Emerging Technology and Trends Paper XXXXXXXXXXXX BIS/375 University of Phoenix November 2011 Instructor: XXXXXXXXXXXX E-business has come a long way since its inception back in the 1990’s. Many companies have had great success implementing e-business processes. The supply chain management process has also expanded its role thanks to e-business processes and e-commerce.
Business opportunities based on e-business continue to grow as e-business and e-commerce continue to expand to different markets globally and locally.In this paper, the author will evaluate the effect of emerging technology trends on e-business and SCM (supply chain management). The author of this paper will use Groupon as an example of emerging technology trends on e-business and SCM. Groupon was founded in 2008 in Chicago and offers services or goods from local and non-local businesses to customers at reduced prices. Groupon, an e-business service to businesses handles the ads, marketing, promotion, and SCM of the coupons/vouchers being sold.
Groupon presents a unique opportunity for businesses interested in selling their services or goods online through a extremely popular site.Groupon allows non-tech savvy businesses to turn to e-business processes to make money for everyone and saving its customers money in return through word of mouth recommendations and repeat business. Groupon handles the SCM through is website, doing most of the work for the business. It is as if Groupon is the storefront where a customer purchases a service or product. Groupon then issues a voucher or coupon for the customer to redeem at the business site or online store.
The business is paid based on how many vouchers or coupons Groupon sold minus the fees that Groupon keeps.The business keeps track of its sales for its SCM processes to meet the demand and deliver its services or products to its customers. Through a new e-business concept businesses have increased their revenue while Groupon handles part of the SCM (delivering the coupons and collecting payment). Businesses that never sold online are now able to reach customers once thought difficult to reach. Many businesses have had to update their SCM processes due to the difference when selling online as opposed to only through a brick and mortar storefront.
For example, a business that may never had used the internet and is selling through Groupon, is now using the internet to reach out to customers and using e-business solutions in the process. The businesses SCM processes have also likely been introduced to the internet in some way or form, either through sales tracking, reporting, delivering, and ordering. To conclude, e-business, e-commerce, and SCM continue to grow and morph as new opportunities present themselves. Companies must adapt to the changes and embrace the changes or risk becoming obsolete in the global e-business and e-commerce world we live in today.
Groupon caught the world by surprise with how its services provided businesses the opportunity to use e-business service to sell globally and locally. In this paper, the author evaluated and presented the effects of emerging technology trends on e-business and SCM (supply chain management). Research shows that e-business and e-commerce will continue to grow provided if there is a need and money to be made. The SCM process has no choice but to keep up with new opportunities and new processes.
Companies like Groupon redefine e-business opportunities and the SCM processes.What may be next in the future surely brings excitement in the e-business world. References Cohan, P. (2011).
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