.Com Companies

.Com Companies
“The new survivors.”
Pets.com died yesterday. ($60 M invested by Amazon.com)
Pet foods are bulky to ship.
Have narrow profit margins.
Are a semi-commodity.
100 sites sell some pet products.
Mothernature.com is also being liquidated.
Furniture.com laid off 76 of its 88 employees.
85 dot.com companies have folded this year.
More.com (drugstore)
Living.com (furniture)
Worth Thinking About
“The Internet is not a business but a way to
communicate with customers.” i.e. boot store in San
Francisco is getting 50% of its sales from Internet
customers.
What will win:
“Brick-and-mortar companies that have trusted brand
names, huge buying power and off-line stores to accept
returns.”
“Or, those Internet-born companies with an early start
and strong brand identity.”
Chapter 9
Intranets, Extranets,
and
Enterprise Collaboration
Chapter Objectives
1. Understand how companies are using intranets and extranets
for communications and collaboration, information publishing
and sharing, and business operations and management.
2. Understand the hardware, software, data, and network
components of an intranet’s information technology
architecture.
3. Appreciate how intranets and extranets can provide cost
savings or revenue benefits to a company.
4. Understand groupware tools for communications, conferencing,
and work management.
Intranets, Extranets, and the Internet
Internet Web Sites
Internet Links
Engineering
Server
Extranet Links
Customers
Marketing
Server
CORPORATE
INTRANET
Extranet
Links
Legacy Data
Server
H.R.
Server
Intranet Links
Other Company Locations
Suppliers
Internet Technology
Resources
Web Browsers and Servers
TCP/IP Client/Server Networks
Hypermedia Database Management Systems
HTML Web Publishing Software
Network Management and Security Programs
Applications of Intranets
Communications
and
Collaboration
Web Publishing
and Intranet
Management
Business
Operations
and Management
Business Value of Intranets
Impressive
Returns
Investment Cost
Recovered
Quick Payback
Risk of Internet
Project is Low
Extranets
Use of the Internet (network) and its technologies
but in a secured way (people in general cannot
access the web sites) for business-to-business
transactions, customer service and support and
communication.
Replaces traditional Electronic Data Interchange
systems and networks in many cases.
Examples of Business Value of
Internet/Extranet Applications
Publication
Cost Savings
Training and
Development
Cost Savings
Customer Service
Programs
Enterprise Collaboration
Communicate
Goal of Enterprise
Collaboration
Systems
Coordinate
Collaborate
Intranet Communications
& Collaboration
Electronic
Mail
Groupware
Faxes
Intranet
Communication
and Collaboration
within an Enterprise
Voice
Mail
Paging
Enterprise Collaboration Tools
Discussion
Forums
Data
Conferencing
Voice
Conferencing
Videoconferencing
Groupware
Enterprise
Collaboration
Tools
Chat Systems
Electronic
Meeting
Systems
Groupware Tools for
Electronic
Communications
Groupware for
Enterprise
Collaboration
Electronic
Communications
Tools
Enterprise
Conferencing
Tools
Collaborative Work
Management
Tools
Summary
Intranets and extranets work and feel like the
Internet. They enable and improve collaboration
within a business, and with customers and other
business partners.
In many respects, intranets, extranets and enterprise
collaboration help a business gain and sustain a
competitive advantage.
Possible Exam Questions
1. Why are companies installing intranets?
2. What is the goal of enterprise collaboration
and how is that goal achieved?
Intranets - Business Operations
& Management
Develop and deploy critical business applications to support business
operations and managerial decision making.
Companies are developing custom applications that can be implemented
on intranets, extranets, and the Internet.
Custom applications are designed to interface with and access existing
company databases and legacy systems.
Software (applets or crossware) are installed on intranet webservers.
Employees and external business partners can access and run custom
applications using web browsers from anywhere on the network
whenever needed.
Web Publishing
Ease, attractiveness, and lower cost of publishing and accessing
multimedia business information internally via intranet web sites.
Used for products such as company newsletters, technical
drawings, and product catalogs.
Information publishing including hypermedia web pages, E-mail,
net broadcasting, and as part of in-house business applications.
Uses intranet software browsers, servers, and search engines
to help users easily navigate and locate business information.
Used to develop and publish hyper-linked multimedia documents
to hypermedia databases accessible on Word Wide Web servers.
Business Value of
Extranets
Extranet technology such as web browsers make it easier and faster
for customers and suppliers to access resources.
Extranets enable a company to offer new kinds of interactive Web-enabled
services to their business partners.
