issues regardinge biz
TRANSCRIPT
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The Business School
MBA Department
Computer Applications in
Management
Assignment
On
Issues Relating e-Business
Submitted To: Submitted By:
Mrs. Versha Mehta Taresh Baru-37
Suraj Gandotra-35
Date: 20/8/2010 Semester-I
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E-Business
Electronic business, commonly referred to as "e Business" or "e-business",
may be defined as the application of information and communicationtechnologies (ICT) in support of all the activities of business. Commerce
constitutes the exchange of products and services between businesses,
groups and individuals and can be seen as one of the essential activities of
any business. Electronic commerce focuses on the use of ICT to enable the
external activities and relationships of the business with individuals, groups
and other businesses.
Electronic business methods enable companies to link their internal andexternal data processing systems more efficiently and flexibly, to work more
closely with suppliers and partners, and to better satisfy the needs and
expectations of their customers.
In practice, e-business is more than just e-commerce. While e-business
refers to more strategic focus with an emphasis on the functions that occur
using electronic capabilities, e-commerce is a subset of an overall e-
business strategy. E-commerce seeks to add revenue streams using
the World Wide Web or the Internet to build and enhance relationships with
clients and partners and to improve efficiency using the Empty
Vessel strategy. Often, e-commerce involves the application of knowledge
management systems.
E-business involves business processes spanning the entire value chain:
electronic purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders
electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating with business
partners. Special technical standards for e-business facilitate the exchange
of data between companies. E-business software solutions allow the
integration of intra and inter firm business processes. E-business can be
conducted using the Web, the Internet, intranets, extranets, or some
combination of these.
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Basically, electronic commerce (EC) is the process of buying, transferring,
or exchanging products, services, and/or information via computer
networks, including the internet. EC can also be benifited from many
perspective including business process, service, learning, collaborative,
community. EC is often confused with e-business.
Advantages of E-Business
Here are some of the important advantages of moving to e-Business.
y You can develop a more cost-effective Communication andMarketing Strategy - The most obvious advantage of "upgrading" to
e-Business is that it gives you a vital web presence. In an upgraded
"e-Business environment" your company web site becomes the focal
point of your communications and marketing strategy. And in an era
when an increasingly large number of people are using the web as
their first source of product and service information, "being there"
24/7 is extremely important.
y You can reach New Markets World Wide - The internet offers excitingways of reaching new markets that could only be dreamed of in the
past. There are methods of promoting your products online that
allow you to precisely target the customers you are after whether
they are in your town or on the other side of the world.
y You can reach Local Customers and Prospects more effectively -Until recently, companies offering a product or service to local
customers could not see the benefits of having an online presence.
But as more and more people become comfortable with using the
internet instead of traditional advertising sources like classified ads or
yellow pages, having an aggressive web presence makes better
business sense even for local companies. This may also offer a
springboard to developing new markets further afield.
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y You can cut Advertising and Marketing Costs - Online advertising isnot only more efficient, but it is often less expensive than traditional
advertising. After sales training expenses can also be reduced by
utilizing online seminars, training videos and tutorials.
y You can streamline the Ordering Process by taking orders online -Implementing an online ordering system allows you to eliminate
manual paper work or telephone order taking. It also offers the
possibility of integrating your sales order system with order fulfilment
and delivery so customers can be up to speed on the progress of
their orders at all times.
y You can cut Communications and Telephone Costs - While the costsof voice communications using long distance telephone services
have been coming down rapidly over the last few years, switching to
an e-business model offers the possibility of totally eliminating many
of these costs. Of course there is traditional email. But beyond that,
there are systems like "Live Help" where customers can chat live with
support or sales staff. And the most recent development is VoIP
(Voice Over Internet) which promises to completely revolutionize
telephone service.
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Various issues relating e business
Privacy and Ethical issues Unique to E-business.
The realm of e-business is difficult to understand. While some may view its
environment as effortless, it can be complex and problematic for others.
Seeing as most of our business today is conducted over wires, computers,
and the Internet, ethical, privacy, contract, buying and purchasing issues in
a traditional storefront business have been modified to support the privacy
and the exchange of consumer/business related information in e-
commerce.
