E-business, short for electronic business, refers to any kind of business or commercial transaction that includes sharing information across the internet. It is the administration of conducting any business using the internet, extranet, web, and intranet. E-business is similar to e-commerce, but it encompasses much more than online purchasing transactions. Some key features of e-business include:
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Online business processes: E-business involves conducting online business processes on the web, internet, extranet, or a combination thereof. These processes include buying and selling goods and services, servicing customers, processing payments, managing production and supply chains, collaborating with business partners, sharing information, running automated employee services, and recruiting employees.
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Business activities: E-business refers to using the internet to conduct business activities such as purchasing and selling goods and services, advertising, and more.
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Business processes: E-business differs from e-commerce as it does not only deal with online transactions of selling and buying a product and/or service but also enables the conduct of business processes (inbound/outbound logistics, manufacturing & operations, marketing and sales, customer service) within the value chain through the use of information and communication technology.
E-business is conducted by any for-profit, governmental, or nonprofit entity, and their processes include production-, customer-, and internal- or management-focused business processes. The internet has had a powerful impact on the demands of customers, suppliers, and vendors, each of whom is ready to do business 24/7.
