Study project (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The exponential growth of the Internet in the 1990's has seen the advent of buying
and selling products and services over the Internet. While buying and selling over
the Internet has grown dramatically, so has been the failure of ventures that were
started to sell goods or services over the Internet. To make sense of the confusion,
the challenge is to assess the strategic thinking behind business on the Internet, and
to examine how a successful implementation of e-business could be related to the
classic strategic analysis tools of Michael Porter. To make the study more relevant to
the South African situation, the main objective of the study is to arrive at a practicai
set of guidelines that managers of South African companies can use to assess the
strategic impact of e-business on their company.
To realise the main objective, and to arrive at a sound theoretical background to the
research problem, a literature study presents the worldwide view of researchers
regarding the strategic impacts of e-business. The findings are as follows:
• E-business leads to more intense competition. As more transactions take
place electronically, transaction costs as well as profits are expected to
decrease. As a result of decreased margins, higher levels of market
competition can ultimately lead to cost cutting strategies and the need for
increased production efficiency.
• E-business allows companies to save communication cost and to improve the
efficiency of the value chain. This impacts the relationship with suppliers and
customers, and cost savings are found especially in procurement, distribution
and seiling.
• Improved linkages in the value chain can result in cooperative, long-term
relations, ana ultimately strategic relationships, integrated processes and
outsourcing. The role of intermediaries is redefined as a result, towards the
areas of matching, facilitation and regulatory functions.
An empirical field investigation is conducted, where the competitive forces and value
chain modeis are quantified as a set of ordinai levei attributes. Based on the
literature study, the impact of e-business is then defined as a set of expected changes to the attributes of the two models. A survey questionnaire is designed,
where respondents indicate the impact of e-business on their company as a set of
increases and decreases to the constituents of the five forces and value chain
models. Finally, responses to the survey are compared with predicted values to
determine the impact of e-business on South African companies.
Empirical research reveals that industry attractiveness is not materially affected by ebusiness:
Surprisingly, the threat of new entrants is decreased, and the bargaining
power of buyers can be also be reduced in certain conditions, but other competitive
forces yieid no positive result. The rules of competition are therefore not impacted to
the extent that there are new sources of competitive advantage, although the overall
result is more favourable than expected. Systematic increases to the value add and
outsourcing of value chain activities, on the other hand, show that e-business can
enhance the eXisting competitive advantage of a business by improving process
efficiency and reducing communication costs.
The results of the empirical research are used to provide some practical conclusions
and recommendations. In brief, e-business should be seen as a channel that
enhances an existing offering, and not as a new source of competitive advantage.
From an operational perspective, e-business can make processes more efficient, and
reduce communication, information gathering as well as transaction costs. Rapid
feedback and real-time information can increase the rate of innovation and
differentiate services, especially through partner networks.
Keywords: E-business, Internet, strategy, information, technology, competition,
competitive forces, value chain. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die eksponensiële groeitempo van die Internet in die 1990's het die koop en verkoop
van produkte én dienste op die Internet meegebring. Terwyl handelop die Internet
dramaties toegeneem het, het die hoeveelheid mislukte besighede ooreenkomstig
gestyg. Ten einde sin te maak van dié verwarrende prentjie, is die uitdaging om die
strategiese denke onderliggend aan besigheid op die Internet the bepaal, en dan af
te lei hoe die implementering van 'n suksesvolle e-besigheid verband hou met die
klassieke strategiese analise-modelle van Michael Porter. Om die studie meer van
toepassing op Suid Afrika te maak, sal die hoofdoel wees om praktiese riglyne te vind
wat Suid-Afrikaanse bestuurders in staat sal stelom die strategiese impak van ebesigheid
op hulle onderskeie maatskappye te bepaal.