Unique to e-business, the privacy of individuals and businesses are
enforced and protected more considerably. There is more cost to maintain
privacy with e-commerce security measures than traditional storefront
security. For example, since it is noticeably easier to store masses of private
information on a business computer vice a physical safe, we will expend
and invest more cost to protect this computerized information than the
cost to protect information in a safe. Personally, I have spent more money
protecting the privacy of consumer information on computers with
electronic security programs. Pros and Cons of e-business? Gathering
information on anything e-business related is possible. This information is at
your fingertips, so to speak. However, the same pros can be cons; since
illegally acquiring private business information is too, possible.
Ethics cover a wide range of topics in e-business. With close ties to privacy,
especially for the consumer, e-business organizations have made it
ethically clear to protect consumer information and that information will be
held in strict confidence. Unique to e-business, consumer information is
exchanged and protected electronically in secure websites and
databases. Additionally, it is our duty and theirs to be truthful with the
information given and provided.
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E t h i ca l i s s u e s i n b u s i n e s s
Ethical issues arising from the nature of markets
- The 18th Century economist Adam Smith demonstrated how in a free
market the self interest of producers and consumers will produce an
outcome desirable to all concerned
- But the market can also lead to inequality of income, wealth and market
power:
y Monopoly suppliers can exploit consumersy Monopsony buyers can exploit supply firmsy World wide inequality of income can result in unethical practices
such as the child labour
Ethical issues and society - examples
y Involvement in the communityy Honesty, truthfulness and fairness in marketingy Use of animals in product testingy Agricultural practices e.g. intensive famingy The degree of safety built into product designy Donation to good causesy The extent to which a business accepts its alleged responsibilities for
mishaps, spillages and
y leaksy The selling of addictive products e.g. tobaccoy Involvement in the arms tradey Trading with repressive regimes
Ethical issues arising from internal and industry practices - examples
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y Treatment of customers - e.g. honouring the spirit as well as the letterof the law in respect to warranties and after sales service
y The number and proportion of women and ethnic minority people insenior positions
y The organisations loyalty to employees when it is in difficulteconomic conditions
y Employment of disabled peopley Working conditions and treatment of workersy Bribes to secure contractsy Child labour in the developing worldy Business practices of supply firms
Unethical practices in marketing - examples
y Pricing lack of clarity in pricingy Dumping selling at a loss to increase market share and destroy
competition in order to subsequently raise prices
y Price fixing cartelsy Encouraging people to claim prizes wh en they phoning premium
rate numbersy Bait and switch selling - attracting customers and then subjecting
them to high pressure selling techniques to switch to an more
expensive alternative
y High pressure selling - especially in relation to groups such as theelderly
y Counterfeit goods and brand piracyy Copying the style of packaging in an attempt to mislead consumersy Deceptive advertisingy Irresponsible issue of credit cards and the irresponsible raising of
credit limits
y Unethical practices in market research and competitor intelligence
Unethical practices relating to products - examples
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y Selling goods abroad which are banned at homey Omitting to provide information on side effectsy Unsafe productsy Built in obsolescencey Wasteful and unnecessary packagingy Deception on size and contenty Inaccurate and incomplete testing of productsy Treatment of animals in product testing
Ethics and the supply chain
- It would be hypocritical to claim to be a ethical firm if it turned a blind to
unethical practices by suppliers in the supply chain. In particular:
y The use of child labour and forced laboury Production in sweatshopsy Violation of the basic rights of workersy Ignoring of health, safety and environmental standards
An ethical producer has to be concerned with what is practiced by all
firms (upstream and downstream) in the supply chain.
Bribery
This is a key ethical issue in business
y It first needs to be stated that bribery to secure a contract (especiallya contract with a public sector body) is against the law and severe
penalties can result
y However, it is sometimes seem (wrongly) as a victimless crime and isoften rationalised in terms of if we dont offer a bribery, others will
y From a moral or ethical perspective it should be approached not interms of can we get away with it but is it right to offer a bribe to
secure a contract
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Case Study: Mahindra & Mahindra's
E-Business Initiatives
Abstract
Mahindra & Mahindra started its E-Business initiatives in 1995. E -Business
started with the launch of a dedicated network across 8 manufacturing
locations, 33 area offices and 4 branch offices. In June 1996, M&M
launched its website mahindraworld.com, which was one of the first
corporate websites. In 2000, M&M extended the Intranet to three websites
dedicated to suppliers and dealers of the automotive and farm equipment
sectors. In the same year, it started CRM and SCM initiatives, whic h helped
in analyzing customer buying behavior and product development with the
help of data mining tools. All these initiatives seemed to have paid off and
in 2003 M&M's farm equipment sector won Japan's prestigious Deming
award.