Extranets are a way that a business can build and strengthen strategic
relationships with its customers and suppliers.
Extranets can enable and improve collaboration by a business with
its customers and other business partners.
Extranets facilitate an online, interactive product development,
marketing, and customer-focused process that can bring better designed
products to market faster.
Customer Relationship Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
software is geared to address the consolidation
and integration of all forms of communication
with a customer to enable a company to better
serve its key customers.
Sun Microsystems’ Intranet
Intranet : Book Definition
An Internet-like network within an
organization. Web browser software
provides easy access to internal Web
sites established by business units,
teams, and individuals and other
network resource and applications.
Applications of an Intranet
The basic applications of intranets include
communications and collaboration,
business operation and management, Web
publishing and intranet management.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. has long been
synonymous
with leading edge technology.
A leading provider of hardware, software and
services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets
and expanding the power of the Internet.
After 18 years of telling the world "The Network
is
the Computer," Sun has become a leader in the
emerging network-driven economy.
Sun’s Intranet Applications and Services






Views
What’s new
Library and education
Marketing and Sales
Product catalog
HR and Benefits
 Engineering
Information.
 Travel
 Sun Campus
 Execution Suite
 Construction Kit
Summary
Sun Microsystems was a pioneer in the creation and use
of intranets in business in 1994.
SunWeb has over 3,000 intranet web servers available to
20,000 employees worldwide.
SunWeb has generated big cost savings versus
publishing information in paper and other media. The
ease and speed of sharing multimedia information on
Web servers has also been credited with making people
and teams much more productive and creative in their
jobs and projects.
Important Issues to Build an Intranet
1. Determining your infrastructure requirements.
2. Determining your Web server needs.
3. Making a browser choice.
4. Deciding how to use use an intranet?
5. Determining the application development software
you need.
6. Weeding through the pros and cons of a firewall.
7. Possibly changing the role of the Webmaster.
8. Determining what is needed to train employees.
Two Possible Exam Questions
1. What are major issues that you need to consider
when building a intranet?
2. How has Sun used its intranet to support its daily
business operations?
Business Value of
Extranets
Extranet technology such as web browsers make it easier and faster
for customers and suppliers to access resources.
Extranets enable a company to offer new kinds of interactive Web-enabled
services to their business partners.
Extranets are a way that a business can build and strengthen strategic
relationships with its customers and suppliers.
Extranets can enable and improve collaboration by a business with
its customers and other business partners.
Extranets facilitate an online, interactive product development,
marketing, and customer-focused process that can bring better designed
products to market faster.
Supply Chain Management
What is Supply Chain Management?
A management concept that integrates the
management of supply chain processes with an
objective to:
• Develop value-added services
• Improve performance
• Cut costs
• Increase profits
Basic Business Objectives
• Get the right product to the right place at the
least cost.
• Keep inventory as low as possible and still
offer superior customer service.
• Reduce cycle times.
Supply-Chain Management Focus
• Suppliers
• Procurement
• Manufacturing
• Warehousing
• Customer Order Fulfillment
• Distribution
Summary
• Time management, profitability and collaboration are
among the greatest challenges currently surrounding
companies today.
• The Internet provides the opportunity to address all three
factors with a supply chain management approach.
• To be effective, a supply-chain solution must achieve
world-class information accuracy and velocity to meet
market goals and stay ahead of product life cycles.
Two Possible Exam Questions
1. What role does supply chain management play
relative to electronic commerce?
2. In what ways does supply chain management
influence the way businesses run their daily
business operations?
Extranet at Marshall Industries
Avnet Marshall Industries
• One of the largest distributors of electronic components to
Original Equipment Manufacturers. (OEMs)
Note: In the Semiconductor Industry you either buy directly
from the manufacturer (if you are big enough) or from a
distributor.
• Marshall operates in 38 worldwide locations with about
1,300 employees, half of whom are sales people.
• The CEO is Rob Rodin who was a major force in pursuing
an extranet strategy beginning in 1993.
Extranet
Extranet = Business to Business
Commerce using Internet technology.
The successor of Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI) which was and in some cases still is
based on private networks or leased
communications lines.
Business to Business Commerce
Business-to-business commerce is formenting a
fundamental, if not evolutionary, transformation of
trade.
The Internet gives businesses three major elements
for E-commerce:
1. An easily accessed customer interface.
2. A way to distribute information.
3. A worldwide pipe-line.
Training in Multiple Languages
Since they are a global company, Marshall offers
technical support and education on the products
that they sell in multiple languages via its extranet.
