外文翻译-电子商务战略挑战

1、-The Strategic Challenges of Electronic CommerceIntroduction11th Century Europe saw the emergence of credit-based banking systemsand financial instruments such as bills of exchange. These conceptsremain with us, in their modified form, to this day (Chown, 1994). Theyunderpin all modern forms of comm

2、erce. The arrival of informationtechnology (computers and telecommunications) has raised the prospectof radical change to this traditional model.The rise of the Internet (electronic commerce), since the advent of theWorld Wide Web, has provided an easy to use communication channel forbusinesses to c

3、ontact current and potential customers. The emergence ofthe Internet as a general communication channel has also given rise to thepossibility of widespread electronic commerce. Even though there is stillmuch debate relating to electronic payment for commercial activities, thisis clearly an area of g

4、rowth.It is difficult to say how large the Internet is. Hoffman & Novak (1996)quote a number of surveys (O'Reilly, FIND/SVP, Times Mirror andCommerceNet) which suggest that there are at least 10 million Internetusers in the United States alone. The number of computers (hosts)connected to the

5、 Internet topped 9.47 million (Network Wizards, 1996) as精选资料-of January 1996. Note that a single host supports anywhere from a singleuser to, in some cases, thousands of users.As of March 21, 1996, 24,347 firms were listed in Open Market's (1996)directory of "Commercial Services on the Net,

6、" and there were 54,800entries in the "Companies" directory of the Yahoo Guide to WWW (Yahoo,1996), with the total number of Web sites doubling approximately everytwo months. Jim Clarke, the chairman of Netscape, estimated the Internethas 40 million users in 1995 with growth at 8% per

7、 month (Clarke, 1995).The Internet is only one aspect of technology. Businesses requireinformation and supporting systems (processes) to handle the data - overtime these systems have become computerised (IT). Modern informationtechnology can both support the processes and help capture usefulinformat

8、ion for the enterprise. These technologies include:1. Organizational support systems, such as workflow and groupware - making businesses more efficient.2. Customer contact databases - helping capture information about customers and facilitate new methods of marketing.3. Electronic payment systems fo

9、r goods and services - these are emerging, although the majority of payments are still based on relatively expensive traditional cheque clearance.精选资料-Collectively and individually, these areas will contribute to major changesin the way a company conducts its business. Enix have coined the termWorkw

10、are to describe the combination of these technologies.Figure 1 - The emergence of Electronic Commerce will be underpinned bythree key componentsHowever, there is still widespread misunderstanding on the value oforganisational support technology. A recent survey of 437 largeenterprises by research co

11、mpany Xephon (1996) indicated that anastonishing proportion (44%) had no immediate intention of introducingmodern information handling systems (Groupware was defined by Xephonas Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise). Of these, 65%said they were unsure what these technologies could de

12、liver. From thesestatistics, it is clear many organisations are still sceptical about thebenefits of technology.The efficient collection, utilisation, handling, storage and dissemination ofinformation is a vital component of corporate success in the modern精选资料-business world. However, the gathering

13、and use of information must takeinto account issues of privacy and security. A recent feature in theFinancial Times (1996) noted that "in orderrivetothin the 1990s,financial services organisations are as much in the business of managingand manipulating information as managing and making money.&

14、quot;Furthermore, the interest shown in topics such as TQM and BPR hasdemonstrated the importance of processes as a fundamental buildingblock.Inevitably a few savvy organizations in each sector will utilise all threecomponents to change their market or develop new markets. Those who donot adapt quic

15、kly to the new ways of working are likely to bedisadvantaged as their strategies become redundant. All businessesshould investigate the implications of these technologies for them and themarkets within which they operate.MarketingChampy, Buday and Nohria (1996) argue that the rise of electroniccomme

16、rce and the changing consumer processes brought about throughelectronic communities are likely to lead to a new wave of reengineering,mergers and acquisitions. Moreover, organizations may expand into newbusiness areas, taking on roles unforeseen prior to the rise of the Web. Forexample: a magazine p

17、ublisher, Cond Naste, has moved into the travel精选资料-business; Bill Gates is now an electronic real estate agent; and arecruitment advertising agency, Bernard Hodes, has now become anelectronic recruitment company.The emergence of electronic commerce will significantly impact what wecurrently call ma