Introduction
The Farm Equipment sector of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) was awarded
Japan's prestigious Deming award3 in 2003. It was the seventh company
outside Japan and the first tractor company in the world to have been
awarded the Deming prize. M&M's E-Business initiatives, which started in the
late 1990s, seemed to have played a major role in the success of the Farm
Equipment sector.
M&M launched its E-Business initiatives in 1996. It involved both B2B 4 and
product-focused sites. The B2B site helped M&M to do business online with
its suppliers and dealers of Utility Vehicles and Farm Equipments. Its
suppliers'centric site, mahindrasuppliers.com, enabled it to send orders and
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receive raw materials faster.
The sites teammahindra.com and kisanmitra.com, created to do business
with the dealers of utility vehicles and farm equipments respectively, madeit easier and faster for M&M to get orders from the dealers and to know
about the status of sales at each dealer's outlet.
In addition to these initiatives, M&M also launched product-focused sites,
such as mahindrascorpio.com and mahindra-bolero.com.
These sites were aimed at making customers aware of the features of
Scorpio and Bolero and consequently increase their sales.
M&M also used Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a data-
mining tool. CRM helped M&M to know about the problems in the existing
products, if any, and develop new products with the help of information
collected from the customers about the vehicles' performance.
Background Note
The two brothers, J.C.Mahindra and K.C.Mahindra, in 1945 nurtured a
dream, to introduce the GPU vehicle used in the battlefields of World War
II. The GPU vehicle, often known as the jeep, was famous for its ruggedness
and ability to run on rough terrain. The Mahindras and Ghulam
Mohammed formed the company, Mahindra & Mohammed, in 1945.
Mahindra & Mohammed Limited was incorporated on October 2, 1945, as
a private limited company and was renamed as Mahindra & MahindraLtd., on January 13, 1948.
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E-Business Initiatives
After the different business units had been created, M&M realized that the
system formed islands of data that inhibited flow of information. It needed
a strong information technology link that would seamlessly integrate the
different islands of information. Therefore, it started an e-biz drive in the
company, which was a step-by-step process...
Launch of the Website
In 1995, M&M set up a dedicated network connecting 8 manufacturing
locations, 33 area offices and 4 branch offices. In June 1996, it launched
the website, www.mahindraworld.com, which was one of the first
corporate websites launched in India at that time...
ERP Implementation
In 1997, M&M decided to implement an ERP solution, which would
integrate different business processes and cut down on wastes in the
manufacturing chain.
Intranet
In 1997, Mahindra Connect, the Intranet initiative was launched. The
objective behind introducing Intranet was to make all employee and
organization related information available online , on a single platform.
E-Ventures
In 2001, M&M launched three sites, automartindia.com,officemartindia.com and propertymartindia.com. Automart was a joint
venture with HDFC and automotive dealers- Sah and Sanghi group...
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Product-Based Sites
With the launch of the vehicles targeted at urban customers, M&M
launched product-focused websites, such as www.mahindra-bolero.com
and www.mahindrascorpio.com .
Benefits of E-Initiatives
ERP implementation restructured the whole process of business at M&M.
Electronic procurement of materials and inventory served as a boon for
M&M as it helped the company in the entire procurement cycle, from
supplier selection to deciding on the contracts.
The RoadAhead
M&M is focusing on transforming itself into an effective E -Business
organization and with the help of its e-infrastructure it is trying to establish
the Mahindra Group as a virtual knowledge community.
