E-Business Essay Example for Free

E-Business Essay A Brick and Mortar business is a physical store or office usually referred to by people belonging to the online network. It is very important to know that Brick and mortar establishments have several advantages compared to online businesses. They are less likely to disappear overnight, and hence people have more trust and assurance with them. People are more likely to physically meet the businessmen and respond with them in case an issue arises. In case of any problem, the customer would like to meet a senior and responsible individual from the company (such as a manager or the executive) and resolve the issue. However, having a brick and mortar business alone would have several problems. People from other areas (other than the local area) would not be able to access the services of the company. Traveling to the office and doing business could lead to a lot of stress and waste of time and resources. The process of doing an offline business is highly manual. Hence, it would be ideal if the company has both, an online business and a brick and mortar business (to supplement the needs of each forms of business) (Teo, 2003 Osgoodby, 1996). Several travel companies such as Expedia, Hotwire. com and Cheaptickets. com, operated brick and mortar services and soon began to launch their own websites. This was basically done to alter the supply chain (various processes and technologies that existed between the supplier and the customer whilst providing the services were altered in a systemic manner). The web enabled services form the center of all digital activity of the company and could provide cost-effective services. The online services provide the companies with a lot of flexibility in providing their services. The businesses are constantly in strong control over their services. Launching online services would seem to improve the efficiency and would provide a lot of benefits. Web technology provides the company an opportunity to modify the business strategy without spending much in terms of financial resources. The company is in a better position to compete with others. The speed at meeting the demands of the customers was drastically improved by having online services, as business could be conducted in an organized and efficient manner. Customers were in better control to make decisions. Studies have shown that the customer satisfaction levels drastically improved. Besides, the businesses were in better control to manage their operations and logistics. The companies were in a better position to sell their products or services faster to a much more global customer network. The paperwork required to conduct online business was minimal. Companies were also able to showcase their products better through online means (InfoScaler Technologies, 2004).