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E-Business Model Paper During the last decade the World Wide Web has completely and irrevocably changed all spheres of human life. But the impact of the Internet on the development of modern business was crucial, it helped enterprises of all sizes and types open new horizons and promote their products and services worldwide. According to the definition given by Michael Rappa a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself - that is, generate revenue. There exist a great variety of e-business models, but in this paper I will concentrate on the three main categories: B 2 B, B 2 C and C 2 C.
The brightest and the most successful representatives of these categories are such huge corporations as Intel, Eddie Bauer and eBay. In my paper I will try to assess differences and similarities of these business models and discover innovative approaches and techniques that make these companies so profitable. Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 as a manufacturer of semiconductor memory products, but already in 1971 the company introduced the worlds first microprocessor that became a turning point not only in the history of the company, but in the history of the whole information world. Now the company supplies chips, boards, systems and software building blocks for PCs and enterprise systems, networking and communications, wireless communications and computing. As a leader in semiconductor manufacturing Intel has eleven manufacturing facilities and six assembly and test facilities worldwide.
According to the information on the official web site in 2003, Intel spent $ 3. 7 billion on capital investments to help build manufacturing capacity and increase manufacturing efficiency and $ 4. 4 billion on research and development. (Intel Corporation, 2005) These investments have already become a solid basis for further growth and development of the company. The worldwide promotion and sales are performed with the help of the companys web site. Intel's mission is to be a worldwide, 100 percent e-Corporation that maximizes profitability, responsiveness and innovation (Intel Corporation, 2005). In compliance with this mission Intel has developed an infrastructure of sales and delivery of its products. All transactions are managed online. According to the latest statistics given on the site more than 60 percent of Intel's materials transactions and 85 percent of customer orders are processed electronically.
The company offers its customers various programs of membership depending on their size and type, and level of dedication. Users that joined one of the membership programs can use a variety of resources and tool that help them develop their business, increase sales and win new customers. Intel Product Dealer Program is created to help customers learn how to build, service and sell Intel products more effectively. The members of this program can benefit from advanced training, technical support, and marketing resources. Intel Innovative Technology Provider Program helps its members extend the pool of expertise and deliver better performance to customers. This program is designed for leading providers that specialize in networking, wireless or communications technologies, the Intel Innovative Technology Provider program offers its members the technical training and business resources that let them reduce costs, promote their products more effectively, increase revenues and win new markets.
Intel Premier Provider Program is designed for Intel's channel customers who have qualified for recognition as Premier Providers by demonstrating a commitment to leadership and technical expertise in desktop, server, mobile or wireless solutions (Intel Corporation, 2005). These customers have a possibility to enjoy all benefits offered by the company. Customers and business partners being the best value of the company are serviced with much care. The companys Customer Service functions round the clock. Intel is always ready to address its customers questions and concerns.
For this purpose, Shop Intel SM Customer Service is available in case a customer has a question about the order or need to return an item previously ordered. In case a customer has questions about Intel's products, he / she can contact Branded Products Presales Support line either via e-mail or by telephone. The trained employees will always answer all questions for any of Intel's networking, wireless networking, processor and motherboard products. Trying to make the shopping process easy the creators of the web site introduced an Ask a Question feature that helps quickly address customers questions and a Report a Problem feature that helps improve navigation of the site, and use customers comments and suggestions for further improvement of the site and implementation of innovative features.
Members who use the feature your shopping bag are offered a number of benefits that make cooperation with Intel very attractive. First, there is a 30 -day guarantee that lets customers return any item in good condition within 30 days of shipment date for a full refund of the purchase price. But there exists one exception with software that can only be accepted in unopened boxes. Second, there is a Great product information feature that provides customers with profound and comprehensive information about our products. It includes product features, technical specifications and system requirements.
There is also a possibility to be linked to Intel's main product sites where customers can download demos and get answers to their questions. And third, Intel offers the benefit of shipping in one business day that must be the most convincing one while choosing a business partner. It is sure to attract those who are tired of waiting too long for their order to arrive. Intel manages to process an order quickly and ship it within one day. All the features and services mentioned above has made Intel a universally recognized brand, helped its customers reduce costs, increase the effectiveness of their businesses, promoted Intel's penetration practically into all world markets and significantly increased its revenues. Eddie Bauer, Inc.
is an international retail company that offers a wide range of products from clothes and accessories to home furniture. The company has a more than 80 -years history. According to the information on the companys web site Eddie Bauer now has more than 425 stores worldwide, 100 million catalogs and online websites: eddie bauer. com, eddiebauerhome.
com, and eddiebaueroutlet. com. Eddie Bauer operates stores in the U. S. and Canada, and through joint venture partnerships in Germany and Japan.
The target audience of the web site is consumers, though the company also develops relationships with corporate consumers by introducing a program, called Corporate Incentives and offering award products, services and programs. Nevertheless, the priority remains consumers whom the company offers a great variety of clothes, accessories, gear and furnishing items. All these products are well-classified and easy to find for each consumer. The site utilizes a set of features and functions that make it very user-friendly and attract attention of consumers. First, Eddie Bauer site has a very easy to use on-line catalog with a very detailed description of each product that can be viewed with help of various tools (e. g.
a magnifying glass). Second, there is Catalog Quick Order feature, where a customer needs only to print in the numbers of a chosen item. In order to attract new customers and please the ones who are already loyal to Eddie Bauer the company arranges campaigns. As of February there is a free shipping offer and a 25 $ Spring Saving Card. A very convenient feature is a Wish List that allows customers keep track of their favorite items to buy later. With the help of this feature customers can email their ideas to friends and family, ask their opinion on an outfit or coordinate purchase with others.
