Strategic Decision-Making In the Emerging Field Of E-commerce

Electronic commerce is changing the traditional way of doing business and furthermore the growth of the Internet is creating new opportunities for business.  This paper discusses how the nature of electronic commerce affects strategic decision-making. First, some features of electronic commerce are identified that distinguish it from traditional business - new markets and knowledge-based competition.  This is followed by a review of literature on the theoretical background of e-commerce an academic consideration on what are e-commerce strategies.  This paper then introduces some of the most common strategic tools used in decision –making, concepts for creating competitive advantage and value chains. Porter’s Value Chain Theory, Five Forces Model is examined in the emerging world of e-commerce, as well as generic competitive strategies

Developing Marketing Strategy for Electronic Business by Using McCarthy's Four Marketing Mix Model and Porter’s Five Competitive Forces

Original Published AbstractConsidering the importance of marketing strategies in a competitive environment dominated by E-commerce and also limit the effective implementation of research results in terms of marketing mix in e-participation, can manage sales and marketing in order to implement effective marketing strategies and ultimately achieve organizational goals Sector clients and helped the market. Main focus marketing strategies, coordinate activities and allocate appropriate resources to provide marketing operational objectives of the company as a particular product market.Therefore, the main issue related to the realm of marketing strategy, include the specific purpose of determining property markets for a product family or a particular product, then, through the corporate marketing mix according to needs and demands of potential customers in its target market, competitive advantage search And creating synergy are.Considering the importance of marketing strategies in a competitive environment dominated by Electronic markets and also limit the effective implementation of research results in terms of marketing mix in e-participation, can manage sales and marketing in order to implement effective marketing strategies and ultimately achieve organizational goals Sector clients and helped the market. This study usesMcCarthy’s four marketing mix model and Porter’s five competitive forces model to identify strategies for Internetcompanies that respond to the five competitive forces and thereby achieve a competitive advantage. The study provides significant new insights into the development and implementation of e-business strategies that contribute to increased profit. Corrected AbstractE-commerce is growing worldwide and is considered one of the modes and methods of business. This initiative led to the creation of new firms has several advantages over using benefits and this is the motivation for this phenomenon. While e-commerce success in attracting customers for their goods and services, due to systematic scientific principles and techniques that utilize the marketing strategies say .Marketing strategies in electronic markets, it is one of the important issues in the field of new market research has been discussed. But in this very diverse field of view is presented. On the other hand, given that little research has been done in this area , So consider this strategy has increased the importance of, Entering the world of electronic commerce and the use of modern tools and technology in new areas of business, firms will be forced to employ new business strategies, to prepare for their new competitive pressures. The results show that in the domain of e-commerce, two PORTER 'S FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES AND MCCARTHY ' S FOUR MARKETING MIX MODEL been instrumental in the formulation and development of marketing strategies. And variables  used in the model to identify and prioritize and execute marketing strategies in the field of e-commerce is essential. Keywords : marketing, strategies, e-commerce,  porter's five competitive forces ,mccarthy's four marketing mix model

STRATEGIES FOR COMPETETIVE ADVANTAGE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Despite rapid and sustained development of electronic commerce, many companies doing e-business are still in the investment and brand-building phase and have yet to show a profit. However, as e-businesses shift their focus from  building a customer base to increasing revenue growth and profitability, they should reevaluate their current business strategies, if any, and develop strategies that provide a clear path to profitability. This study uses McCarthy’s four marketing mix model and Porter’s five competitive forces model to identify strategies for Internet companies that respond to the five competitive forces and thereby achieve a competitive advantage. The study provides significant new insights into the development and implementation of e-business strategies that contribute to increased profit

