e-Marketing

The company website is the gateway to Internet marketing, so it is important to promote it in a variety of ways that will be explained later. Selling online can be an interesting option, but this decision should only be taken after considering the pros and cons that it involves. To conclude, we will talk about the e-marketing plan, which should guarantee that the objectives, strategies, and actions of online marketing are coherently integrated with the offline marketing plan.

Analysis of the Variables which Determine a Good E-Marketing Strategy

Internet marketing covers all aspects related to the promotion and sale of a product or service through the Internet. This chapter demonstrates how adequate planning is fundamental in a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) to increase sales. The objective is to analyze the aspects which must be taken into consideration when developing a good e-marketing strategy and to study some of the different alternatives that the Internet and e-marketing make available to us: e-mail marketing, viral e-marketing, geomarketing, and positioning within search engines. Also the concept of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) will be analyzed. The leap into the global market is not easy and the reduction in budgets has inspired marketing professionals to adopt strategies which can be measured and the results controlled, pointing out that the online tactics and tools used by the vast majority of marketing professionals in their strategic plan are banners, search engines, and e-mail.

An Open Source e-Procurement Application Framework for B2B and G2B

Since the early 1980s, Open Source Software (OSS) has gained a strong interest and an increased acceptance in the software industry that has to date initiated a “paradigm shift” (O’Reilly, 2004). The Open Source paradigm has introduced wholly new means of software development and distribution, creating a significant impact on the evolution of numerous business processes. In this chapter we examine the impact of the open source paradigm in the e-Procurement evolution and identify a trend towards Open Source e-Procurement Application Frameworks (AFs) which enable the development of tailored e-Procurement Solutions. Anchored in this notion, we present an Open-Source e-Procurement AF with a two-phase generation procedure. The innovative aspect of the proposed model relates to the combination of the Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approach with the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm for enabling the cost-effective production of e-Procurement Solutions by facilitating integration, interoperability, easy maintenance, and management of possible changes in the European e-Procurement environment. The assessment process of the proposed AF and its resulting e-Procurement Solutions occurs in the context of G2B in the Western-Balkan European region. Our evaluation yields positive results and further enhancing opportunities for the proposed Open Source e-Procurement AF and its resulting e-Procurement Solutions.

Cross-Site Scripting

As any other computer program, Web applications are susceptible of including vulnerabilities that may not only disrupt the provided service, but also facilitate private and personal information to an attacker. As these applications are usually public or even publicized, attacks are expected to be more and more frequent, making it necessary to supply the means to provide an adequate level of security in the utilization of Web applications.

Critical Success Factors to Yield Business Benefits from Semantic Technologies

The purpose of this chapter is to explore opportunities offered by and issues associated with the use of emergent semantic technologies in enhancing an enterprise’s business position. These technologies include a foundation level set of standards and descriptive languages supporting interpretive connections to applications. The chapter is more oriented towards applications and the human side of the human/machine interface. We draw on both the literature and case material available to us as active practitioners to illustrate benefits realized and potential barriers to the uptake of semantic technologies. Critical success factors are related to user learning capabilities, the establishment of trust in the technology and its providers, and factors influencing the nature of potential engagement with users and markets.

Market Research 2.0

This chapter examines the possibilities of conducting market research in Web 2.0 environments, with a focus on implications for small to medium-sized companies. The chapter discusses how companies can undertake market research using Web 2.0 platforms, explores how these tools can facilitate successful and appropriate market research design, and examines the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative “Research 2.0” techniques appropriate to a Web 2.0 environment. The chapter also presents examples of companies that are using these tools successfully for market research and discusses advantages and barriers in adopting these tools, including privacy, ethics, and legal implications of this type of research.

E-Procurement System and Adoption for SMEs

An electronic procurement (e-procurement) system is an electronic based procurement style that facilitates effective communications along the entire supply chain. E-procurement accelerates SMEs (small and medium size enterprises) at a reduced cost. The purpose of this chapter is to show that adoption of an e-procurement system is essential in the supply chain for SMEs and to find solutions in order to make using this system as easy as possible. The adoption should be considered as a re-engineering process from an innovative perspective. An adoption plan is proposed within the study. It contains three phases: 1) identification of the e-procurement process, 2) seeking integration points with other elements of the system, and 3) IT implementation of the integration areas. The study also proposes to use business process management tools that have workflow engines and Web service implementations for integration points. Although BPM (business process management) tools are seen as quite expensive to SMEs, there are also dependable free licensed ones. The study is concluded with a case-study that is implemented with a free-licensed BPM tool for proof-of-concepts.

Ontological Representation of Virtual Business Communities

Business knowledge that is embodied in texts such as business news and companies profiles has become widely accessible to the business community, as well as to the general public, mostly due to the growing popularity of the Internet. The field of efficient information retrieval and knowledge discovery from textual data is an increasingly important research topic driven by the Internet growth and easy access to very large business directories on the Internet. To become acquainted with a particular domain and to better understand the underlying concepts, domain knowledge can be represented by ontologies. In addition, ontologies can be used for identification of potential links in virtual business communities and for decision support when searching for right business partners, which is very relevant to small to medium-sized enterprises. Potential applications range from dynamic supply chain configuration to building consortia as quick responses to business opportunities.

Contact Centers

Often, small and medium enterprises consider the possibility of creating their own contact centre as a tool to improve the customer service. They pose some important questions about business and technical aspects: Why should we use a contact center solution? Which technologies, architectures, and solutions are available? Which key issues should be analyzed? The chapter provides specific information and practical guidelines about Contact Centers based on a literature review and interviews made to contact center business consultants specialized in the small and medium enterprises sector. The goal is to help top management and Information Technology responsible in making the best technological choices and methodological approaches.

Key Contracts Needed for SMEs Conducting e-Business

In order for a small to medium enterprise (SME) to conduct business electronically, that SME requires the establishment of a website. This requires agreements relating to (1) website development, (2) website hosting (3), Internet access, and (4) online content and advertising. The chapter will provide a practical guide from a UK law perspective for a SME in relation to the issues which should be considered when contracts for the above mentioned services are negotiated. The chapter does not cover the issues relating to how the SME should set up its arrangements with its own customers (for example, through website terms and conditions) nor does it consider e-commerce legislation required when conducting business on the Internet.