ICT and e-Business Impact in the Furniture Industry - empirica

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ICT and e-business impact in the furniture industrydownloaded from the programme's website at www.ebusiness-watch.org. In 2007/08, thefocus is on the following sectors and specific topics:No. Sector / topic in focus NACE Rev. 1.1Reference to earlierstudies by SeBW1 Chemical, rubber and plastics 24, 25 2004, 20032 Steel 27.1-3, 27.51+52 --3 Furniture 36.12-14 --4 Retail 52 2004, 20035 Transport and logistics services 60, 63 (parts thereof) --6 Banking 65.1 20037 RFID adoption and implications (several sectors) --8 Intellectual property rights forICT-producing SMEs9 Impact of ICT and e-business onenergy use10 Economic impact and drivers ofICT adoption30.01+02, 32.1-3, 33.2+3;64.2; 72 (parts thereof)------The SeBW presents a 'wide-angle' perspective on the adoption and use of ICT in thesectors studied. Studies assess how ICT is having an influence on business processes,notably by enabling electronic data exchanges between a company and its customers,suppliers, service providers and business partners. The underlying conceptual frameworkis explained in more detail in the following section. In addition, the studies also providebackground information on the respective sectors, including a briefing on currenttrends.1.3 ICT and e-business – key terms and conceptsA definition of ICTThis study examines the use of information and communication technology (ICT) inEuropean businesses. ICT is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide array ofsystems, devices and services used for data processing (the information side of ICT) aswell as telecommunications equipment and services for data transmission andcommunication (the communication side). The European Information TechnologyObservatory (2007) structures the ICT market into four segments with an estimated totalmarket value of about € 670 billion in 2007 (Exhibit 1.3-1).In its widest sense, 'e-business' refers to the application of these technologies in businessprocesses, including primary functions (such as production, inbound and outboundlogistics or sales), and support functions (such as administration, controlling, procurementand human resources management). Companies in all sectors use ICT, but they do so indifferent ways. This calls for a sectoral approach in studies of ICT usage and impact.The following section introduces a wider framework for the discussion of e-businessdevelopments that will be used in the following analysis of the furniture industry.13
ICT and e-business impact in the furniture industryExhibit 1.3-1: The EU ICT market according to EITO (2007)MarketsegmentICTequipmentSoftwareproductsIT servicesCarrierservicesProducts / services included (examples)Computer hardware, end-user communicationsequipment (such as mobile phones), officeequipment (such as copiers) and datacommunications and network equipment (suchas switching and routing equipment, cellularmobile infrastructure)System and application softwareConsulting, implementation and operationsmanagementFixed voice telephone and data services, mobiletelephone services, cable TVSource: EITO 2007Market value for EU (2007)(EITO estimate)€159 billion€76 billion€140 billion€293 billionGaining momentum after a phase of disappointmentWhen the bust phase of the previous economic cycle – commonly referred to as the 'neweconomy' – started in 2001, the former internet hype was suddenly replaced by awidespread disappointment with e-business strategies. Companies adopted a morereserved and sceptical attitude towards investing in ICT. Nevertheless, ICT has proved tobe the key technology of the past decade (OECD 2004, p. 8), and the evolutionarydevelopment of e-business has certainly not come to an end. The maturity of ICT-baseddata exchanges between businesses and their suppliers and customers, fostered byprogress in the definition and acceptance of standards, has substantially increasedacross sectors and regions over the past five years. In parallel, recent trends such as'Web 2.0' and social networking are widely discussed in terms of their businessimplications and it is widely recognised that 'e'-elements have become an essentialcomponent of modern business exchanges. In short, e-business has regainedmomentum as a topic for enterprise strategy both for large multinationals and SMEs."Measurement of e-business is of particular interest to policy makersbecause of the potential productivity impacts of ICT use on businessfunctions. However, the ongoing challenges in this measurement field aresignificant and include problems associated with measuring a subject whichis both complex and changing rapidly."OECD (2005): ICT use by businesses. Revised OECD model survey, p. 17Companies use ICT in their business processes mainly for three purposes: to reducecosts, to better serve the customer, and to support growth (e.g. by increasing their marketreach). In essence, all e-business projects in companies explicitly or implicitly addressone or several of these objectives. In almost every case, introducing e-business can beregarded as an ICT-enabled process innovation. Understanding one's businessprocesses and having a clear vision of how they could be improved (be it to save costs orto improve service quality) are therefore critical requirements for firms to effectively useICT.14
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