| E-business
(electronic business), derived from such terms as "e-mail" and
"e-commerce," is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only
buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with
business partners. One of the first to use the term was IBM, when, in
October, 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the term.
Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of
the Internet and its new culture and capabilities. Companies are using
the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate
on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the
convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many
companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already
discovered how to use the Internet successfully.
Increasingly, much direct selling (or
e-tailing) is taking place on the Internet of computer-related
equipment and software. One of the first to report sales in the
millions of dollars directly from the Web was Dell Computer. Travel
bookings directly or indirectly as a result of Web research are
becoming significant. Custom-orderable golf clubs and similar
specialties are considered good prospects for the immediate future.
With the security built into today's browsers
and with
digital certificates now available for individuals and
companies from Verisign, a certificate issuer, much of the early
concern about the security of business transaction on the Web has
abated and e-business by whatever name is accelerating.
IBM considers the development of
intranets and
extranets to be part of e-business. e-business can be
said to include e-service, the provision of services and tasks
over the Internet by application service providers (ASP). |
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