Ten einde die hoofdoel te verwesenlik, en om 'n grondige teorietiese raamwerk vir
die navorsingsprobleem te bewerkstellig, word die werk van navorsers regoor die
wêreld in 'n literatuurstudie aangebied om 'n algemene indruk te kry van waar ebesigheid
die aard van kompetisie sal beïnvloed. Die bevindinge is soos volg:
• E-besigheid lei to verhoogde kompetisie. Soos meer transaksies elektronies
plaasvind, word verwag dat transaksiekoste sowel as winste sal afneem. Laer
winsgrense kan lei tot hoër vlakke van mededinging, wat uiteindelik strategieë
van kostebesnyding en verhoogde effektiwiteit tot gevolg kan hê.
• E-besigheid stel maatskappye in staat om op kommunikasiekoste te bespaar,
en om die effektiwiteit van die waardeketting te verhoog. Dit lei tot nuwe
verhoudings met verskaffers en kliënte, en uiteindelik tot kostebesparings
veral in aankope, verspreiding en verkope.
• Verbeterde koppelings in die waardeketting kan samewerking en langermyn
besigheidsverhoudings tot gevolg hê, en gevolglik tot strategiese verhoudings,
geïntegreerde prosesse, sowel as ontbondeling van sekere
besigheidsaktiwiteite lei. Die rol van tussengangers word as gevolg hiervan
herdefinieer, en beweeg stelselmatig daarna om bloot kopers en verkopers te
verbind, sowel as om fasilitering en regulatoriese funksies te vervul. 'n Empiriese veldondersoek word uitgevoer, waar die kompeterende kragte en
waardekettingmodelle gekwantifiseer word as 'n stelordinale elemente. Gebaseer
op die literatuurstudie, word die impak van e-besigheid dan gedefinieer as 'n stel
verwagte veranderinge in die elemente wat die twee modelle verteenwoordig. 'n
gestruktureerde vraelys word daaruit ontwerp, waar respondente die impak van ebesigheid
op hulle maatskappye aandui as 'n stel verhogings en verlagings van die
elemente van die kompeterende kragte en waardekettingmodelle. Die uiteinde is 'n
statistiese vergelyking van die antwoorde op die vraelys met die verstekwaardes
aangedui deur die werke in die literatuurstudie, wat dan gebruik word om die impak
van e-besigheid op Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye te bepaal.
Empiriese navorsing dui aan dat die aantreklikheid van 'n industrie nie veel beïnvloed
word deur e-besigheid nie. Verbasend genoeg word die bedreiging van nuwe
kompeteerders verlaag, en in sekere gevalle kan die onderhandelingskrag van
kopers ook verlaag word, maar die oorblywende kragte lewer nie 'n positiewe
resultaat nie. Die reëls van kompetisie word dus nie tot die mate beïnvloed dat daar
geheel en al nuwe vorme van kompeterende voordeelonstaan nie, hoewel die
algehele uitkoms meer positief is as wat in die literatuurstudie aangedui is.
Sistematiese verhogings in beide die waardetoevoeging en ontbondeling van
waardeketting-aktiwiteite, aan die ander kant, dui aan dat e-besigheid die bestaande
kompeterende voordeel van 'n maatskappy kan verhoog deur die effektiwiteit van
prosesse te verhoog en kommunikasiekoste te verlaag.
Die voorafgaande empiriese resultate word gebruik om sekere praktiese
gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings te maak. Kortliks behoort e-besigheid gesien te
word as 'n nuwe kanaal wat 'n bestaande produk kan verstewig, en nie as 'n totaal
nuwe bron van kompeterende voordeel nie. Operasioneel kan e-besigheid prosesse
meer effektief maak, en ook kommunikasie, inligtinginsamelings- en transaksiekoste
verlaag. Vinnige terugvoer, sowel as oombliklike toegang tot inligting, kan die
innoveringstempo verhoog en dienste differensieer, veral deur 'n netwerk van
vennote.
Sleutelterme: E-besigheid, Internet, strategie, inligting, tegnologie, kompetisie,
kompeterende kragte, waardeketting.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53643 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Truter, Dion |
| Contributors | Fourie, Louis C. H., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 115 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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