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Ford's e-Business Strategy
Abstract:
The case looks at the issues relating to Ford's e-business strategy. It talks
about how Ford sought to transform itself from an 'old economy' firm to a
'new economy' firm using the Internet to further its objectives. During 1999,
Ford discovered the potential of web technologies and sought to leverage
its competencies using the Internet. As a part of the strategy, it partnered
with few other automakers to form 'Covisint' - an online market place that
linked its members to more than 30000 suppliers of components. In addition
to this it also took special initiatives to build excellent relationships with
customers, dealers and suppliers as this held the key to survival. It floated
an e-CRM company, and gave its employees a PC and other hardware for
a nominal cost, which were all part of its e-business initiatives.
Introduction
In early 1999, Ford Motor Company (Ford), the leading automobile
manufacturer in the world, announced its e-business strategy, through
which it sought to transform itself from an 'old economy' to a 'new
economy' company. Almost 90 years after Ford introduced the world to
the concept of mass production, the company was all set to
revolutionalize the auto industry, by using the Internet to introduce radically
new ways of planning, manufacturing and selling cars.
Towards the end of 2000, Ford announced its ' Build to order' model for
manufacturing cars. The model, similar to Dell Computer's model was
expected to help Ford's customers to customize car features with just a
click of the mouse.
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The model once implemented would enable customers to get what they
ordered, delivered at their doorsteps. Initially, customers were allowed to
send personalized information through Ford's website (Forddirect.com)
which enabled them to configure, select, price, finance and schedule
delivery of any Ford car or truck. Ford expected major improvements in
supply chain management as well as rise in demand for its vehicles after
the implementation of its e-business initiatives.
Above all, Ford hoped to increase customer satisfaction levels by providing
speed, convenience and value-added information to them (Refer Exhibit
II). This led some analysts to remark that none of the other automobile
companies were pursuing their e-biz initiatives as boldly and broadly as
Ford. However, critics felt that it was not necessary for Ford to rush with its e-
business initiatives on such a large scale. They criticized Ford for
announcing several grand plans but implementing few. Moreover, return
on investment was one of the key issues for e-business ventures. Jurgen
Hubbert, a member of DaimlerChrysler's management board, said, "Why
jump into this sort of business when nobody makes money?"
Background Note
Ford was established in June 1903 by Henry Ford. The company's first car
Model A was introduced in July 1903. Several manufacturers launched
expensive car models to compete with Model A, but failed. A few years
later, Ford launched Model T, which became very successful because of its
durability and easy reparability. In the early 1920s, Ford entered the luxury
car segment by acquiring Lincoln Motor Company. However, in the 1920s,General Motors (GM) launched a variety of styles, an assortment of colors
and became Ford's biggest competitor.
In the 1930s, Ford faced major problems during the Great Depression.
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Henry tried to deal with the depression by increasing wages and reducing
prices.
Ford also obtained an order to supply to the US Military 500 liberator
bombers per month to support the World War II, as a result of which the
company survived. In the 1940s, Henry Ford II (Henry Ford's grandson) took
over as the CEO of Ford. He made several changes in the company
including establishing of 'Profit Centers', to identify areas that were not
making money. He also closed obsolete plants and initiated moves to
retrain workers. In January 1956, Ford made an initial public offering of
10,200,000 shares. In the 1960s, Ford expanded its operations to Europe.
The oil crisis of 1974 had a major impact on the automobile industry. While
the US market shifted towards small and fuel-efficient cars, Ford had excess
capacity in large cars. Ford responded by diverting a part of its production
capacity to Pinto, its small car. By the mid 1980s, Ford's profitability had
improved and for the first time in 60 years, Ford generated more profits
than GM worldwide. In 1988, Ford reported the highest level of profits ever
for a US car company. In 1993, Ford's Board of Directors appointed Alex
Trotman as the new CEO. According to Fortune, Trotman's entrepreneurial
instincts and his remarkable self -confidence helped him get the coveted
post. In 1998, Ford acquired the Audi's racing engines unit.
Improving Supply Chain Efficiency
Ford believed that using the Internet improved the efficiency of its supplychain. In mid 1999, the company created AutoXchange , a joint venture
with Oracle that allowed online business-to-business (B2B) transactions with
its suppliers. AutoXchange helped Ford and its suppliers swap information
and bids on an estimated $300 billion worth of goods and services. Ford
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was able to reduce suppliers' inventories and eliminate billions of dollars in
excess stock by getting accurate information to suppliers about short-term
demand, with the help of the real -time orders entering its system.
