Le e-commerce (document en anglais)

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

9

One of the most profound changes currently transpiring in the world of business is

the introduction of electronic commerce. The impact of electronic commerce (ecommerce,

or EC) on procurement, shopping, business collaboration, and customer

services as well as on delivery of various services is so dramatic that almost every organization

is affected. E-commerce is changing all business functional areas and their

important tasks, ranging from advertising to paying bills. The nature of competition

is also drastically changing, due to new online companies, new business models, and

the diversity of EC-related products and services. EC provides unparalleled opportunities

for companies to expand worldwide at a small cost, to increase market share,

and to reduce costs. In this chapter we will explain the major applications of EC, the

issues related to its successful implementation and to its failures, and what services

are necessary for its support. We look at business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce,

business-to-business (B2B) commerce, intrabusiness commerce, and e-government.

Also, we will demonstrate the impact on the various functional areas of organizations.

CHAPTER PREVIEW

9.1 Overview of E-Commerce

9.2 Business-to-Consumer Applications

9.3 Market Research, Advertising, and Customer Service

9.4 B2B and Collaborative Commerce Applications

9.5 Innovative Applications of E-Commerce

9.6 Infrastructure and E-Commerce Support Services

9.7 Legal and Ethical Issues in E- Commerce

CHAPTER OUTLINE

1. Describe electronic commerce, its scope, benefits,

limitations, and types.

2. Describe the major applications of business-toconsumer

commerce, service industries in e-commerce,

and electronic auctions.

3. Discuss the importance and activities of B2C market

research, advertising, and customer service.

4. Describe business-to-business and collaborative

commerce applications.

5. Describe emerging EC applications such as egovernment

and mobile commerce.

6. Describe the e-commerce infrastructure and support

services, including payments and logistics.

7. Discuss legal and other implementation issues.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

INTEL CORPORATION EMBRACES THE WEB

Intel Corporation, the world’s largest producer of microprocessor chips, sells its

products to thousands of manufacturers. Much of its business is in the personal

computer market, in which companies such as Dell computer use Intel’s chips

(“Intel Inside” logo). Competition in the chip market is intense. Intel creates

customized catalogs and sends them to its potential customers together with information

on product availability. Until 1997 it was all done on paper. Orders

from Intel’s thousands of customers, distributors, and business partners worldwide

were received by fax and phone, making the distribution process slow, expensive,

and frequently not up to date. During 1997, a number of departments

launched their own electronic order handling that resulted in incompatible and

inefficient systems.

So, in 1998, Intel established its e-business program, which is focused on selling online

and on customer support for a range of products, including microprocessors, motherboards,

embedded chips, chipsets, and flash memory.

Order placing is only part of what Intel is doing online. The site also features selfservice

order tracking and a library of product documentation and roadmaps that replace

the work of customer service representatives, who previously sent information

manually to customers. In 1999, Intel moved to a broad program of electronic procurement

of products and services. Finally, Intel is using electronic commerce to improve

its internal operations, such as interdepartmentalcollaboration.

Intel first specifically targeted small and midsize customers, the majority of which

operate outside the United States. These companies had previously communicated

with Intel mostly by phone and fax. Intel also moved 11 of its larger customers, which

previously were connected to Intel on electronic data interchange (EDI) networks, to

a system called Supply Line Management. This system lets Intel link to customers’

plants across the Internet to track usage of parts. Intel is also using online systems to

deliver personalized information to its customers and employees. Intel claims that it is

doing more e-business than any other company in the world.

Intel’s e-business initiatives enhance

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