Chapter 5 E-business strategy



Chapter 5 E-business strategy

Self-assessment questions

1. What are the key characteristics of an e-business strategy model?

All strategy models should:

• Be based on assessment of internal and external environment

• Have clearly defined SMART objectives backed up by vision

• Have strategies, tactics and implementation that select the best techniques to achieve these strategies

• Have monitoring and control that assess whether the objectives are being achieved and a feedback loop to ensure corrective action occurs.

For e-business in particular, the strategy objectives should define the balance of online and offline trading with customers, suppliers and distributors. The tactics should look at how investment in information systems and revising business processes should occur to hit these targets.

2. Select a retailer or manufacturer of your choice and describe what the main elements of its situation analysis should comprise.

Situation analysis is summarized in Figure 5.5. It includes evaluation of the external environment as described in Chapter 4 (SLEPT or PEST) and internal resources using techniques such as SWOT, application portfolio analysis and also demand and competitor analysis.

3. For the same retailer or manufacturer suggest different methods and metrics for defining e-business objectives.

Objectives should be SMART (Chapter 12). Examples of metrics are in Table 5.3, p. 184, e.g.

• Revenue amount

• Revenue source (which geographical markets, segments and products)

• Acquisition and retention of particular segments

• New product development

• Cost and lead times that are part of the supply chain.

4. For the same retailer or manufacturer assess different strategic options to adopt for e-business.

This refers to the types of decisions outlined on pp. 188–198, i.e.

• Decision 1 E-business priorities

• Decision 2 Restructuring

• Decision 3 Business and revenue models

• Decision 4 Marketplace restructuring

• Decision 5 Market and product development strategies

• Decision 6 Positioning and differentiation strategies.

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