E-Business and E-Commerce Strategy

EMBA2002 E-Business and E-Commerce Strategy Professor M. Shaw

Final Examination

Executive’s Name: ______

This is a take-home examination, due noon April 12 (a hardcopy of your answers to be submitted to the EMBA office by noon April 12).

References:

Get the Right Mix of Bricks & Clicks, Ranjay Gulati and Jason Garino, Harvard Business Review, pp. 107-114, May-June 2000. (Discussed in Lecture 6)

E-Hubs: The New B2B Marketplaces, Steven Kaplan and Mohanbir Sawhney, Harvard Business Review, pp. 97-103, May-June 2000. (Discussed in Lecture 10)

Part 1: (Read: Get the Right Mix of Bricks & Clicks, Ranjay Gulati and Jason Garino, Harvard Business Review, pp. 107-114, May-June 2000. (Discussed in Lecture 6))

1. In terms of the degree of integration between the physical stores and the Web channel, rank the following four company’s e-commerce strategy on a scale from 1 to 4. (Assign a

“1” to indicate the most integrated. Assign a “4” to integrate the least integrated.)

______Office Depot

______Barnes & Noble

______Toy “R” Us 2. Name two advantages that Office Depot has for it to integrate its physical-store and

Web channels.

3. An example of integrated Web and physical-store channel strategy can be this: A customer can serve the Web site to research the possible options, check the availability of various products s/he has in mind. While the Web site can be used for on-line ordering, if s/he wants to get the ordered items instantly, s/he can check the Web site to ensure they are in stock in the local store and go pick them up.

Using Office Depot as an example, identify three more ways to integrate the physical-store and the Web channel operations. 4. Rite Aid opted to import internet expertise by buying 25.3% stake in Drugstore.com.

Identify two examples how they build synergy between the physical drug stores and the

Web channel

Part 2: (Read: E-Hubs: The New B2B Marketplaces, Steven Kaplan and Mohanbir Sawhney, Harvard Business Review, pp. 97-103, May-June 2000. (Discussed in Lecture 10))

5. What are the two types of business purchases?

______

______6. What is the full name behind the term MRO? Which of the above two types of business purchases does the purchases of MRO items belong to?

7. What are the two major ways for a business to make its purchases? 8. Fill out in the following 2x2 matrix the four types of B2B hubs

9. Which two of the four types of B2B hubs allow companies to smooth out peaks and valleys in the demands and supplies?

10. Which one of the four types of B2B hubs is most industry specific? 11. Which two of the four types of B2B hubs are primarily for improving the efficiency and for lowering transaction costs of the procurement/ fulfillment processes?

12. What are the two types of market making mechanisms in B2B e-hubs? Compare their differences.