Your brother owns a gourmet food company named Grandma's Treats, and he is faced with an interesting decision. He inherited your grandmother's recipe box and adapted the recipes to accommodate his wife's diabetes. You, your friends, and relatives couldn't tell that his creations were low sugar, and word of his delicious baked goods spread throughout the community. Last year, he left his full-time job to produce and sell his creations to the public, caterers, and restaurants. Recently, one of his restaurant chain clients approached him to supply all of their locations. They also suggested that he could attract more customers and operate his business more effectively if he creates a website, advertises, and sells his "treats" on the World Wide Web.
You have more business experience than your brother does, so you've offered to help him investigate this opportunity. Starting an e-business, or expanding a current business into the Internet, involves as much planning and risk as starting or expanding a traditional business. Some of the things that you have to consider include:
• The cost of the technology.
• The design of the website.
• The marketing strategies you will use.
• The choices of what to sell and how to sell it over the Internet.
• The advantages of online communication with customers and suppliers.
• The risks of doing business on the Internet.
You start exploring alternatives and seek the advice of experienced e-business professionals. There is a lot to learn, and you have heard many stories about people who have started e-businesses (or traditional businesses) and end up failing because they did not have or follow a solid plan.
You will strive to understand some of the basic principles of e-business in addition to understanding traditional business strategies so you can make wise choices as you bring your brother's business into the Information Age. The varieties of tasks you will pursue are the development of an e-commerce plan, the exploration of different technologies that are used competitively in e-business, Internet marketing strategies, security, and ethics.