Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
to say because it is authentic and credible, and they know that Jim would not
dare to lie to them on a public forum otherwise they would tear him down
publicly and the impact on the brand would be worse. The rules of this world
are transparency and independence of opinion and anyone who understands
this is already headed in the right direction.
Again, further analysis of online communities is provided in Chapter 3,
which is entirely dedicated to this topic.
Computing
Computing deals with the technology, programs, systems, applications,
software and other tools that make up the back office of a website, which is
required for effective functioning. Since e-business involves all electronically
mediated activities including information exchange and transactions that sup-
port a range of business processes, it is essential that the appropriate technol-
ogy powers these processes. Computing systems have the goal of enhancing
the competitiveness of a luxury brand online through innovative technologi-
cal support that may be linked to every aspect of the company's value chain
and supply chain management. It doesn't necessarily involve only using
technology to automate existing operations or processes, but also using tech-
nology to enhance and change these processes, where required. Optimizing
e-business activities through computing, particularly for luxury companies,
involves expertise in a breadth of different business areas including commu-
nications, public relations, marketing and sales, new product development,
client relationship management, manufacturing, operations and supply chain
management and inbound and outbound logistics. Computing also requires
companies to tackle the need to manage the change process necessary for
incorporating new processes and technology in multiple departments, as dis-
cussed at the beginning of this section.
Anyone that has ever been involved with programming and IT-based sys-
tems development already knows the difference between software and hard-
ware but, since this is not a technical but a business topic, it is necessary to
go the way of basic definitions. The hardware comprises multiple physical
components of a computer onto which the elements that perform the func-
tions of the computer are loaded. These elements that perform the functions
of the computer are collectively known as the software although they range
from applications to programs, firmware, middleware, systems, testware
and so on. The software has the role of ensuring the effective functioning of
the website but before this can be done, the right choices have to be made
regarding the necessary software that a website needs. For luxury websites,
the focus, of course, should be on the applications, software and systems that
would optimize the tools that have been integrated to ensure a high-impact
web experience and brand image enhancement.