What This Means To The Customer
• Marshall's customers require timely information about part
specifications and availability.
• Since printed materials are often outdated before customers
receive them, electronic distribution is a timely
improvement.
• A key dimension of Marshall’s success can be tied to the
education provided and the technical support.
• Easy and fast communication on any and how issues.
Awards Received
• CIO magazine named Marshall Industries as a
recipient of the 1999 CIO 100 award.
• Named Pulse Publications’ "Distributor of the
Year" in May 2000 in recognition of outstanding
performance in sales growth and customer base
expansion.
Summary
Marshall Industries successfully expanded to a
global distributor by doing business via an extranet.
– A single worldwide source for a wide range of
products.
– Unmatched inventory available 24 x 7.
– Knowledgeable specialists and the power to
choose the service that fits a customer’s.
Two Possible Exam Questions
1. What are some pro’s and con’s of an extranet
business approach from Marshall’s perspective?
2. Customer Service has been a very important
aspect of Marshall Industries. Why is this
important to a customer that relies primarily on
an internet-based company like Marshall
Industries?
Groupware Tools for
Electronic
Communications
Groupware for
Enterprise
Collaboration
Electronic
Communications
Tools
Enterprise
Conferencing
Tools
Collaborative Work
Management
Tools
Electronic
Communications Tools
E-Mail
Voice Mail
Faxing
Groupware
Electronic
Communications
Tools
Web
Publishing
Bulletin
Board
Systems
Enterprise Collaboration Tools
Discussion
Forums
Data
Conferencing
Voice
Conferencing
Videoconferencing
Groupware
Enterprise
Collaboration
Tools
Chat Systems
Electronic
Meeting
Systems
Collaborative Work
Management Tools
Calendaring
and
Scheduling
Task and
Project
Management
Workflow
Systems
Groupware
Collaborative Work
Management
Tools
Other Joint
Work Tools
Knowledge
Management
The Clicks and Bricks Spectrum
Wal-Mart and
Barnes & Noble
Spin
-Off
Kbkids.com
Strategic
Joint
In-House
Partnership Venture Division
Rite Aid and
Drugstore.com
OfficeDepot.com
Separation:
Integration:
• Greater focus
• Established brand
• More flexibility
• Shared information
• Access to venture funding
• Purchasing leverage
• Distribution efficiencies
Right Answers?
In business and in life, how do you come up
with the right answers?
You ask the right questions.
E-Commerce Decision Process
Separation
Brand
Integration
Does the brand extend naturally to the Internet? Yes
Yes
Will we target a different customer segment or offer
a different product mix on-line than in stores?
Yes
Will we need to price differently on-line than in
stores to stay competitive?
Operations
Do our distribution systems translate well to the
Internet?
Do our Information Systems provide a foundation
on which to build an Internet strategy?
Does either system constitute a significant
competitive advantage?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Management
Integration
Separation
Do current executives have the skills and experience
Yes
needed to pursue an Internet approach?
Are they willing to judge the Internet initiatives by a
different set of business performance criteria?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Will there be a major channel conflict among management?
Does the Internet fundamentally threaten the current
business model?
Equity
Yes Is the business having trouble attracting or maintaining
talented executives for the Internet division?
Yes Does the business need outside capital to fund the venture?
Is a certain supplier, distributor or other business
Yes partner key to the venture’s success?
Internet Technology
Resources
Web Browsers and Servers
TCP/IP Client/Server Networks
Hypermedia Database Management Systems
HTML Web Publishing Software
Network Management and Security Programs
Components of an Enterprise
Collaboration System
Software
Network
Server
Teams &
Workgroups
Enterprise
Collaboration
Databases
Distance Learning
Distance Learning Topics
• Targeted educational levels.
• Successful programs.
• Distance learning architecture.
• Conclusions.
Definition Of Distance Learning
According to University System of
Maryland Institute for Distance
Education, “Distance education represents
a variety of educational models that have
in common the physical separation of the
faculty member and some or all of the
students.”
Distance Learning
Traditional targeted students.
Distance Education is an excellent option for a
great many busy Americans who have a work life and
a family life.
Lamar Alexander
former U.S. Secretary of Education
Distance Learning
Distance Learning
Architecture
Systems
Architecture
Network
Client Features
and Functions
Server Features
and Functions
Course
Material
Targeted
Use
Instructional
Support System
Graduate Courses
Content
Structure
Undergraduate
Courses
Content
Guidelines
Graduate Course
Prerequisites
Community College
Articulated Courses
Industry training
and
technical updates
Industry
Collaboration
Distance Learning: Lots of Players
Duke University - MBA
Purdue University - M.S. in Engineering
Tulane University - M.S. in Public Health
California State University - B.A. Sociology, B.S.