A New Business Model of Electronic Commerce with Innovative Strategies

There are a lot of problems that make the business of electronic stores very difficult, especially for those firms that lack the required expertise and resources for running an electronic business. This study proposes a new business model of electronic commerce (EC), which aims to tackle those problems and help enterprises run electronic stores well. This model applies the franchise system of chain store, a very successful modern business model, to the management of electronic stores to take advantage of the chain’s competitive power by integrating individual affiliate sites as a whole. There are eight components in the model. Implementation strategies of the model, which are quite different from those generic strategies commonly used in implementing business models, are also proposed. The feasibility of the model and its implementation strategies were validated using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), the case study, and the questionnaire survey approaches. Finally, practical implications for applying the model are discussed, and directions for further study are also suggested

BUSINESS STRATEGY IN THE WIRED WORLD: COMPETING FOR MARKET LEADERSHIP AND MIND SHARE

This paper examines how firms use the Internet and the emerging "global infostructure" to improve key processes and competitive capabilities. It proposes the widespread diffusion of the emerging "infostructure" will dramatically reduce transaction costs, leading to growth in electronic commerce and productivity while reducing the profit opportunities of inefficient firms. In this wired world characterized by low transaction costs and noisy environments, firms will have to re-focus their strategies to achieve market leadership and capture mind share for competitive advantage. To achieve market leadership firms must seek advantage from economies of scale, scope, or externalities. Alternatively they must differentiate themselves through unique merchandise and innovation or develop specialized customer relations. To capture mind share firms must develop integrated cross media marketing programs. These programs will push products through various online or related promotions or develop strong brand identities for products. Thus this paper identifies competitive issues in a wired world and outlines various foci for strategic responses to the above challenges.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Internet and competitive advantage in Australian professional sport organisations

The electronic revolution has proven to be a powerful stimulus for change in business practice. As a business tool however, the Internet must endure the same scrutiny under which other business activities are placed. If the use of the Internet in business is a sound strategy, then it must contribute toward competitive advantage. The sport business industry has not been isolated from the vagaries of Internet applications. Moreover, as the industry has become more competitive, forcing sporting organisations towards unprecedented levels of accountability and business practice, the Internet has been increasingly seen as a potential \u27holy grail\u27 for sport organisations struggling for revenue (Stewart & Smith, 1999). This research is a response to these pressures. It seeks to identify Internet based opportunities for competitive advantage, and to provide strategies and recommendations for the successful use of the Internet in Australian professional sport organisations. In realising this objective, a newly developed and integrated Business Activity Model has been constructed. The model assists in the identification of specific Internet based competitive advantage strategies, and provides a theoretical framework for this research. The Business Activity Model conceptualises, for the first time, the relationships between the value chain, constituents of electronically enabled competitive advantage, and the Internet. With Australia\u27s limited group of fully professional sports capable of sustaining the human resources and budgets necessary to implement comprehensive e-commerce strategies, the organisations selected to participate in this research represent the pinnacle of Australian professional sport clubs. Specifically, the 55 clubs competing in the Australian Football League (A.F.L.), National Basketball League (N.B.L.), National Rugby League (N.R.L.), and National Soccer League (N.S.L.) constituted the research sample and population. In concert with the 87% participation rate, sampling approached a census. A telephone-administered survey, based primarily on the rigorously tested instrument developed by Sethi and King (1994), was employed for data collection. This research employs a comprehensive set of descriptive statistics, and is bolstered by a confirmatory and an exploratory factor analysis, undertaken on one component of the data. The outcome of this research was the identification of seven practical recommendations for Australian professional sport organisations seeking to improve competitive advantage via the Internet. These recommendations were based on an inventory of the \u27gaps\u27 between the strategies proposed by the literature, and the practices of the sample, and relate to both overall Internet strategy, and specific web site applications. The development of the new Business Activity Model and the identification of key online strategy themes support and complement these recommendations. An examination of variations in the practices of participating organisations, and some comparisons against United States sporting organisations, also provides depth and context to the findings. This research provides a platform for sport managers to effectively harness the potential of the Internet, through their web sites in particular, and realise significant competitive advantages. The Business Activity Model provides managers in all industries with a tool for the detection and understanding of potential elements of competitive advantage, and incorporates all activities critical to business in the new digital economy. Seven practical recommendations for improved online performance based on identified competitive advantage and strategies fulfils the primary objective of this research. E-commerce continues to grow at astronomical rates, and with the Internet poised to become the life-blood of 21st century sporting organisations, these recommendations will assist managers in their ongoing search for competitive advantage