Before you start using this feature you need to make an account. Compared to other organizations accounts registration with Eddie Bauer is very simple. The customer needs only to fill in his / her name, email address and password. The customers with accounts have more opportunities and can use a lot of other features that make navigation and use of the web site very convenient. Order Status and History feature lets the customer view the history of his / her orders and track their delivery. Friends and Family Address Book feature is of great use when the customer uses Wish List.
Besides there is a Reminder Service that prompts customers about special dates like birthdays and holidays and Eddie Bauer Email that informs customers about latest events and special offers. Much attention is paid to customers satisfaction. The companys policy is based on the two main principles that were first introduced in 1920 by Eddie Bauer the founder of the company. They are the companys guarantee: Every item we sell will give you complete satisfaction or you may return it for a full refund and the creed: To give you such outstanding quality, value, service, and guarantee that we may be worthy of your high esteem (Eddie Bauer, Inc. ). Customer Service is run according to these principles and offers customers comprehensive information on how to deal with the company and what additional services customer can get at Eddie Bauer. You can learn there everything about delivery, i.
e. estimate delivery costs and time of delivery, get to know how to handle charges and state sales taxes. In the rubric Ease Returns you can learn how to return a product if it is of wrong size or wrong style. The rubric Size Charts gives you a complete information about all sizes and instructs you how to measure yourself correctly. Also, you can learn here about the additional services, such as Gift Certificates, Watch Repair and Monogramming that imply customization. In 1996 after launching the web site the company got a powerful impetus in the development and expansion of its business and became a forerunner in capitalizing on the growth of online shopping.
By recognizing and meeting the changing needs of customers and adopting the latest advancements in technology, eddie bauer. com has become a successful and fast growing e-commerce based enterprise. (Yong-jong Cha and others, 2002). The web site successfully complemented and enhanced the two previously introduced sales channels, i. e. retail stores and print catalogs.
The revenues of the company increased, the web site made the brand known worldwide which will help Eddie Bauer win new markets. The development of e-commerce was a powerful impetus that not only created new business models, but also revived some well-known ones. Auctions can be a good example of such revival and the leading company that pursued this initiative was eBay. This company has become the most successful example of the C 2 C business model ever. eBay is the World's Online Marketplace for the sale of goods and services by a diverse community of individuals and small businesses (eBay, 1995 - 2004).
The number of registered members now includes more that a hundred million people all over the world. The companys mission is to provide a global trading platform where practically anyone can trade practically anything (eBay, 1995 - 2004). And eBay is making a tremendous progress on the way to this goal, as every day millions of items are listed on eBay and millions of people come to the site to buy and sell products and enjoy a great number of advantages of this type of business. eBay offers its clients a variety of educational tools, features, and services that make the processes of buying and selling on the site very quick, safe, and manageable.
The company provides its customers with such services as online payments by PayPal, tips on safe trading, and the Developers Program for community members who would like to develop their own technology solutions (eBay, 1995 - 2004). Besides customers have a possibility to choose between two ways of buying. They can either purchase items in an auction format or can choose to purchase items at a fixed price using a Buy It Now feature. The registered members are granted a variety of benefits. They can have a personalized shopping page, can save their favorite searches, receive the most-wanted-item notifications, get an access to last-minute bargains and find themselves under constant PayPal Buyer Protection. eBay always supports various community programs.
Participating in the eBay Giving Works program you can buy and sell on eBay for charity. If you introduce your friend to eBay you may earn points. Participating in the eBay Developers Community you may discuss eBay technology with fellow developers. By joining eBay's Consumer Panel you will be the first to try eBay's latest design concepts. At the website a customer can also take part in all kinds of discussion boards or share common interests with eBay Groups. All customers questions can be quickly addressed with the help of Answer Center.
An extremely powerful feature for e Bays further promotion is eBay Toolbar. It is an absolutely free tool that gives customers quick, easy access to eBay from their desktop. eBay Toolbar can be used to search for items. The feature Account Guard helps protect customers eBay and PayPal account information. With the Alerts function customers get alerts for items they are watching, bidding, etc.
The Buying Status feature tracks items being watched, those bid on and those won. Selling Status lets customers manage the items they have scheduled and sold, along with the items they are selling. The eBay Toolbar can be also customized, as it is up to the customer which buttons to use and see. Besides, eBay often practices various referral bonus programs that promote the company and win new customers. Having analyzed the three e-business models represented by Intel, Eddie Bauer and eBay, I came to the conclusion that they have a lot in common, e. g.
the set of features used by the companies is rather the same, but the peculiarities of its use and its structure are absolutely different. This can be explained by the difference in the target audience which is the defining point in building a companys strategy. Sources: 1. Alberta E-Future Centre. (2005). B 2 B Overview. Retrieved February, 23, 2005, from web 2.
eBay (1995 - 2004). eBay: The World's Online Marketplace. Retrieved February, 24, 2005, from web 3. Eddie Bauer, Inc. (2002). Company Background. Retrieved February 24, 2005, from Eddie Bauer Web site.
web Intel Corporation. (2005). Intel Corporate Overview. Retrieved February, 26, 205, from Intel Web site. web 4.
Rappa, M. (2003). Business Models on the Web. Retrieved February 24, 2005, from Managing the Digital Enterprise. web 5. Yong-jong Cha, M. , Lee, B. , Lai Luo, L. (2002). Eddie Bauer's E-Business Operations.
Retrieved February, 25, 2005, from The Global Trade, Transportation, and Logistics Studies Program at the University of Washington. web
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Research essay sample on Intel Corporation Target Audience
