E-Business as a Tool for Competition

With the advent of technology, e-business has become a crucial part of an organization’s ability to successfully gain and maintain its competitive advantage in a fast-changing world of information systems. By virtue of the Internet and various other networks, companies are able to use information technologies to support e-commerce, enterprise communications, and collaboration. One of the most implemented systems within an organization are cross-functional enterprise systems, which allow companies to utilize IT to share information and improve on efficiency and effectiveness, which are of utmost importance to their customers and help bring forth a major competitive advantage. This process typically involved installing more cross-functional client/server applications, such as PeopleSoft and Oracle, in an effort to support integrated units of business processes involved in the general operations of a business. One example of the implementation of this system is PeopleSoft’s Human Capital Management (HCM) 9.2 model, which delivers a set of human resources functionality, enabling companies to proactively manage HR operations, increase productivity, accelerate business performance, and lower ownership costs (Snider, 2013). These types of systems are beneficial for organizations, and the implementation of which provides them a competitive edge, since they help companies improve the vital business processes all across the enterprise, thus leading to improved work effectiveness, time saving, greater efficiency of organizational costs, and significant cost-saving.

Online transaction processing systems play a pivotal role in areas of web-enabled businesses, where many firms use the Internet to tie them electronically to their customers or suppliers for online transaction processing. Through these real-time systems, companies may gain a competitive advantage by providing superior customer service to customers, as well as other trading partners. This is a major tool for businesses in general, as customers essentially render a business a success or a failure in the long run. One major example of this type of a system is the implementation of Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) to support decision-making processes. The safe use of medications is an important area of concern for health care providers. In order to reduce the occurrence of medication-related errors, the Institute of Medicine recommends implementing health information technologies in conjunction with other process improvements (AHRQ, 2014). In essence, CPOE is an application that allows providers to enter medical records into a computer system that is located within inpatient or ambulatory setting. This method replaces more traditional methods of placing medication orders, such as written paper prescriptions, verbal (in person or via telephone), and fax. In turn, this process has an impact on safety, by ensuring that orders are legible and accurate.

In addition, enterprise collaboration systems (ECS) are cross-functional information systems that enhance communication, coordination, as well as collaboration among members of business teams and group works. In essence, information technologies provide us tools to better communicate in a business setting, in turn allowing an organization to effectively and successfully compete in its niche market. For instance, electronic communication tools, such as e-mail, voice mail, and faxing, allow various members of a group to effectively communicate to reach a common goal, regardless of their physical location. This speaks volumes about organizations in the modern age, and their ability to carry out common tasks from various locations. These collaborative tools, in essence, bring together people working together, sharing information, to achieve a common objective. By understanding how various processes in an organization may change, companies will understand how collaboration initiates might impact or even reduce operating costs (McDonald, 2011). For example, Microsoft’s SharePoint tool promotes new ways of working together and enables employees to easily collaborate with their team members on specific projects, find organization resources, and manage content and share ideas. According to a Forrester Research Report, companies may benefit from a return on investment of 301% and a payback period of 7.4 months when investing in this particular software (Exigy, 2015). Additionally, these types of systems allow for better branding of a company’s web presence: What used to be an arduous process, now enables any web designer with proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to brand a SharePoint site and create a public-facing or internal site that is presentable (Hassell, 2013).

In conclusion, e-businesses have brought forth numerous benefits to the daily operations of organizations. With the emergence of the Internet, companies are able to gain a competitive edge by implementing various e-business systems to help them market themselves easily and more effectively, gain a larger customer base, study their competitors, and find avenues to capitalize on their gains and minimize their costs.

Snider, E. (2013, May 1). PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 strengthens healthcare user's confidence. Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://searchfinancialapplications.techtarget.com/feature/PeopleSoft-HCM-92-strengthens-healthcare-users-confidence

Inpatient Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE). (2014, March 1). Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://healthit.ahrq.gov/ahrq-funded-projects/emerging-lessons/computerized-provider-order-entry-inpatient/inpatient-computerized-provider-order-entry-cpoe

McDonald, D. (2011, January 7). Defining and Measuring Enterprise Collaboration - Managing Technology - Dennis D. McDonald's Web Site. Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.ddmcd.com/managing-technology/defining-and-measuring-enterprise-collaboration.html

Enterprise Collaboration. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.exigy.com/Solutions/Enterprise-Collaboration

Hassell, J. (2013, February 11). 7 Things About SharePoint 2013 All IT Pros Should Know. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.cio.com/article/2388447/collaboration/7-things-about-sharepoint-2013-all-it-pros-should-know.html