Lecture Six

The Web-Enabled Enterprise

Web Technologies: A Review• Several standards and technologies enable the

Web to deliver rich information, including:– HTTP, HTML, XML– File Transfe– Blogs– Wikis– Podcasting

HTTP• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): transfer

and download Web information• HTTPS: HTTP secure for confidential data

exchange• Uniform Resource Locator (URL): unique

address given to each Web site– IP address: a special numeric address

• Domain name: unique name for a Web site, constructed with letters– URL also refers to the domain name

HTML and XML

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): helps developer create Web pages– Determines look and location of content

• Extensible Markup Language (XML): enables creation of various data types– Conveys the meaning or content of the data

• XHTML: combination of XML and HTML– Uses opening and closing tags to control format

File Transfer

• File Transfer Protocol (FTP): used to transmit whole files– Used in all downloads from Web sites– Any type of file can be transferred– Can place files on a server for shared use– Often used to deliver purchased software

products on Web sites

Blogs• Blog: contraction of “Web log”– Invites surfers to post opinions and art– Focuses on a topic or set of topics– Trackback: a tool that notifies bloggers when their

posts have been mentioned elsewhere on the Web• Blogs are often used by businesses• Importance of blogs to commercial organizations

is to find out what blog participants think and say about the organization

Wikis

• Wiki (from Hawaiian, meaning “quick”): Web application that enables users to add to and edit the contents of Web pages– All the software required to edit the Web pages is

embedded in the pages themselves• Wikipedia: a popular online encyclopedia• Wiki technology is a popular ingredient in

groupware (software used for collaboration)

Podcasting

• Podcast: publishing sound and video on the Web for download– Usually on a subscription basis

• Uses include:– “Time-shifted” broadcast of radio station

programs for later listening

Proprietary Technologies

• Proprietary technology: intellectual property of developer, not free for all to use

• Examples:– Local search engine– Shopping cart applications– Wish lists– Video streaming tools– Tools to analyze and predict Web visitor behavior,

especially shopper behavior

Web-Enabled Business

• Web-enabled business are classified according to the interacting parties:– Business-to-business (B2B)– Business-to-consumer (B2C)– Government-to-business– Government-to-consumer

B2B Trading• Business-to-business (B2B): trading between

businesses only• B2B forms include advertising through:– Search advertising: advertisements placed on a

search site result page– Banners: images placed on Web sites that link to a

company site selling a product or service• Impression: occurs when a page with a banner is

downloaded• Reach percentage: the percentage of Web users

who visited a site in the past month

B2B Trading (continued)• Exchanges and auctions act as online marketplaces• Intranet: network used only by employees of an

organization• Extranet: network shared by employees of

different organizations, usually business partners• Exchange: extranet for organizations that deal in

products and services of a particular type– Exchange operator profits from transaction fees

• Auction: sells a great variety of items

B2B Trading (continued)

• Online business alliances: collaboration between businesses in establishing a Web site– Site operator works for the allied companies– Suppliers are invited to sell through the site and

compete among themselves, driving prices down

B2C Trading

• Business-to-consumer (B2C): trading with the general public

• Fulfillment activities: picking, packing, shipping

• Consumer profiling: know customers better by gathering information about their online activities– Some consider this a violation of privacy

• Conversion rate: the proportion of site visitors who make a purchase

Rules for Successful Web-Based Business

• Business success depends on availability and use of software

• Elements needed to support B2C commerce:– Targeting customers– Capturing the customer’s complete experience– Personalizing the service– Shortening the business cycle– Let customers help themselves

E-Commerce is Every Commerce

• Web technologies have been highly integrated into the business world– Difficult to identify which business activities are on

the Internet and which are not• Web has been highly integrated into daily

activities of customers also• Commerce and e-commerce generally have

the same meaning today