Nursing
Cyberspace University - IT Training
Over 300 U.S. Universities and Colleges, all fully
accredited, offer degrees in over 800 different fields from
Bachelor's to Doctorate's. Over 40% of all graduates from
these fully accredited colleges and universities go directly
to graduate schools.
Distance Learning Model
http://www.umuc.edu/ide/modlmenu.html
Models of Distance Education
A Conceptual Planning Tool Developed by University
of Maryland University College for the University
System of Maryland Institute for Distance Education.
Seven Masters Degree programs.
62,000 students with over 20,000 outside the US.
Models of Distance Education
• Planning and design.
• Development.
• Implementation.
• Delivery and support.
Just like any computer-based system.
Planning Issues
Institutional policies and practices frequently need to
be reexamined when two or more institutions are
involved in distance education course delivery.
Examples:
1. When the students register, whom do they pay?
2. Who pays for the cost of distributing materials?
Evaluation of the Instructor
When evaluating an instructor, information about
personal characteristics of successful instructors
should be factored into future planning and hiring
decisions.
Information about effective instructional strategies
should be included in faculty training and support
materials.
Laboratory Experiences
A challenging aspect of distance education is for
faculty to determine how crucial a hands-on
experience in a laboratory setting is in ensuring
that students achieve the desired learning.
Academic Systems
A mountain-view company that has focused
initially on college math courses.
Different Ways to Learn
• Maria learns from seeing a visual representation.
( a picture )
• Will learns by asking for an alternative
explanation.
• James asks how to do it. ( show a method )
• Lisa wants to know why does it work?
Additional Content Guidelines
• Provide motivators as well as teaching material.
• Back up all lectures with audio.
• Pacing of the material should be under the control of
the student.
• Provide a journal capability so that students can add
their own notes to a personal file on the material.
• Provide links in the evaluate and homework sections
back to the explain section.
Instructional Support
• Allow the instructor to easily re-sequence the different
lectures (chapters) and content within chapters.
• Allow the instructor to add content and notes to the
multiple content sections.
• Allow the instructor to create constraints within the
system to guide the student through the course material.
e.g. Not able to log-off without taking a quiz or not
able to log-off without picking up the homework
assignment.
Instructional Support
• Provide a student and grade administration system that
enables the instructor to monitor the progress of the entire
class and of each individual student. This should include
an email link to each student.
• Provide a bulletin board for each course where the
instructor or students can post questions and answers that
are of general interest.
• Provide a bulletin board where course assignment
examples can be displayed on demand by students.
Distance Learning Architecture
• Support the ability to download from a master
server to a local server.
• Support both CD content and download
capabilities for specific courses.
• Base architecture on accepted IT standards.
Possible Exam Questions
1. What student focus makes the most sense in
terms of distance education?
2. Identify and discuss some educational and
technical issues relative to distance learning.
E-Learning Factor
Many businesses are only beginning to witness the dramatic
cost savings in transitioning from traditional training to elearning, yet a few forward-thinking companies already
know this is old news. They have started ambitious
measurement programs to prove e-learning's positive
impact on customer service, productivity and sales.
Metrics can deliver such proof, which is why Gartner
Group estimates that about 30 percent of its e-learning
clients use metrics to chart e-learning's impact on the
company's performance. Gartner says the use of metrics to
justify e-learning will expand as more companies use elearning to support high-priority business goals, rather than
run training programs for training's sake.
E-Learning Factor
Many businesses are only beginning to witness the dramatic
cost savings in transitioning from traditional training to elearning, yet a few forward-thinking companies already
know this is old news. They have started ambitious
measurement programs to prove e-learning's positive
impact on customer service, productivity and sales.
Metrics can deliver such proof, which is why Gartner
Group estimates that about 30 percent of its e-learning
clients use metrics to chart e-learning's impact on the
company's performance. Gartner says the use of metrics to
justify e-learning will expand as more companies use elearning to support high-priority business goals, rather than
run training programs for training's sake.
E-Learning Metrics Importance
It's a valid question to ask what e-learning is used for,
what is the good of e-learning? It is not just cost
reduction. But how does this translate into metrics?
At some point down the road, the new uses of e-learning
will become even more interesting, and metrics are
only one way to validate that the uses actually happened.
Internet Significance?
Why has the Internet been acclaimed as the
most significant factor impacting businesses
and business operations since the Industrial
Revolution that was sparked by the steam
engine.