18、rketing . Clearly, the appearance of electroniccommunities (Armstrong and Hagel, 1996) implies that marketingprofessionals must expand their horizons as the advent of this technologywill threaten existing channels of business. Those involved in marketingneed to understand the full range of products

19、and services required by theelectronic community. They must learn to take advantage of thetechnology that allows customers to move seamlessly from informationgathering to completion of a transaction, interacting with the variousproviders of products and services as necessary. A number of interesting

20、questions are implied:1. What kind of information is available for collection? Is it appropriate to gather this information and for what should it be used?2. Are information systems equipped to capture customer information and transactions, making it available for later analysis?精选资料-3. When dealing

21、 with electronic communities, do marketing professionalscomprehend the differences? One needs to engage the customer as part of the transaction rather than blindly mailing targets.This idea of community has been at the heart of the Internet since itsorigins as a defence and academic computer network

22、 although mostcommunities are still not particularly oriented toward commerce. However,the World Wide Web has changed and broadened the nature of theInternet and the way in which commercial transactions are conducted.The CEO of Kodakis alleged to have remarked that he couldn t tell if theKodak Websi

23、te was a money maker. But he knew it was importantbecause it was the most personal way of selling since door to doorsalesmen, only now the customers were knocking on Kodak s door.Armstrong and Hagel propose four types of non-exclusive electroniccommunities, those: interested in transactions; sharing

24、 common interests;indulging in fantasy games; and with a shared life experience. Thebusiness opportunity is for those who support and interact with thesecommunities, building customer loyalty on an ongoing basis. By satisfyingthe requirements of relational marketing and transactions, companiesmay ga

25、in important insights into their customers nature and needs. Forexample, a baby products company could entice customers to order items精选资料-from an associated on-line catalogue by providing bulletin boards for newparents.The desire to establish long-term customer relationships with increasinglysophis

26、ticated demands has led companies to seek new ways of acquiring,managing and utilising customer information (Peters and Fletcher, 1995).Furthermore, advances in information technology have fundamentallyaltered the channels through which companies and customers maintaintheir relationships. The capaci

27、ty to obtain and apply customer informationwithin processes has become a key strategic issue. This often places thecompany in the position of requiring sensitive personal information fromcustomers.Gummesson (1987, 1994, 1995) views marketing as a set of relationships,networks and interactions and li

28、sts 30Rs (relationships) in contrast toMcCarthy s (1981) 4Ps (Product, Price, Place & Promotion). Gummessonhighlights the fact that the electronic relationship is not discussed in themarketing literature even though it is practised widely by manybusinesses. He links relationship marketing to the

29、 imaginary (similar to avirtual or network) organisation. He argues that by increasingly applyingIT, more relationships are established. They create a new type of bond tocustomers and between employees.精选资料-The electronic relationship extends beyond the bounds of the organisationinto the market as s

30、een in the example of airline, hotel and car rentalreservation systems. The communities established have a re-enforcingeffect. These insights force us to re-examine traditional theories ofeconomics, systems, organisations, marketing, competition andtransaction cost analysis. As the boundaries betwee

31、n firms and marketsdissolve, a characteristic of relationship marketing and networkorganisations, a new image of interaction and business is needed.The importance of information exchange in relationship marketing(particularly using an electronic channel) requires a clear understandingand recognition

32、 of the potential problems. Privacy is also an issue - what isprivate changes from one person to another as well as between differentcultures. Those who use the Internet are likely to be better educated andless willing to give information, unless they trust the recipient. Companiesneed to realise th

33、at the only reason they hold information on a customer isbecause they have a relationship with that customer - something which isnot transferable. Those using electronic channels to reach customers arelikely to target better educated and more affluent customers. They need,therefore, to ensure that t

34、heir customer information systems areappropriate.精选资料-An understanding of the trust building process is also required. Firmsneed to make a feature of their trustworthiness (a unique selling point!).Trust is best developed through processes. Processes tend to be customerfacing - within each customer

35、interaction trust is built-up or eroded.Companies must be absolutely clear about the value and intended use ofinformation. Collecting information because it is technically possible (andone day might be useful) is likely to weaken trust development.Hoffman and Novak (1996) assert that the Web heralds

