ECOMMERCE

Electroniccommerce,commonlywrittenasecommerce,isthetradinginproductsorservicesusing
computernetworks,suchastheInternet.Electroniccommercedrawsontechnologiessuchasmobile
commerce,electronicfundstransfer,supplychainmanagement,Internetmarketing,onlinetransaction
processing,electronicdatainterchange(EDI),inventorymanagementsystems,andautomateddata
collectionsystems.ModernelectroniccommercetypicallyusestheWorldWideWebforatleastone
partofthetransaction'slifecycle,althoughitmayalsouseothertechnologiessuchasemail.

Ecommercebusinessesmayemploysomeorallofthefollowing:

Onlineshoppingwebsitesforretailsalesdirecttoconsumers

Providingorparticipatinginonlinemarketplaces,whichprocessthirdpartybusinessto
consumerorconsumertoconsumersales

Businesstobusinessbuyingandselling

Gatheringandusingdemographicdatathroughwebcontactsandsocialmedia

Businesstobusinesselectronicdatainterchange

Marketingtoprospectiveandestablishedcustomersbyemailorfax(forexample,with
newsletters)

Engaginginpretailforlaunchingnewproductsandservices

EBUSINESS

The e-business concept is new in Indian economy but has significantly evolved
benefitting economy with higher gains. The Indian traditional marketing system is
adsorbing the new technological approach in-order to cope with international market
and vast growing Indian consumer market. Since, e-business scenario is recent in
Indian market therefore it is necessary to understand the overall Indian market
evolution, a brief outline of E - Business and its effect on various scenarios of Indian
economy including IT and education is discussed. The e-business is part of new
technology adopted in every sector of market benefitting the economy with wider
scope and approachability with higher consumer base and consumer satisfaction. The
open international market and globalization has pushed market and economy to adopt
the new technology usage to cope up with larger tasks and data with high level of
perfection. The study shows enormous potential for E-Business but has to go with
consumer protection and company-client data safety at every stage.

DIFFBETWEENECOMMERCEANDEBUSINESS
Ebusinessandecommercearetermsthataresometimesusedinterchangeably,andsometimesthey're
usedtodifferentiateonevendor'sproductfromanother.Butthetermsaredifferent,andthatdifference
matterstotoday'scompanies.

Longautonomous,ITandoperationsarenowforcedtoworktogether,spurredbyincreasingly
complex.Inbothcases,theestandsfor"electronicnetworks"anddescribestheapplicationof
electronicnetworktechnologyincludingInternetandelectronicdatainterchange(EDI)toimprove
andchangebusinessprocesses.

Ecommercecoversoutwardfacingprocessesthattouchcustomers,suppliersandexternalpartners,
includingsales,marketing,ordertaking,delivery,customerservice,purchasingofrawmaterialsand
suppliesforproductionandprocurementofindirectoperatingexpenseitems,suchasofficesupplies.It
involvesnewbusinessmodelsandthepotentialtogainnewrevenueorlosesomeexistingrevenueto
newcompetitors.

It'sambitiousbutrelativelyeasytoimplementbecauseitinvolvesonlythreetypesofintegration:
verticalintegrationoffrontendWebsiteapplicationstoexistingtransactionsystems;crossbusiness
integrationofacompanywithWebsitesofcustomers,suppliersorintermediariessuchasWebbased
marketplaces;andintegrationoftechnologywithmodestlyredesignedprocessesfororderhandling,
purchasingorcustomerservice.

Ebusinessincludesecommercebutalsocoversinternalprocessessuchasproduction,inventory
management,productdevelopment,riskmanagement,finance,knowledgemanagementandhuman
resources.Ebusinessstrategyismorecomplex,morefocusedoninternalprocesses,andaimedatcost
savingsandimprovementsinefficiency,productivityandcostsavings.

Anebusinessstrategyisalsomoredifficulttoexecute,withfourdirectionsofintegration:vertically,
betweenWebfrontandbackendsystems;laterally,betweenacompanyanditscustomers,business
partners,suppliersorintermediaries;horizontally,amongecommerce,enterpriseresourceplanning
(ERP),customerrelationshipmanagement(CRM),knowledgemanagementandsupplychain
managementsystems;anddownwardthroughtheenterprise,forintegrationofnewtechnologieswith
radicallyredesignedbusinessprocesses.Butebusinesshasahigherpayoffintheformofmore
efficientprocesses,lowercostsandpotentiallygreaterprofits.

