THE INTERNET AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY The internet and has provide society at large with an extremely flexible

platform that can be used for the delivery of information-based service. It can be accessed with ease by any person who has access to an internet-connected computer. Once aware of its full potential, organization use the internet for a variety of tasks. Organization usually go through a number of stages as they grow to realize the power of the internet infrastructure. These stages are defined as the exposure stage, the interaction stage, the e-commerce stage and the e-business stage.

EXPOSURE STAGE at this point, the organization uses the internet as an electronic brochure or bulletin board. the internet is seen as an additional publication channel that the prospective client can use to obtain information from the organization. Interaction with the site is passive. In this stage the website does not contribute much to the trading or other business functions of the organization.

INTERACTION STAGE the organization sees the internet as a communication channel, which means employees of the organization should pay the same attention to communication from this channel as to direct contact or the telephone infrastructure. with growing interaction, the internet starts to have an impact on the day-to-day operation of the organization and should be include in operational planning session on client communication. In the interaction stage the Internet is used to establish two way communications between the organization and the consumer via the website. The Internet can become the primary communication channel between organizations and their customers. The website can be used to for queries or to make applications for products such as insurance. The website is used for communication only and transactions will not be made on the site.

E-COMMERCE STAGE at this point, the internet becomes part and parcel of the economic bloodline of the company. new operational procedures, financial management and marketing skills are required above and beyond the normal skills set used in the past. the client does not only communicate with the organization via the website, but purchase goods and services through the website infrastructure as well. the key focus of the organization regarding the internet has change from having a simple interface with the market toward changing the whole distribution process and delivery of its product and services. all organizational actions associated with purchase of products by client and the delivery of goods or service change as the internet starts to impact on these activities. in this environment, the e-commerce strategy is required to align itself with the corporate and business strategy. Consumers use the site for communication as well as to process transactions. The Internet is also used for business functions such as marketing and distribution

E-BUSINESS STAGE as companies reach this stage, the realize that the internet provides number of opportunities, not only to increase the internal efficiency of the organization, but also to leverage new market opportunities. organization will be functionality provide by the internet to redesign a number of internal processes and change the normal operational procedures prevalent in the organization. the internet not only becomes a channel to the client, but reaches into the every nook and cranny of the organization. in this respect, the internet is used to influence organizational and business unit strategy. the integration and alignment of e-commerce and e-business strategies with the overall business strategy are very important. it is also helpful to have a model that will guide organization to link their e-commerce and business strategies. In the e-business stage the

Internet is fully integrated into the business. The business may be redesigned according to the Internet or the Internet may be used to find new markets.

One of the biggest benefi ts of the Internet is its ability to allow organizations to perform business with anyone, anywhere, anytime. E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet. E-commerce refers only to online transactions. E-business , derived from the term e-commerce, is the conducting of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling, but also serving customers and collaborating with business partners. The primary difference between e-commerce and e-business is that e-business also refers to online exchanges of information. For example, a manufacturer allowing its suppliers to monitor production schedules or a fi nancial institution allowing its customers to review their banking, credit card, and mortgage accounts.

eBay eBay has facilitated a new type of commerce that did not exist previously, consumer to consumer exchange. Consumers from all over the world can buy goods on auction through eBay. The Internet provides a cost effective medium for consumers from all over the world to communicate and trade with each other. There are very few intermediaries resulting in lower costs as buyers and sellers deal directly with each other. The global reach of eBay means that consumers can purchase a broad variety of goods from all over the world. The site also has the technology to facilitate auction bidding which can maximise value for both buyers and sellers. Huge supply and auction pricing makes eBay very competitive.

eBayThe Ultimate E-Business Pierre Omidyar was just 28 when he sat down over a long holiday weekend to write the original computer code for what eventually became an Internet super brandthe auction site eBay. Omidyar viewed auctions as a fair mechanism for Internet commerce where sellers could set their minimum prices, and buyers could then determine an items market value by bidding up to what they were willingly to pay. A novel feedback system could allow buyers and sellers to rate each other, helping minimize fraud by enabling the community to police itself. I really wanted to give the individual the power to be a producer as well. It was letting the users take responsibility for building the community, Omidyar would later explain. The site launched on Labor Day, September 4, 1995, under the title of Auction Web, soon to be renamed after the sites domain nameebay.com (a shortening of Echo Bay, Omidyars consulting fi rm). The service was free at fi rst, but started charging to cover Internet service provider costs. A National Marketplace Omidyars auction Web site, eBay.com, took off. It provided something novel that its users craved: an effi cient national marketplace with a strong community built on fairness and trust. A photography student looking for a used camera could choose from models across the nation and trust the timely delivery of the product. The owner of a vintage clothing store could sell to collectors nationwide. The community would expose a deceptive or fraudulent user and ban them from the marketplace. Entrepreneurs in record numbers began setting up shop on eBay. According to a new survey

