[8] 2002 e-business-strategies-for-virtual-organizations

Moving from e-business to i-business strategies in virtual markets
this system may be actually reducing the costs implied by legal
contractual arrangements in place between producer and
consumer. In many cases, electronic sites will continue to
complement existing physical infrastructures but certainly
restructuring of the processes is likely and the networked
organization needs to be fully aware of the impact of such
changing relationships.
5.14 Strategies for i-business
i-business involves collaborations among multiple organizations
with several complex economic, strategic, social and
conflict management issues as well as major organizational
and technological factors. Planning and managing such systems
requires an integrated multi-dimensional approach across
the IOS.
As a first step the following questions need answering:
� What do consumers ideally want to buy?
� What business should I be in?
� What are my current core competencies?
� What are the opportunities for new products or service
lines?
� What are the opportunities for new business channels?
� What is the most effective value proposition in the short,
medium and long run?
� What roles should I play – make, sell or service – and who are
my customers?
� Who are my competitors, and how do I need to be
positioned?
� What is my operating model?
� With whom should I partner/network?
Your answers, if they are guided by a deep understanding of
the economic implications and opportunity of the e-economy,
will produce a very different picture of your company from
the one you see today. Bring that picture to life with a
compelling, enterprise-wide vision for your future in the
e-economy; you’ll need this vision to bring everyone on board
who will help you get there. For many companies, achieving
that vision will require building greater expertise in the
strategic and operational application of technology – which,
for better or for worse, is driving the rapid evolution of
e-commerce. But you’ll certainly need to temper that technology
focus by applying cross-disciplinary, cross-functional and
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