Ecommerceandebusinessbothaddresstheseprocesses,aswellasatechnologyinfrastructureof
databases,applicationservers,securitytools,systemsmanagementandlegacysystems.Andboth
involvethecreationofnewvaluechainsbetweenacompanyanditscustomersandsuppliers,aswellas
withinthecompanyitself.

Allcompaniesshouldhaveanecommercestrategy.(Governmentsshouldhaveanepublicservice
strategy.)ElectronicnetworksingeneralandtheInternetinparticulararetooimportantforfirmsto
ignoreiftheywanttointeractwithcustomers,suppliersordistributionpartners.

Butsomecompaniesneedtomovebeyondecommerceandformebusinessstrategiesespecially
largecompaniesthatalreadyhavelinkstoEDInetworksorhavecompletedmajorERP
implementations.Thesecompanieshavealreadyreapedsomeofthebiggestbenefitsfromecommerce
strategies.They'realsolikelytoexperienceorganizationalpainasconflictsdevelopamongtheirERP,
EDI,supplychainmanagementandecommercestrategies.Andlast,theyhaveenoughexperienceand
knowledgeinelectronicnetworktechnologiesandinprocessredesignandintegrationthattheyhave
achanceofbeingsuccessfulinanebusinessstrategy.

Still,thecoordinationandorganizationalobstaclestodevelopinganebusinessstrategyareformidable.
Itinvolvesmajorandpotentiallydisruptiveorganizationalchange.Therisksoffailureandthe
consequencesfromlimitedsuccessarehigherinanebusinessstrategythaninanecommercestrategy.
Beingaleaderinebusinesscancontributetolongtermsuccess,butthestressesandstrainsofbusiness
transformationcancauseneartermdamage.
Awisecompanymaydecidetoconsolidateitsgainsandcompletetheworkinvolvedinitsexistingand
largelyseparateecommerce,ERP,CRMorsupplychaininitiativesbeforemakingthebigleapto
becominganebusiness.Jumpingtoosooncanbeasdisastrousasmovingtoolate.

EAUCTION

Theelectronicauction(eAuction)isanebusinessbetweenauctioneersandbidders,whichtakesplace
onanelectronicmarketplace.Itisanelectroniccommercewhichoccursbusinesstobusiness(B2B),
businesstoconsumer(B2C),orconsumertoconsumer(C2C).

Theauctioneeroffershisgoods,commoditiesorservicesonanauctionsideontheinternet.Interested
partiescansubmittheirbidfortheproducttobeauctionedincertainspecifiedperiods.Theauctionis
transparent,allinterestedpartiesareallowedtoparticipatetheauctioninatimelymanner. [1][2][3]

Thetwomajortypesoftheelectronicauctionareforwardauctioninwhichseveralbuyersbidforone
seller'sgoodsandreverseauctioninwhichseveralsellersbidforonebuyer'sorder.

Forwardauctionstaketheformofasinglesellerofferinganitemforsale,withbuyerscompetingto
securetheitembybiddingthepriceupward(seeFigure1).Forwardauctionsarefarbetterunderstood
bythepublicatlargethanreverseauctionsastohowtheyoperate,dueprimarilytothefactthatthey
arewidelyusedattheconsumerlevel.Infact,forwardauctionsunderlieeverythingfromeBayand
otheronlineauctionsitestoauctionsofart,wine,andothercollectibles.Theyarealsowidelyusedfor
auctioningeverythingfromautos,realestate,machinery,etc.,wherethegoalisforthesellertoreceive
themostmoneypossiblefortheitembeingofferedatauction.Thus,aforwardauctionshouldbe
utilizedforsalesofgoodsandservicesofalltypes,whetherconductedonline,offline,orahybridof
thetwo.

Reverseauctionsaretheothermajorformofauctions.Inareverseauction,asinglebuyermakes
potentialsellersawareoftheirintenttobuyaspecifiedgoodorservice(seeFigure2).Duringthe
courseoftheactualreverseauctionevent,thesellersbidagainstoneanothertosecurethebuyers
business,drivingthepricetobepaidfortheitemdownward.Thus,thewinningbidderisthesellerwho
offersthelowestprice.Reverseauctionsaremosttypicallyusedforprocurementbyprivatecompanies,
publicsectoragencies,andnonprofitorganizations.

