Conventional Business Organisations And Online Stores
The paradigm shift is a noteworthy characteristic at a time when a very momentous change is about to take place. Most of the time, a paradigm shift involves a discontinuity in the normal order of events. This concept is very critical in understanding the way electronic businesses emerged and how they have gained popularity (Stroud 2002, p 145). Traditionally, the physical presence of a customer was necessary for purchasing a certain product or service. However, with the advent of information technology, the business has gone online. Products are now displayed on the internet where shoppers can do their browsing and view the available offers. Later on, they can also make purchases on the internet (Stroud 2002, p. 145).
There are some very distinct differences between the conventional brick-and-mortar business style and the e-business style. The latter has additional benefits in comparison with the conventional way of doing business (Stroud 2002, p 145). Online stores have reduced operational costs and can cover a very wide geographical area. Shopping can be done at any time. As a result, an increasingly higher number of potential customers can be reached (Malhotra 2000, p. 5). Competition is very high as many businesses are venturing into online business.
On the other hand, conventional business organizations enjoy greater customer loyalty since they offer a tangible and real display of their products. Such stores are often easy to locate and the products can be scrutinized first hand (Malhotra 2000, p. 5). However, the process of opening up a store requires so much dedication in terms of time, money, and effort. It’s also expensive to operate and maintain. The Public sector in the UK has been urged to post its services online for effective delivery (Malhotra 2000, p. 12). This is projected to offer speedy services delivery and it would be convenient since it would cut down costs like traveling ns waste of time.
The Role of ICT’s in the Virtual Environment
Information communication technology (ICT) technology has a lot of other benefits apart from economic advancement, time and distance management. The new technology can now support organizations. A virtual organization is one such achievement (Loveless 2003, p. 23). Through this, people can work together in groups or teams despite being in totally different places or at different time horizons. This technology has been warmly embraced by international firms because it has the potential to reduce the time needed to complete pending projects (Loveless 2003, p. 23).
Firms operating in such an environment would need middleware since it would be very useful in making the connections so that the machines can interact. Web servers can be integrated to offer better service (Pauleen 2004, p. 67). Types and ranges of middleware commonly used include orientated data access (SQL), message-oriented middleware, and object request Broker, among others. Groupware enables a group of people to work together to function effectively and collaborate in real-time. Examples of groupware include Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. Meetings can be made possible by Microsoft NetMeeting (Kangas 2003, p 78). Data mining is analyzing data from a different source from different perspectives and coming up with useful information. There are new technologies for use like massively Parallel Processors.
The Service-Oriented Architecture is a very important technology for integration and effective interoperability in any organization (Kangas 2003, p 78). It is better than local area networks (LANs) in an environment where reciprocated functionality is involved.
Reference List
Kangas, K., 2003, Business Strategies for Information Technology Management. London: Idea Group Inc (IGI).
Loveless, A., 2003. The Role of ICT. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Malhotra, Y., 2000, Knowledge Management For E-Business Performance: Advancing Information Strategy To “Internet Time”, 2000. London: CRC Press.
Pauleen, D., 2004, Virtual Teams: Projects, Protocols and Processes. London: Idea Group Inc.
Stroud, D. 2002. The Impact of the New Technologies – Permanent Paradigm Shift or Transitory Aberration? Henry Stewart Publications. Interactive Marketing, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 143 – 156.