Information Technology and the QS Practice

The paper examines how Quantity Surveying practices can improve their business performance, market share and profit levels by embracing and evolving with the latest technological developments in electronic business practices and data/information analysis and exchange in the construction industry. Firms in the new millenium will need towork smarterto gain competitive advantage and electronic commerce provides probably the greatest scope for this to be achieved. More importantly, current project procurement trends strongly indicate that firms not able to communicating electronically at all levels with project participants will find it increasingly difficult to secure work. The results of three nationwide surveys of the Australian Quantity Surveying profession spanning from 1995 to 1999 are used to identify current business practices and technology utilisation by Quantity Surveying firms and to analyse whether firms are positioning themselves to meet future industryrequirements. The paper concludes with a range of Information Technology strategies aimed at improving business opportunities and performance for Quantity Surveying firms

Strategic motivators and expected benefits from e-Commerce in traditional organisations

This paper aims to identify the strategic motivators and expected benefits related to the implementation of e-commerce infrastructures in traditional “brick and mortar” organisations. Despite the fact that the clearest benefit from e-commerce might be expected to come from contribution to corporate profits, either from an increase of sales or reduction of costs, but this may not be the case. The literature suggests that there are different ways in which the potential benefits can be assessed. These ways are directly related to the evolution of e-commerce. This research has chosen six representative organisations from different sectors to explore their rationales for their e-commerce strategies. One of the main benefits reported is to increase the focus on the customer and improving internal communications. Additionally, obtaining competitive advantage was found to be a powerful motivator, despite the fact that the recent academic literature suggests that this is very difficult to achieve

BUSINESS STRATEGY IN THE WIRED WORLD: COMPETING FOR MARKET LEADERSHIP AND MIND SHARE

This paper examines how firms use the Internet and the emerging "global infostructure" to improve key processes and competitive capabilities. It proposes the widespread diffusion of the emerging "infostructure" will dramatically reduce transaction costs, leading to growth in electronic commerce and productivity while reducing the profit opportunities of inefficient firms. In this wired world characterized by low transaction costs and noisy environments, firms will have to re-focus their strategies to achieve market leadership and capture mind share for competitive advantage. To achieve market leadership firms must seek advantage from economies of scale, scope, or externalities. Alternatively they must differentiate themselves through unique merchandise and innovation or develop specialized customer relations. To capture mind share firms must develop integrated cross media marketing programs. These programs will push products through various online or related promotions or develop strong brand identities for products. Thus this paper identifies competitive issues in a wired world and outlines various foci for strategic responses to the above challenges.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Organizational perceptions of e-commerce: Re-assessing the benefits

This paper reports on preliminary findings from a wider and more in-depth study of six traditional organizations from different sectors that have successfully introduced e-commerce initiatives. The research adopted a case study approach, within which a questionnaire, identifying 16 generic benefits synthesized from the literature, was administered. The organizations were also asked to characterize whether e-commerce was strategic for them or not. The findings suggest that those organizations that perceived e-commerce to be strategic tended to consider intangible benefits as more important than tangible benefits, indicating perhaps a move away from the traditional view of e-commerce as a marketing driver to increase or create sales. Those organizations perceiving e-commerce as non-strategic rated the tangible benefits in much the same way as the strategic organizations, but rated the intangibles lower. Also it was found that e-commerce was important as a communication tool, not only with customers, as might be expected, but also with staff within the organization. The value of intra-organizational e-commerce was also found to be important, perhaps more than previously thought, as was its use in communicating and disseminating knowledge. The findings also reflect the importance of the sector and environment of the organization in determining their perceptions of e-commerce