According to Kelley2, Ford expected to reduce its $80 billion purchasing bill
by 10% within the next few years, through AutoXchange. However, cost
savings on purchases was just one of the benefits.
Focussing on the Demand Chain
In 1999, Ford started its online initiatives for managing the demand chain
by entering into a partnership with Microsoft for developing CarPoint, an
auto buying website. Retail customers could order Ford cars through
CarPoint.
The Future
According to Kelley, the major objectives of Ford's e-business strategy were
to bring speed, convenience, and information to customers rather than just
focusing on cost cutting. The Internet played a crucial role in helping Ford
boost the satisfaction levels of its consumers. Kelley said: "The consumer is
king.
And the Internet is accelerating the speed at which they get what they
want. Using the Net to zap customer orders directly to factories and parts
suppliers will eventually allow Ford to deliver cars to consumers within days
of ordering".
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E-Business Strategy in an Online Banking Services:
A Case Study
Abstract:
Banks today are aware of both the threat and the opportunity that the
Web represents. No traditional bank would dare face investment analysts
without an Internet strategy. But even a detailed and thoughtful approach
to the Web does not guarantee business success. The main purpose
behind the launching of online banking services is to provide the customers
with an alternative, more responsive and with less expensive options. With
options just a click away, customers have more control than ever. They
expect real-time answers and superior usability. They also want personal
attention and highly customized products and services. The focus of e-
business must always be on the customer. On the other hand, the
technology and the business structure follow on form of the value you
intend to provide to the customer.
This paper evaluates the success of the e-business model and e-business
strategy implemented by Citibank in the United Arab Emirates in offering its
retail Internet Banking Service; Citibank Online.
Introduction
E-business relies on the development of new business strategies based on
networks. The world has become increasingly inter-connected via
telecommunication networks and computers. These offer fast, flexible, and
cost-effective ways of doing business.
The Internet is driving the new economy by creating unprecedented
opportunities for countries, companies and individuals around the world.
CEOs worldwide recognize the strategic role that the Internet plays in their
companys ability to survive and compete in the future. To be competitive
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in the Internet economy, companies need t o harness the power of the
Internet successfully.
Citibank UAE BackgroundInformation
Citibank is a subsidiary of Citigroup, a strong financial brand with more
than 100 million customers, 5.9 million online relationships and a global
reach spanning 100 countries.
Citibank UAE started its retail business in 1987 in a very highly competitive
environment offering a comprehensive line of high quality financial services
targeted to the affluent and middle income segments. Citibank has been
perceived, as at the edge of innovation leveraging its global expertise, it
was the first bank in the UAE to introduce innovative e-business solutions
like:
1) CitiPhone 24 hour Phone Banking Service
2) ATMs- Automated Teller Machines
3) CitiAlert GSM notifications service
4) E-Card Internet Shopping Card
5) CitiDirect Corporate Internet Banking Service, and
6) Citibank Online Retail Internet Banking Service.
In the year 2000, Citibank had 160,000 retail customers serviced mainly
through five branches, six ATMs and CitiPhone. Given the Central Bank
restrictions on opening additional branches, being a foreign bank, the
banks e-business strategy was to focus on remote channels of distribution,
mainly Internet Banking solutions.
Ms. Sarah Hussain, Web Administrator at Citibank says, Given the kind of
Internet explosion which the market is going through, Internet is the
channel of the future, it is critical for Citibank to leverage this channel
aggressively and gain an early and dominant leadership.
What encouraged Citibank to proceed with its investment in this direction is
the tremendous growth of Internet usage since its introduction in 1996.
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According to Etisalat, the only Internet Service Provider in the UAE, in 2003
the number of Internet users was 1,105,000 in a country with a population of
3.7 million, this number is fairly high and expected to increase even further.
In an industry that has became increasingly serviced through remote
channels, Citibank UAE wanted to leverage on the advanced technology
available within Citigroup to stand out, hence Citibank Online was
launched in 2000 offering a comprehensive list of services/functionalities.
E-business Strategy
Based on Porter (1980) generic strategies, Citibank opted for a
differentiation strategy for its home banking service by offering a superior
web banking option with powerful and relevant functionalities wherein
customers can access/operate their banking accounts on the net with full
confidence and ease.