36、 an evolution inmarketing concepts. In order for marketing efforts to succeed in this newmedium, a new business paradigm is required in which the marketingfunction is reconstructed to facilitate electronic commerce in the emergingelectronic society underlying the Web.The "many or any" comm

37、unication model of the Web (in fact manyinstances of many-to-one) turns traditional principles of mass mediaadvertising inside out (a one-to-many model) (Hoffman and Novak, 1994).The application of advertising approaches which assume a passive,captive consumer are redundant on the Web.Surprisingly,

38、as it is currently evolving, there is little activity aimed atincluding the consumer in the development of emerging media (Dennis &Pease, 1994). In order to adopt a market orientation, firms mustunderstand their customers and engage in consumer research. Potential精选资料-customers are most effectiv

39、ely engaged through new conversationalmarketing approaches.Anecdotal evidence suggests there are two types of customers - convenience shoppers and explorers (those street-smartconsumers who are happy to surf the Web looking for the best deal or mostappropriate product combination). Furthermore, the

40、sheer size of the Web(trillions of documents and growing exponentially) means finding relevantinformation is becoming more and more difficult - despite the best effortsof search engines such as Yahoo. Our research suggests that the largeproportion of Web users would rather rely on an intermediary (c

41、ommunityoperator) to sift and select information on their behalf. Web sites notendorsed will require knowledge of the address (URL) and are unlikely tobe accessed when similar information, products or services are readilyavailable inside the community.Contributing to the rise of intermediaries are a

42、ssociated issues of privacy,trust and security (Schell, 1996). Whilst there is much discussion on theissues of Internet privacy and security, in the context of normal businessactivities, many millions of people trust others with their personalfinancial information. Examples include ordering over the

43、 telephone,passing a credit card to an unknown waiter, even signing direct debitmandates. If an error occurs in these types of transactions we trust the精选资料-service provider to correct the error. So why is it that we expect theInternet to support a level of trust and security which we do not observe

44、 ineveryday life?There is no reason why similar trust relationships cannot be establishedin electronically mediated discussions. If anything, it becomes easier foran individual (or group of individuals) to seek retribution on those thatbreak the rules within an electronic community. Evidence of this

45、 can befound in the tendency to attack those that try to advertise on academicdiscussion groups (mail bombs) and community policing againstpornographers in the Netherlands.Marketeers must reconstruct their advertising models for the interactive,consumer controlled medium. The traditional customer lo

46、yalty ladder(Suspect, Prospect, Customer, Client, Partner, Advocate) is still applicable,but now operates in a different fashion. The first three stages are ofteninstantaneous in electronic commerce. The transition from customer toadvocate relies on loyalty earned through trust. The instantaneous na

47、tureof the Internet makes this more difficult.Communicating Across The Value ChainIt should be recognized that processes are not confined within oneorganization - they cross the value chain as demonstrated by the following精选资料-example. Steinfield, et al (1995) describe a large, multinational, electr

48、icalappliance and consumer electronics manufacturer that used FranceTelecom s Telnet system to support EDI-like connections toapproximately 10,000 separate retailers and independent serviceengineers throughout France (accessed through Minitel terminals). Theubiquitous Telnet service and the commerci

49、al applications which emergedto exploit it, provide insights into the development of commerce on aworld-wide Internet.The after-sales service subsidiary of this manufacturer providedreplacement parts and training to its widely dispersed customer base. TheTelnet system permitted electronic transactio

50、ns, even with the smallesttrading partners. Through the use of on-line ordering, coupled withcourier service for rapid delivery, the firm was able to eliminate regionalparts warehouses and reduce the average repair time from two weeks totwo days. In the past, service engineers waited until they had

51、a sufficientneed for parts before driving to a regional warehouse. Once the system wasimplemented, they used the Telnet based "just-in-time" stocking practicefor replacement parts.Moving to a centralised warehouse reduced the need for replicatedinventories and extra personnel around the country, creating substantialsavings. Moreover, service engineers were further bound-in following the精选资料-introduction of a revenue producing, expert system-based, trainingapplication. Technicians connect