E-Business

E-Business is “Electronic Business”.  Application of information and technology (ICT) for supporting all activities related to the business is E-Business.  In E-business ICT is used to enhance the business.  According to Zorayda Ruth Andan E-business can be defined as “the transformation of an organization processes to deliver additional customer value through the application of technologies, philosophies and computing paradigm of the new economy”

The following processes are enhanced in E-business:

• Production Processes,
• Customer focused processes, and
• Internal management processes.

When exchange of products and services takes place between groups, individuals or businesses, such exchanges are called commerce,  When commercial activities are conducted through the use of ICT, it is E-Commerce.

In E-business, firms are able to connect their internal and external data processing systems efficiently and flexibly with the suppliers, partners, and are also able to satisfy the expectations and needs of the customers.

E-business is wider in scope as compared to E-commerce. E-commerce is only a part of E-business.  E-commerce uses the World Wide Web (www) or the internet to build relationship with the clients and partners to improve efficiency.  Whereas E-business processes span the whole value chain.  Everything is done electronically, viz., purchasing material, order processing, customer servicing, and all the activities with the partners, exchange of data also takes place through special technical standards.  The software solutions of E-business allow the integration of intra and inter firm processes of the business. E-business can be carried on using the web, internet, intranet, extranet, or a combination of all these.

E-commerce is not E-business:

E-commerce is only the process of buying, transferring or exchanging products and services and exchanging information via the network, and internet.

Online E-business has to decide which model would suit its purpose.  Presently used models are:-

E-shops – E-commerce – E-procurement – E-malls – E-auctions - Virtual communities –Collaboration platform – Third party market places – Value chain integrators – Value chain service providers - Information brokerage - Tele-communication – Customer Relationship.

Also, there is a classification dividing the provider/producer Verses consumer/client in E-commerce:-

• Business-to-Business (B2B)
• Business –to-Consumer (B2C)
• Business-to-Employee (B2C)
• Business-to-Government (B2G)
• Government-to-Business (G2B)
• Government-to-Government (G2G)
• Government-to-Citizen (G2C)
• Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
• Consumer-to-Business (C2B)