E-Business and the Formation of Strategies

Abstract

During the last years e-business has become a topic that has gained much attention among scholars and practitioners, and in contemporary business different IT-applications play important roles for transactions in business to business (B2B) relations. But in business to consumer (B2C) relations the results of e-business efforts are mixed. Hence, the issue is what kind of strategic considerations a company has to do when they would engage in e-business efforts on B2C relations? The aim of the paper is to discuss a few possible points of departure for a further inquiry into the relation between a company’s strategies and e-business efforts, that could be important to pay attention to in further research on e-business and strategies, or when a company would conduct an e-business effort. The discussion takes its point of departure in different theoretical conceptions on strategy, with the intention to account for a model on strategy formation that can be valid in relation to e-business in B2C relations. The theoretical concepts are then discussed with regards to some s observations mainly build on secondary data. Built on the secondary data and the theoretical conception on strategy formation, the following topics are identified to be highlighted in the process of relating e-business efforts to a overall strategies: (1) A clear conception of the target market, (2) A consistency between the defined market and the product system to be sold, (3) An understanding of the relation between market, product and the delivery/communication system, (4) Act on the values and beliefs of the organisation.KeywordsStrategy FormationTarget MarketClear ConceptionBusiness IdeaMail OrderThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.