conducted for eBay by ACNielsen International Research, in 2005 more than 724,000 people supported themselves by selling items on eBay, up from 75,000 in 2002. In addition to these professional eBay sellers, another 1.5 million individuals supplement their income by selling on eBay. In the fi rst six months of 2005, Americans sold merchandise worth about $10.6 billion through eBay. The stock market value of Omidyars innovative company grew to $2 billion in just three years, and his sites staying power as an economic engine was evident. Jeffrey Skoll, a Stanford MBA, joined the company in 1996 after the site was already profi table. In March 1998, Meg Whitman took over as president and CEO. In September 1998, eBay launched a successful public offering, making both Omidyar and Skoll billionairesthree years after Omidyar created eBay. As of 2005, Omidyars 214 million eBay shares were worth about $8 billion. Collaborating with eBay This e-business is collaborating with marketplace, payment, and communication companies that add value for its customers. MarketplaceThe U.S. Postal Service People who sell items on eBay all have one thing in common: They need to ship their goods to their customers. To support this growing economic force, eBay and the U.S. Postal Service created an innovative economic and educational opportunity. The Postal Services bread and butterfi rst-class mailis beset by rising costs and falling use. E-mail and faxes have reduced the amount of mail sent each day, but the Postal Service still bears the cost of delivering to every business and home, six days a week. Package shipping,

however, remains a profi table and booming business, as evidenced by the number and earnings of private shippers in the market. Business Driven Information Systems 95 The Postal Service offers free boxes and heavy-duty envelopes for shippers using overnight or priority mail. To make it easier for those in the vanguard of the new, digital economy, the Postal Service will pick up shipments from the sender, and its Web site sells mailing labels with postage included that can be printed out from a home computer. Over 20 million shipping labels with postage were printed via the eBay/Postal Service link in 2005. Customers can also link to the United Parcel Service site, but eBay does not have a formal relationship with Federal Express. PaymentPayPal Founded in 1998, PayPal, an eBay company, enables any individual or business with an e-mail address to securely, easily, and quickly send and receive payments online. PayPals service builds on the existing fi nancial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and utilizes the worlds most advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems to create a safe, global, realtime payment solution. PayPal has quickly become a global leader in online payment solutions with 96 million account members worldwide. Buyers and sellers on eBay, online retailers, online businesses, as well as traditional off-line businesses are transacting with PayPal, available in 55 countries. CommunicationSkype Skype, a global Internet communications company, allows people everywhere to make free,

unlimited, superior quality voice calls via its innovative peer-to-peer software. Since its launch in August 2003, Skype has been downloaded more than 163 million times in 225 countries and territories. Fifty-four million people are registered to use Skypes free services, with over 3 million simultaneous users on the network at any one time. Skype adds about 150,000 users a day. In September 2005, eBay acquired Skype for approximately $2.6 billion, anticipating that Skype will streamline and improve communications between buyers and sellers as it is integrated into the eBay marketplace. Buyers will gain an easy way to talk to sellers quickly and get the information they need, and sellers can more easily build relationships. The auction company hopes the acquisition will strengthen its global marketplace and payments platform, while opening several new lines of business and creating signifi cant new opportunities for the company. Unforeseen Dangers of Collaboration Communications is at the heart of e-commerce and community, said Meg Whitman. By combining the two leading e-commerce franchises, eBay and PayPal, with the leader in Internet voice communications, Skype, we will create an extraordinarily powerful environment for business on the Net. In October 2005, one month after eBays acquisition of Skype, a press release discussed two critical fl aws in Skypes software, one of which could allow malicious hackers to take control of compromised systems and another that could allow attackers to crash the client software. While fi xes for the issues were being addressed, businesses asked their users to

refrain from using voice services based on proprietary protocols like Skype while on corporate networks because of network security issues. Perhaps Skype might not be the collaborative tool of choice for eBay. 31 Questions eBay is one of the only major Internet pure plays to consistently make a profi t from its inception. What is eBays e-business model and why has it been so successful? Other major Web sites, like Amazon.com and Yahoo!, have entered the e-marketplace with far less success than eBay. How has eBay been able to maintain its dominant position? eBay has long been an e-marketplace for used goods and collectibles. Today, it is increasingly a place where major businesses come to auction their wares. Why would a brand name vendor set up shop on eBay?

1.2 1time Consumers can book their flights at any time on any day and from any country. They do not have to visit a travel agency. Travel agents and the commissions that they would charge are eliminated, resulting in lower prices. Email can be used to establish a relationship with customers and to email them special offers. Cookies and online surveys can be used to get information from customers. The cost savings generated from a pure Internet operation allows the airline to offer lower prices than competitors. (7) The Internet can be used to see if tickets are available online. Tickets can be compared in terms of position, date and price. The purchase of the ticket can be done online. Some sites may be able to email the ticket to the purchaser thus the whole process can be done online. (5) The purchase of a luxury vehicle can be facilitated by the Internet. The Internet can be used to identify different models. Different models can be compared in terms of specifications and prices

and terms of purchase. The consumer can obtain information about the vehicles from independent sources online. They can also find out what owners of the vehicle have to say from chat rooms and other community sites. Test drives can be booked online but as this is a big ticket purchase consumers will want to see, feel and drive the vehicle before making a decision. The car can be ordered and paid for online. The company can use email to maintain post purchase communication with customers. Customers can share their experiences with the car on community websites. (5) The Internet can be used to compare prices and availability of flights offered by different airlines. Travel agents may be emailed and asked to provide quotes. The customer can book and pay for the ticket online if they choose to. The ticket can be emailed to the customer. The customer can use the Internet to confirm the flight, note any changes, check policies and can even check in online. Satisfaction with the airline after the service can be posted on consumer forums. Thus the whole purchase process can be done online. (5) Consumers can go the site of the store or brand that they are interested in. They can compare different types of shoes, however, as shoes need to be physically tried on and examined, most consumers may prefer to go to the store for physical contact. However if they have purchased the particular type of shoe before then they may be comfortable to order and pay for the shoe online. The manufacturer may be able to maintain contact with online customers and email new product information to them.