Week 4 – e-Business

What is an IP Address? What is its main function?

Source: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc0760.txt
 An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network that uses internet protocols for communication between other computers. An IP address serves two principal functions. it is used to host or network interface identifications and location addressing.

What is Web 2.0, how does it differ?


Web 2.0 is a set of economic, social and technology trends that altogether creates the basis for the next generation of the internet. This is a more mature, distinctive medium characterised by user participations, openness, and network effects.


Differences between Web 2.0 and 1.0 shows that the web is no longer about linking text, it's about linking people. from double click to Google Ad sense, from Ofoto to Flickr, from Akamai to Bittorrent, from Mp3.com to Napster, from Britannica online to Wikipedia, from personal websites to blogging, from page views to cost per click, from screen scraping to web services, from publishing to participating, from content management systems to wikis, from directories to tagging and from stickiness to syndication.


What is Web 3.0?


Web 3.0 can be described as the evolution of web usage and interaction among several different paths. This includes transforming the web into a database, an evolutionary move towards artificial intelligence and an evolution towards 3D.


Describe the different methods an organisation can use to access information?


Intranet: an internalised portion of the internet, protected from outside access which allows organisations to access information and application software to only its employees.


Extranet: an intranet that is available to strategic allies.


Portal: a generic term for a technology that provides access to information such as email, online forums, search engines and online shops


Kiosk: publicly accessible computer system set up to allow interactive information browsing.


What is e-Business, how does it differ from e-Commerce?


e-Business: the conducting of business on the internet, which includes buying and selling, serving customers and collaborating with business partners. The main difference between e-business and e-commerce is that e-business also refers to online exchanges of information rather than just online transactions.

List and describe the various e-Business models?

Business to business: applies to businesses buying from and selling to each other over the internet.


Business to consumer: applies to any business that sells its products or services to consumers over the internet. This is done through e-shops and e-malls


Consumer to business: applies to any consumer that sells a product or service to a business over the internet.


Consumer to consumer: applies to sites primarily offering goods and services to assist consumers interacting with each other over the internet.

List 3 metrics would you use if you were hired to assess the effectiveness and the efficiency of an e-Business web site?


 Cookie;


 Click-through; and


 Banner-ad.

Outline 2 opportunities and 2 challenges faced by companies doing business online?


Highly accessible: businesses can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.


Increases convenience: businesses, both small and large can reach new markets.


Customer protection: consumers much be protected against unsolicited goods and communication, illegal or harmful goods, insufficient information about goods or their suppliers, invasion of privacy and cyber fraud.


Increasing liability: e-business exposes suppliers to unknown liabilities because internet commerce law is vaguely defined and differs from country to country. The internet and its use in e-business have raised many ethical, social and political issues such as identity theft and information manipulation.