Planning

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Planning
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The e-businessguide

• Developed by the Department of Communications,
  Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) in
  June 2003
• Two main components
• a getting started booklet explains how to get a
  computer and get online (available from the
  e-businessguide website)
• the e-businessguide website - a detailed guide to
  using e-business

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The e-businessguide

• The e-businessguide has 6 main components

• Understanding
• Planning
• Building
• Protecting
• Managing
• Improving

This presentation covers material contained in 2.
Planning The entire presentation is available
from the e-businessguide website.
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about the topic available to download from the
e-businessguide website.
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Planning
This section of the e-businessguide covers the
following topics

• About planning
• Researching the opportunities
• Key issues to consider
• What level of e-business is right for you?
• Writing your e-business plan

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Planning

• Planning is absolutely essential to ensure that
  your precious time, money and energy is not
  wasted and that potential risks are minimised.
• The person responsible for developing the
  e-business plan must decide
• who should be involved in the process
• the responsibilities of the planning team
• what the plan is to include
• what background research is required in order
  to produce the plan
• the time-frame for delivering the plan
• how best to inform staff about the plan to
  engage them
• when and how the plan will be reviewed and
  updated

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Planning - The planning process

• Research the opportunities
• Consider the key issues
• Decide on what level of e-business is right for
  you
• Prepare your e-business plan

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Planning Researching the opportunities
There are many ways the Internet can be used to
help a business conduct its day-to-day business
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Planning Key issues to consider
The person responsible for developing the
e-business plan should consider all of these key
issues in parallel as often one issue will affect
another issue

• Innovation and imagination
• Do we need to change business processes to get
  the most out of e-business
• Need to think about the future
• Innovative and imaginative approach to tackling
  problems
• Integration with existing office-systems
• Need to address the extent of changes to existing
  office equipment, systems and procedures that
  might be required or desired
• Consult the people who carry out the day-to-day
  business activities to educate them about how the
  Internet can improve the efficiency and
  effectiveness of business tasks early
  engagement can make the process of change in
  the company smoother.
• Cont/...

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Planning Key issues to consider

• Develop a healthy e-business culture
• Characteristics
• The Internet is embraced as a way of conducting
  everyday business to the extent that it is
  practical in the organisation 
• staff are encouraged to suggest and try new ways
  of using the Web or email to improve the
  efficiency and effectiveness of the business
• staff are competent and keen users of the
  Internet and of their organisation's website
• the website is not seen as outside core business
  but part of it and supportive of it
• staff feel they have control of the website
• there is a commitment to continual improvement of
  the e-business plan.  
• How?
• Regularly communicate with staff about the
  e-business plan
• Train staff so they are not afraid to use the
  technology and can use it well
• Cont/...

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Planning Key issues to consider

• Security
• Consideration needs to be given to the security
  of your website, emails and the computer systems
  that support them. Some high-level questions
  include
• Authenticity How do I know who sent me this?
  
• Security How do I know this hasnt been
  tampered with?
• Privacy and confidentiality How do I know
  no-one else will see this?
• Knowledge management
• An e-business plan should address what
  information and knowledge will be used and
  generated by the use of Internet technologies and
  how those technologies can be used to capture
  information and utilise knowledge.
• Cont/...

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Planning Key issues to consider

• Estimating the budget
• The e-business budget needs to be estimated and
  secured each year and then managed responsibly to
  ensure that the objective for the e-business is
  achieved.
• Using a spreadsheet program as the tool, the
  following process can be used to estimate the
  annual budget
• Identify the cost centres for all aspects of the
  e-business in the nominated twelve month period.
  
• Define the individual parts of each cost centre
  (as far as practicable).
• Estimate the days involved in delivering each
  component during the period.
• Determine what functions are to be outsourced and
  what is to be done by staff.
• Apply an average hourly salary allocation, fee
  rate, cost of purchase, annual license or lease,
  as appropriate, to each cost centre.
• Factor in a contingency allowance - about 7.5.
• The sum total of these amounts provides an
  estimate of the cost of your e-business for a
  given twelve month period.

Download sample budget
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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?

• There isnt one e-business solution suitable for
  all businesses.
• Some may need an e-commerce facility whilst other
  may only require email and online banking.
• To determine the level of e-business that is
  right for you, you must
• Identify the aims of your e-business
• Identify your target audience
• Select the appropriate level of e-business

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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?

• Identify the aims of your e-business
• Is the aim of your e-business to
• raise revenue for the business
• provide information about the business to the
  public and customers
• improve awareness of the business
• create efficiencies and time-saving
• develop and provide new products and services
• open up new markets and audiences
• promote specific products and services
• improve business management and efficiencies
• educate and train customers, the public and
  suppliers
• entertain
• create debate and groups of interested people
• support specialist activities.  
• You must then prioritise this list of aims to
  create a definitive statement about the aims and
  purpose of the e-business then seek feedback
  from your business advisors

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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?

• 2. Identify your target audience
• Your e-business must be developed to meet the
  needs and expectations
• of your target audience.
• Consider the various categories of audiences you
  wish to target and then prioritise them, ie
• Points to consider
• Your website is available to anyone 24x7 even
  your competitors!
• - Different sections of your website may appeal
  to different audiences.
• Where your audience is located
• What age group(s) are you targeting and is there
  any common characteristic?

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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?
3. Select the appropriate level of
e-business There are 5 broad modes of
e-business 1. Participating mode 2.
Supporting mode 3. Expanding mode 4.
Assimilating mode 5. Transformed mode Note
many businesses will move on from one mode to the
next but not all businesses will follow this
path.The ultimate goal is not whether a
business has been transformed, but whether the
business is enjoying the optimum benefits of
e-business.
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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?

• 3. Select the appropriate level of e-business
• The mode of e-business that a business engages in
  will be dictated by a range of factors
• its aims and target audience(s) 
• types of products or services it offers
• the expectations and requirements of its
  customers and suppliers
• the industry sector in which it operates and what
  its competitors are doing online
• Internet skills and attitudes of management and
  staff
• the sophistication of the operations and use of
  technologies
• where its offices are and how many there are
• where its markets are - local, national,
  international
• its business goals and long-term plans
• the size of business
• its understanding of the Internet and the
  possibilities
• length of time in business and the economic
  environment  

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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?
Modes of e-business
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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?
Modes of e-business
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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?
Modes of e-business
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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?
Modes of e-business
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Planning What level of e-business is right for
you?
Modes of e-business
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Planning Writing your e-business plan

• The e-business plan is a document that states the
  type and level of e-business that a business
  will engage in.
• The plan will set the course for the your
  e-business over the next one to two years.
• Before you begin the plan you might want to
  contact a local e-business advisor who can help
  you with it.
• An e-business plan template is available from the
  e-businessguide website.

Download samplee-business plan
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The next stage of the e-businessguide to visit
is Building