Maximizing Business Value Through Internet-Based Technologies

The internet provides a synthesis of computing and communication capabilities that adds value to every part of the business cycle. Companies derive significant business value from their internet-based applications, leveraging the web to enhance their operations and reach.

Internet-based technologies, such as intranets and extranets, often result in substantial cost savings. These technologies are typically less expensive to develop, operate, and maintain than traditional systems. This cost efficiency is crucial in today’s competitive business environment, where operational savings can significantly impact the bottom line.

Moreover, the internet enables companies to attract new customers through innovative marketing and product offerings. Online platforms provide an expansive reach, allowing businesses to connect with a global audience. Enhanced customer service and support capabilities, facilitated through the internet, help retain existing customers by offering convenience and improved user experiences.

Generating revenue through electronic commerce applications stands out as a primary source of business value. E-commerce websites allow companies to sell products and services directly to consumers worldwide, breaking geographical barriers and expanding market presence.

To summarize, most companies build e-commerce websites to achieve six major business values:

1. Generate new revenue from online sales by tapping into a global market.
2. Reduce costs through online sales and customer support, eliminating the need for physical storefronts and extensive customer service teams.
3. Attract new customers via web marketing, advertising, and online sales, utilizing data analytics to target specific demographics effectively.
4. Increase the loyalty of existing customers via improved web customer service and support, offering personalized experiences and quick resolution of issues.
5. Develop new web-based markets and distribution channels for existing products, reaching customers through various online platforms.
6. Develop new information-based products accessible on the web, such as digital content and subscription services, providing additional revenue streams.

In essence, the strategic use of the internet in business not only enhances operational efficiency but also opens up new avenues for growth and customer engagement.
Maximizing Business Value Through Internet-Based Technologies

Technology of scanning

A scanner is a machine that reads or ‘scans’ an image and then places it on the computer screens.

Scanners vary in terms of the image size they can scan, but a flat-bed allows full-size pages to be scanned. The fundamental concept of scanning a beam to create an image has been around for decades.

The cathode ray tube (CRT), which scans an electron beam onto a phosphor screen to create a display, is the best example of this concept.

On the simplest level, a scanner is a device that coverts light into 0s and 1s. That is canners convert analog data into digital data.

All scanners work in the same principle of reflectance or transmission. The image is placed before the carriage which consists of a light source and sensor. In the case of a digital camera, the light source could be the sun or artificial lighting.

In retinal scanning display (RSD) technology, displayed image is scanned in a raster format onto the viewer’s retina using-power red, green and blue light sources, such as lasers, laser diodes or light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Scanners come with some software to use them. The software program will have a color saturation option by which the color intensifies can be varied.
Technology of scanning

Business Use of the Internet

Business use of the internet has expanded from an electronic information exchange to a broad platform for strategic business applications.

Notice how applications like collaboration among business partners, providing customer and vendor support, and electronic commerce have become major business uses of the internet.

Other studies of leading corporations and organizations show that they are also using Internet technologies for marketing, sales, and customer relationship management applications.

However, these studies also show that the strong growth of cross functional business applications and the emergence of applications in engineering, manufacturing, human resource, and accounting. Companies are using the Internet for business in a variety of ways, including enterprise communications and collaborations, electronic commerce, and strategic business alliance.

At General Electric Co. for example customers and designers can use intranets, extranets, the internet, and project collaborations technology to help construct a power plant from the ground up to the web.

General Electric and customer engineers can now hold virtual meeting in which blueprints can be exchanged and manipulated in real time. Then customers can use the web to watch from anywhere in the world as a turbine is built and moves down the production lines, ordering at last minute changes as needed.

While General Electric’s new system should give the company a 20% and 30% reduction in the time it takes to built a turbine and could improve the annual output of each turbine by 1% to 2%. This is one of competitive advantage.
Business Use of the Internet

Geographic Information System

Geographic information Systems or geographical information system (GIS) are a special class of information systems that keep track not only of events, activities and things but also of where these events, activities and things happen or exist.

GIS is a computerized mapping system designed to capture, storage, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial or geographical data on a computer screen.

Before GIS, researchers used films and mylars ot manually overlay spatial information. The integration of spatial information with non-spatial attributes (variable) is a critical component of GIS.

Geographic information technologies are now in common usage in high-income nations for amassing detailed information that has a stationary location in common. They are also being used for the corollary of tracking mobile individuals or objects over space and time.

GIS and related technologies are becoming more available to many users in different disciplines through the World Wide Web.
Geographic Information System

Touch screen technology

The first touch screen was created by adding a transparent surface to a touch-sensitive graphic digitizer and sizing the digitizer to fit a computer monitor.

The coordinates for a touch event are processed is essentially the same way as a mouse click. If the user touch his IPad screen at the location of a button leveled Calendar, the area his touch generates coordinates and sends them to processors.

The processor compares the coordinates to the image displayed on the screen to find out what is the coordinate and then responds, in this case opening user appointment calendar.

Three types of touch screens most in use today are capacitive, resistive, and surface wave touch screens.

Capacitive touch screens
A capacitive touch screens has a layer of material that stores electrical charges coating the surface. When a finger touches the screen, it conducts a small amount of the electrical charge reducing the charge on the capacitive layer. This causes oscillator circuit located at corner of the screen to vary in frequency depending on where the screen was touched.

Resistive touch screen
The second type of touch screen is a resistive touch screen. A metallic conductive and resistive layer held apart by spacers cover a resistive touch screen.  The thin layers are separated by invisible separator dots.

When a user touches a resistive touch screen, the conductive and resistive layers connect in the location of the touch. This detected by the touch-screen controller, which interprets it as a vertical/horizontal coordinate on the screen and registers the appropriate touch event.

Surface wave technology
Surface wave technology passes ultrasonic waves over the touch screen. Touching the screen absorbs portions of the waves, which then allows the touch screen controlled to calculate the position at which the object touched the screen.

Touch screen technology has really changed the way people interact with electronic devices. Most people find it easier to point at an icon on a screen than to use a keyboard and mouse.
Touch screen technology

Computer Technologies are Available for Business

Computer Technologies are Available for Business
Information systems are used in all business domains. For example, finance uses information to forecast revenues and maximize investment, make selections on stocks and even predicts bankruptcies. Accounting uses information systems to record transactions, prepare financial statements, manage cash flow, or predict profit or loss.

In marketing, information systems are used to develop new merchandise and services, target customer segments, determine the locations for production and distribution facilities (so that the cost can be reduced and more customers will be attracted), formulate price strategies (to maximize total profits), and even develop the promotion policies (so that advertising will be more efficient). In manufacturing, information systems are used to process customer orders, develop production schedules, design new products, and test the quality of products.

In addition, network technologies allow users to share information and other resources. As a result, information retrieval can be efficient and available. Current Internet technology provides businesses with a variety of external business information.

Multimedia information transmissions (with text, graphics, image and video) are also available on the internet. With the impact of the Internet, Intranet becomes another new technology popular to business. Intranet is a small version of the Internet within one organization. It provides almost the same services as the Internet, but with better security and privacy.

Artificial intelligent technologies are also applied to business functions. Neural networks have been used to predict the stock and bond markets. Experts systems are used to help managers with financials decisions. In the future, more intelligent agents will be used in the business environment to improve the quality of services and products.
Computer Technologies are Available for Business