7StepstoeAuctionsuccess

TherearemanycomponentstoaneAuctionsuccess.Includinggoodstrategies,bestpractices,and
inscrutableethics.However,thisoverviewshowsanothersetofgoodprocessthatonecanfollowto
makesurethatanauctionrunssmoothly,efficiently,anddeliversonitsexpectedbenefits.

DefineRequirementsandGoals

Aswitheveryotherstepofthesourcingprocess,goodrequirements,alongwithcleargoals,arekey.
Besuretounderstandwhatthestrategyisforloweringorcontrollingcosts,foroptimizingthesupply
base,andforprocessimprovements.

InviteallPotentialSupplierstoanOpenRFI

Donotlimittheorganization'ssupplybasetocurrentsuppliersassometimesthebestprocessandcost
savingscancomefromnewsupplierswithstreamlinedprocesses,innovativeproductiontechnologies,
andlowerproductioncosts.
 PreQualifyCapableSuppliers

Itiscriticalnottoinvitesupplierstoanauctionthatarenotcapableofmeetingtheorganization's
needs.Thiswillonlygarnerresentmentformothersuppliersandpossiblycausesignificantproduction
delaysofitisonlydiscoveredaftertheawardthatthesuppliercannotdeliver.

ClearlyDocumentAllRequirements

Gooddocumentationisthekeytoasuccessfulsourcingprojectingeneral.Withaglobalsupplybase,
staffedbyindividualsofdistinctcultures,eachwiththeirowninternalunderstandingofwhata
(foreign)termorrequirementcouldmean,therearereallynocommontermsordefinitionsbut
detaileddocumentationcanavoidthisproblemandavertpotentiallycostlymisunderstandings.

HoldaQ&ATrainingSession

Don'tassumetheauctiontooliseasyornaturalforyoursupplier.Whereasyourbuyershaveprobably
beentrainedonit,usedit,andareaccustomedtousingitaspartoftheprocess,itmightbeanewtool,
concept,orevenbusinessparadigmforoneormoreofyoursuppliers.

MonitortheAuction

It'simportanttomakesurethatthingsrunsmoothly.Ifoneormoresuppliersfailtobidrelatively
promptlyortherefreshrateissluggishornonexistent,eitherthebuyingorganizationoroneormore
supplyingorganizationsmightbeexperiencingproblems.Abuyershouldbereadytostepinandoffer
helporremedythesituationataninstant.

FollowThroughandAwardPromptly

It'simportanttobepreparedtoallocateawardsandfollowthroughonnegotiationspromptlyandwithin
thepromisedtimeframe.[5]

PROJECTMANAGEMENTCHALLENGES

Whetheryouareanewprojectmanager,oranexperiencedleader,projectmanagementwillcontinueto
revealitselfaspartart,partscience,andpartmajorheadache!Thelistbelowhighlightssomeofthetop
projectmanagementchallenges,alongwithsuggestedsolutionideastohelpovercomethose
challenges:

1. UnrealisticdeadlinesSomewouldarguethatthemajorityofprojectshave"schedule
slippage"asastandardfeatureratherthanananomaly.Thechallengeofmanymanagers
becomestofindalternateapproachestothetasksandschedulesinordertocompleteaproject
"ontime",ortogetapprovalforslippingdatesout.An"absolute"timebaseddeadlinesuchas
agovernmentelection,externallyscheduledevent,orpublicholidayforcesaontime
completion(thoughperhapsnotwith100%ofdesireddeliverables).But,mostproject
timelinesdoeventuallyslipduetofaultyinitialdeadlines(andtheassumptionsthatcreated
them).Solution:Managethestressof"theimmovablerockandtheirresistibleforce"(i.e.the
projectdeadlineandtheprojectissues)withcreativeplanning,alternativesanalysis,and
communicationofrealitytotheprojectparticipants.Alsodeterminewhatdeadlinesaretiedto
higherlevelobjectives,orhavecriticallinksintoschedulesofotherprojectsinthe
organization'sportfolio.
2. CommunicationdeficitManyprojectmanagersandteammembersdonotprovideenough
informationtoenoughpeople,alongwiththelackofaninfrastructureorcultureforgood
communication.Solution:Determinepropercommunicationflowsforprojectmembersand
developachecklistofwhatinformation(reports,status,etc.)needstobeconveyedtoproject
participants.Thecommunicationschecklistshouldalsohaveanassociatedscheduleofwhen
eachinformationdisseminationshouldoccur.

