Challenges are often the same for SMEs whether they practice conventional or virtual business. A major challenge for the SME is whether they have the financial resources to invest

in technology and other related costs for developing an E-business, or including E-business as a strategy to their existing operations. Human resources need to be in place to meet the demands, so having staff to develop a new type of business, having the appropriate skill base within the organisation, attracting and retaining employees with applicable skills are all critical for the SME. This may be very difficult in today?s business climate but it is essential to operate E-business properly. Finding sufficient time to invest in the development and implementation of an E-business package is also a critical factor. Risk taking can be daunting for an SME compared to larger organisations, particularly in ventures that are still relatively new, unfamiliar and uncertain. 3.3 B2B

E-Commerce Quality Challenges Speer (2000) in an article: ?Requirements in E-Commerce Testing? states that ?The importance of quality assurance and testing mechanisms is supported by the well-publicised crashes of prominent e-commerce sites, and persistent concerns about bandwidth, security, and privacy. In an intensely competitive marketplace, stringent quality standards are associated with businesses that survive. With the competition only a click away, quality must be an active strategy instead of merely a slogan.? If, during peak buying seasons a sizeable fraction of attempted Web purchases fail, or if users complain of dropped connections, then the economic and public relations consequences can be severe. The same is also true when inaccurate records are generated about

transactions or customers cannot determine at the time of ordering if the desired items are in stock or when delivery can be expected, or if the purchased goods never arrive. Fundamental questions about whether it is safe to shop online and, if safe, then if really cheaper, faster and more convenient than on Main Street, are asked and answered in each potential customer’s site visitation experience. If the visitor experience is negative due to slow response times, outright crashes, or violations of privacy, consumer confidence can be undermined. Chapter 4 B2B Strategy and the Future 4.1 Syndication 4.1.1 Syndication an Introduction Werbach (1999) opens in an article from the Harvard Business Review entitled ?Syndication: The Emerging Model for Business in the Internet Era? that

?There?s no question that the Internet is overturning the old rules about competition and strategy. But what are the new rules? Many of them can be found in the concept of syndication, a way of doing business that has its origins in the entertainment world but is now expanding to define the structure of e-business. As companies enter syndication networks, they will need to rethink their products, relationships, and even their core capabilities.? The shape of content and business relationships on the Web is tied to an old concept, and that concept is syndication. Traditionally based on the closed world of the media, it may be the model that allows the Web to remain open as it grows. As with most new mediums, the Internet incorporates elements of media that existed in the past.

Syndication deals are the lifeblood of today’s broadcasting, cable and newspaper industries, an example of this is the cartoon epic ?The Simpson?s?, which at any given time on NTL?s network in operation in Ireland they may appear on three different channels simultaneously. In such arrangements, entities that create content (Gracie Films) license it out to distributors (NTL), who integrate it with their own and other offerings (Network 2, BBC 2 and Sky One). Several major Web-based companies adopted the syndication approach early on, though the market has remained fairly limited. Werbach (1999) suggests. ?Online syndication is now poised to explode, but even as it changes the Internet, the Internet will change syndication. On the Web, the concept applies to commerce as well as