E-Business and Value Chains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-Business and Value Chains - Essay Example Thus, according to Post & Anderson (2003), e-business is a general term that encompasses business that is done using electronic means and it is increasingly being regarded as a valuable tool for organisations in conducting their business during the contemporary period. As such, this report seeks to critically analyse the extent to which the internet has impacted on the operations of PC World Business through implementation of e-business strategy such as e-marketing. The report focuses on impacts of e-marketing on PC World Business and attempts to address the following issues: 1. How has the organisation’s business changed with the development of the internet? 2. What new opportunities have been there for the organisation to create additional customer value? 3. Assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation’s current use of ICT tools to support the organisations overall business offering. 4. Suggestions about e-business strategy improvements and alternative ICT tools which could be used to create greater customer value or to help differentiate the organisation from competitors. 1.0 Changes made by the internet to PC World Business According to its official website, (http://www.pcwb.co.uk/, ND) PC World Business was founded in 1991 and it is a computer organisation which is based in the UK and it deals with selling different types of PCs including notebooks, laptops, printers and desktops. The organisation offers a lot of products that are related to information and communication and the use of the internet has significantly contributed to its performance as going to be discussed below. The internet has immensely contributed to the way PC World Business collects, stores and processes information which has significantly impacted on its e-commerce activities. The internet has greatly improved employee performance as well as the company’s marketing strategies used to reach the customers. Through the use of the internet, it can be noted that the customers now have the ability to evaluate products offered while marketers on the other hand are also aware of the impact of new information and communication technology on the way they carry out their business (Robinson, 1997). The internet therefore has a dual impact which is beneficial to both the customers and the organisation. The use of the internet at PC World Business has greatly improved the performance of the employees and the organisation as a whole. Research has shown that that the sales for PC World in 2004/5 were ?1,695 million but they have increased to more than ?2, 000 in 2008 owing to developments in their e-marketing strategies (http://www.pcworld.com/, N.D). Information gathering about the customers has been made relatively easy and it can be processed at a faster speed in order to meet their needs and this is regarded as a basic tenet of marketing. Traditionally, the organisation has been conducting its business using postal services to do all business but due to technological advancements especially as a result of the advent of the internet, it is now possible to conduct any business online where customers can place their orders online at any given time and it is possible to access feedback for 24 hours a day. The organisation now uses a specially designed website which enables the marketers to interact directly with the customers given that a two way communication channel is enhanced and it is also easy to get feedback from the customers. The internet has made it possible for the marketers to obtain first hand information from the customers about their needs hence it