In the year 2000, there were only four local banks offering simple home
banking solutions, Citibank wanted to be the first multinational bank to
launch a multifunctional home banking service and own the category
before competition becomes fierce in the field.
Citibanks mission was to be a leading e-Financial Services company in the
UAE by becoming trusted, premier e-business enabler for its customers.
The objectives of launching Citibank Online were:
1) Extend its network and overcome the limited branch situation.
2) Achieve savings in CitiPhone/Branches operating costs by diverting
customers to the Internet. Citibank Online has one of the lowest
costs per interaction as compared to the ATM, phone banking or
branch banking. It contributes immensely as part of the Strategic
Cost Management initiatives the bank is implementing without
compromising on the quality of service.
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According to an online banking report published by Ernst & Young, the
transaction costs of the various banking channels are as follows:
Branch $1.07
Call Centre (human) $0.85
Automated Response System (AVR) $0.44
Automated Teller Machine $0.27
Dialup PC banking 1.5 Cent
Internet Banking 1 Cent
3) Meet the increased consumer demand for quick and secure banking
solutions, anywhere, any time on any device, this is important in
staying ahead of competition.
4) Enhance the brand imagery and values in the mind of the customers
and the prospects by owning this channel especially that Citibank is
seen to be innovative and ahead of most other banks in terms of
technology and product development.
5) Create another arm for deepening customer relationships through
cross sell and acquisitions of new customers.
E-business Model
Citibank Online is considered as a standard Business to Consumer
approach, the e-business model Citibank is using can be classified as
Merchant.
Without the intervention of the AVR, ATM or CitiPhone Officers, a Citibank
customer can access and operate all his relationships with Citibank at a
click of mouse in complete privacy. In doing so, Citibank is balancing
between security and accessibility of information leveraging on a robust e -
banking service available within Citigroup.
The three elements of the business model; value stream, revenue stream
and logistics stream are complementing each other in this specific case.
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Citibank was certainly focusing on adding value to its customers by offering
unmatched level of service and security. Its internal logistics were aligned
towards a single objective; launching a powerful service to its customers to
complement its e-business strategy overall. Revenues after a period of time
started flowing too, making the investment worthwhile.
Evaluation of E-business strategy andmodel
There are many ways of evaluating the success of the e-business model
and e-business strategies of Citibank, one of which is looking at the
financials for the performance of the service for the past four years. Ms.
Sarah Hussain, Web Administrator at Citibank says The results of the service
represented in the information management system reports covering the
performance of Citibank Online from 2001 to 2004 are very satisfactory and
have met the managements expectations
Citibank Online is proving to be a successful acquisition and revenue -
generating channel, despite the fact that the management did not
expect any revenues to be generated for the first three years of the
launch.
The deployment of the program to Citibank UAE, played a very important
role in gaining those revenues, as Citibank UAE did not fund the
development work, there were only a couple of adjustments made to the
service to suit the UAE requirements.
According to Timmers (1999) there are two dimensions of analyzing the e-
business model:
1. The degree of innovation:
Citibank is excelling in building and maintaining the competitive
advantage in the Internet era, all functionalities offered were well
studied and executed in a way where matching them is indeed a
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difficult task. Flexibility is built in the system for further
enhancements and additions.
2. The extent to which the new functions are integrated within the
business model.
The functionalities added fit perfectly with the e -business strategy and
business model opted. They contribute directly towards meeting the
objectives.
Conclusion
This paper examined the e-business strategy and e-business model that
have been used by Citibank in the UAE in offering its Retail Online Banking
Service to its customers. Based on the evaluation, it is very clear that the e -
business strategy is complementing the e-business model used.
According to Timmers (1998), a business model in itself does not yet provide
understanding of how it will contribute to realize the business mission of the
companies who is an actor within the model. Therefore, it is important to
supplement it with the e-business, marketing and sales strategies.Through Internet solutions, Citibank has maintained its agility and
competitive advantage, gaining substantial benefits from them. It is
important to note that customers in the Internet economy are well
informed and their expectations continue to increase, therefore the ability
to respond rapidly to customer demands and deliver value is imperative. At
the end, it will continue to be that The bet is on the NET! Ms. Hussain
said.