E-BUSINESS AS A SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of the relationship between e-business benefits and competitive advantage. Different approaches of authors towards e-business and competitive advantages have been analyzed and summed up, the analysis of the e-business impact on usual business processes has been outlined, resource-based as well as M. Porter’s approaches to competitive advantage were compared. The model relating positive impact of e-business on nine different business processes and competitive advantage was developed. The model may be integrated into broader research framework constructed for the analysis of e-business development and its role in gaining competitive advantage in any industry. Although many studies confirmed that e-business solutions have a positive impact on various business processes e-business benefits do not necessarily lead to the increased profits and/or sales, thus the association of e-business value with the competitive advantage should be made with caution.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.18.1.3669