3. ScopechangesAsmostprojectmanagersknow,anevilnemesis"TheScopeCreep"is
usuallytheirnumberoneenemywhocontinuallytriestotakecontrol.Solution:Thereisno
antiscopecreepsprayinourPMutilitybelts,butaswithmanyprojectmanagement
challenges,documentwhatishappeningoranticipatedtohappen.Communicatewhatisbeing
requested,thechallengesrelatedtothesechanges,andthealternateplans,ifany,totheproject
participants(stakeholders,team,management,andothers).

4. ResourcecompetitionProjectsusuallycompeteforresources(people,money,time)against
otherprojectsandinitiatives,puttingtheprojectmanagerinthepositionofbeingin
competition.Solution:PortfolioManagementaskupperlevelmanagementtodefineandset
projectpriorityacrossallprojects.Alsorealizethatsomeprojectsseeminglyaremore
importantonlyduetotheimportanceandpoliticalcloutoftheprojectmanager,andthesemay
notbealignedwiththeorganization'sgoalsandobjectives.

5. UncertaindependenciesAstheprojectmanagerandtheteamdetermineproject
dependencies,assessingtheriskorreliabilitybehindtheselinkagesusuallyinvolvestrusting
someoneelse'sassessment."Myplannerdidn'tthinkthatourareacouldhaveahurricanethe
dayofthewedding,andnowwe'reoutofcelebrationdepositsforthehallandtheband,and
thecostofahoneymooninTahiti!"Solution:Haveseveralpeopleusebrainstorming
sessionspickattheplanelementsanddependencies,doing"whatif?"scenarios.Updatethe
listofprojectriskitemsifnecessarybasedontheresults.

6. FailuretomanageriskAprojectplanhasincludedinitsomerisks,simplylisted,butno
furtherreviewhappensunlessinstigatedbyaneventlateron.Solution:Onceaprojectteam
hasassessedrisks,theycaneither(1)acttoreducethechanceoftheriskoccurrenceor(2)act
orplantowardsrespondingtotheriskoccurrenceafterithappens.

7. InsufficientteamskillsTheteammembersformanyprojectsareassignedbasedontheir
availability,andsomepeopleassignedmaybetooproudorsimplynotknowledgeableenough
totellthemanagerthattheyarenottrainedforalloftheirassignedwork.Solution:Starting
withtheprojectmanagerrole,documentthecoresetofskillsneededtoaccomplishthe
expectedworkload,andhonestlybounceeachperson'sskillsagainstthelistormatrix.Using
thisassessmentoftheteam,guidetheteamtowardscompetencywithtraining,crosstraining,
additionalresources,externaladvisors,andothermethodstoclosetheskillsgap.

8. LackofaccountabilityTheprojectparticipantsandrelatedplayersarenotheldaccountable
fortheirresultsorlackofachievingallofthem.Solution:Determineanduseaccountability
aspartoftheprojectriskprofile.Theseaccountabilityriskswillbethenidentifiedand
managedinamorevisiblemanner.

9. Customersandendusersarenotengagedduringtheproject.Projectteamscangetwound
upintheirownworldofinternaldeliverables,deadlines,andprocess,andthepeopleonthe
outsidedonotgettogiveaddedinputduringthecriticalphases.Solution:Discussand
providestatusupdatestoallprojectparticipantskeeptheminformed!Invite(andencourage)
stakeholders,customers,endusers,andotherstoperiodicstatusbriefings,andprovidean
updatetothosethatdidnotattend.
10. VisionandgoalsnotwelldefinedThegoalsoftheproject(andthereasonsfordoingit),
alongwiththesubprojectsormajortasksinvolved,arenotalwaysclearlydefined.Clearly
communicatingthesevaguegoalstotheprojectparticipantsbecomesanimpossibletask.
Somesolutionsandideastothrashvagueness:Determinewhichpartsofaprojectarenot
understoodbytheteamandotherprojectparticipantsaskthemornotefeedbackand
questionsthatcomeup.Checktheprojectdocumentationasprepared,andtightenupthe
statedobjectivesandgoalsaneditorhasappropriateskillstofindvaguetermsandphrasing.
Eachprojectis,hopefully,tiedintotothedirection,strategicgoals,andvisionforthewhole
organization,aspartoftheportfolioofprojectsfortheorganization.