E-Business

E-Business (commonly referred to as eBusiness or e-Business; also abbreviated as E-biz, Ebiz, eBiz, or e-Biz) is the theory of doing business over electronic media, but is not limited to consumer facing sales or business interactions (as is E-Commerce). E-Business often deals with the organization, management and sustainable profitability of information technologies, particular as they relate to doing business over the Internet and the World Wide Web over all device types including Smart/Connected TVs, Desktop/Laptop Computers, Tablets, Mobiles/Smartphones, SmartWatches, Voice-controlled SmartSpeakers, etc.

Topics

Common topics of E-Business include:

1. New Product Development (research question, wireframing, business plan writing)
2. Research & Design principles (IP audit, technology availability, rapid prototyping)
3. Mobile Communications technologies (i-mode, J2ME, BREW, Symbian, Blackberry, Windows Phone, iOS, Android)
4. Back-end Application Development (Java, C, C++, C#, .NET core, Python, etc)
5. API markets & Data Integration technologies (SOA, ESB, EDA, Web Services, Microservices)
6. Information Management systems (online collaborative tools, OLAP, DBMS, Access/Excel)
7. Project Management (Project Roadmap, Gantt, UML, RAD, Agile Method, Scrum)
8. Customer Relationship Management (CRM; social networking, surveys, focus groups, customer satisfaction monitoring & Brand Management)
9. Supply Chain Management (SCM; inventory, production, delivery/shipping fulfillment, warehousing, leads/sales & salesforce management)
10. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP; corporate intranet portals, network architecture, workforce management, work orders, reports, Material requirements planning, planning/communications, Performance & Security)
11. E-Marketing techniques (affiliate programs, market analysis, SWOT, perceptual map, focus groups, cohort analysis, segmentation, value-stream mapping, etc)
12. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR; responsible accounting, corporate culture, strategy, mission statement, privacy policy & terms of service)

Methods

B2C

Reverse Auction

• wikipedia: Reverse auction

C2C

Auction

• wikipedia: Auction

Classified

• wikipedia: Classified advertising

Value Stream Mapping

See section: Value Stream Mapping

MIT Beer Game

• wikipedia: Beer distribution game
• MIT -- Welcome to the Beer Game: https://ctl.mit.edu/sites/ctl.mit.edu/files/attachments/Rice%20-%20Beer%20Game%20Steps%20of%20Game%2011-16-16.pdf

EXAMPLES

• Magento, Joomla+VirtuaCart, Shopify, Zappos & Etsy - enabling small to mid-size businesses to offer their products for sale online
• SAP, Microsoft, Oracle & IBM - supply chain management tools & consulting, data warehouse & DBMS platforms
• Salesforce - Primarily make their money selling CRM-related services to other companies
• Amazon - AWS portion only, now comprised of over 150 distinct SaaS offerings targeted primarily to other businesses wanting to scale their applications in the cloud
• SquareSpace & Wix - Platform for companies to build their own website with the development skills
• PayPal, 2checkout, Venmo, Square & BitPay - B2C as well as B2B direct transactions
• Wordpress & AEM - Cloud platforms for Blog/CMS hosting, as well as the marketplace for plug-ins & themes
• Flickr & Smugmug - free & low-cost image hosting (with ad-sharing or pay-per-use/royalty options)
• YouTube & Vimeo - free & low-cost video hosting (with ad revenue-sharing or pay-per-use/royalty options)
• SoundCloud, LibSyn & Podomatc - free & low-cost DIY audio hosting (with ad-sharing or pay-per-use/royalty options)
• NewGrounds, DeviantArt, Dribble & Behance - graphic art & photography services for hire
• Envato/ThemeForest/CodeCanyon, BootstrapCarnival, CreativeMarket & MediaLoot - code, scripts & templates for lease/purchase to kickstart a business idea, website, app, etc
• ScriptLance/Freelancer, Guru, Upwork, Toptal - freelancer & consultant procurement websites
• fiverr - gig economy
• Craig’s List, eBay/Kijiji - classifieds and auctioning services
• LinkedIN, Indeed, Monster, Workopolis & CareerBeacon - job seeking and talent recruitment services
• Yelp, TripAdvisor, AngiesList & Glassdoor - ratings and/or reviews of restaurants, attractions, hotels & other businesses
• Plutora, Udacity, edX & Udemy - skills training & E-Learning platforms for teachers to offer their courses/material and students to upskill
• BlackBerry store, Apple iTunes/App store, Google Play store - Sales (and ad monetization) of applications of all types including B2C, B2B and even C2C

Resources

• What motivates programmers?: http://www.nickhalstead.com/2007/07/11/what-motivates-programmers/

Tutorials

• How to create and monetize your own (Recipe) Site: http://www.tapas-recipes.com/creating-your-own-recipe-site.html

External Links

• wikipedia: Electronic business
• wikipedia: Vendor relationship management
• Programming, Development Skills in Demand: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Management/Programming-Development-Skills-In-Demand-505665/
• The Software That Shapes Workers’ Lives: https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/the-software-that-shapes-workers-lives (Supply Chain Management software)
• Incoming Traffic, Website Turmoil During COVID-19 In First Half Of 2020: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/354375/incoming-traffic-website-turmoil-during-covid-19.html
• Adobe Forecasts Online Holiday Spend Will See 2 Years of Growth in Single Season: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/adobe-forecasts-online-holiday-spend-will-see-2-years-of-growth-in-single-season/

See Also

E-Commerce | Business Model | Supply Chain Management | Digital Transformation | IoT