Page 50 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

Managerial Issues 27

Part II: EC Applications Online Supplements

This section includes three chapters. Chapter 3 describes A large number of online files organized by chapter number
e-tailing (B2C), including some of its most innovative applica- support the content of each chapter.
tions for selling products online. It also describes the delivery They are available at ecommerce-introduction-text-
of services, such as online banking, travel, and insurance. In book.com.
Chapter 4, we introduce B2B EC and describe company-cen-
tric models (one buyer–many sellers, one seller–many buyers)
as well as electronic exchanges (many buyers and many sell- MANAGERIAL ISSUES
ers). E-government, e-learning, management- health, and C2C
are the major subjects of Chapter 5. Some managerial issues related to this introductory chapter
are as follows.

Part III: Emerging EC Delivery 1. Why is B2B e-commerce so essential and successful?
Platforms B2B EC is essential for several reasons. First, some B2B
models are easier to implement than B2C models. The vol-
In addition to traditional EC delivery platforms, described in ume and value of transactions is much larger in B2B than in
Part II we present in the three chapters of Part III the follow- B2C, and the potential savings are larger and easier to jus-
ing topics: Chapter 6 covers the area of mobile commerce tify. In contrast with B2C, which has several major prob-
and ubiquitous computing. In Chapter 7 we cover the area of lems, ranging from channel conflict with existing distributors
social commerce and social media marketing. The part con- to fraud, to a lack of a critical mass of buyers. Many compa-
cludes with enterprise social commerce and other applica- nies can start B2B by simply buying from existing online
tions (Chapter 8). stores and B2B exchanges or selling electronically by join-
ing existing marketplaces or an auction house. The problem
is determining what and where to buy or sell online.
Part IV: EC Support Services 2. Which EC business projects work best? Beginning in
early 2000, the news was awash with stories about the
Part IV examines the issues involving the support services failure of many dot-coms and EC projects. Industry con-
needed for EC applications in three chapters. Chapter 9 solidation often occurs after a “gold rush.” About 100
explains consumer behavior in cyberspace, online market years ago, hundreds of companies tried to manufacture
research, and Internet advertising. Chapter 10 delves into EC cars, following Ford’s success in the United States; only
security and fraud protection. Chapter 11 discusses elec- three survived. The important thing is to learn from the
tronic payments and order fulfillment. successes and failures of others, and discover the right
business model for each endeavor.
3. How can we exploit social commerce? There are major
Part V: EC Strategy and possibilities here. Some companies even open their own
Implementation social networks. Advertising is probably the first thing to
consider. Recruiting can be a promising avenue as well.
Part V includes one chapter. Chapter 12 examines e-strategy Offering discounted products and services should also be
and planning, including going global and the impact of EC considered. Providing customer services and conducting
on small businesses. It also deals with implementation issues market research can be a useful activity as well. Making
and the regulatory environment. customers and selling to them can be beneficial. Finally,
the ultimate goal is associating the social network with
commerce so that revenue is created.
Online Mini Tutorials 4. What are the top challenges of EC today? The top 10
technical issues for EC (in order of their importance) are
Two tutorials are available at the book’s website (ecom- security, adequate infrastructure, virtualization, back-end
merce-introduction-textbook.com). systems integration, more intelligent software, cloud
T1 e-CRM computing, data warehousing and mining, scalability, and
T2 EC Technology: EDI, Extranet, RFID, and Cloud content distribution. The top 10 managerial issues for EC
Computing are justification, budgets, project deadlines, keeping up