Core and Support Processes A business engages in many activities in order to satisfy the customer. It is important for the company to distinguish between its core and support processes. The core processes are the basic activities that have to be carried out by the business to provide the good or service to the customer. They include activities such as production, order processing, marketing and selling the products to the customer. The support processes on the other hand refers to activities carried out by the organization to assist in carrying out the core processes. The support processes include activities such as human resource, accounting and information technology. Support                    Firm Infrastructure Activities                                     Human Resource Management Technology Development    Procurement               Core                       Inbound Logistics    Operations  Outbound   Marketing and  Service Activities                                                  Logistics  Sales                   (Porter, 1985) Internet Technology, Communication and E-business The internet refers to the interconnection of computer networks at a global level through the use of electronic and wireless capabilities or technologies. The communication is made possible through complex hardware and software infrastructure. The internet technology provides internet protocol addresses to workstations which enable the users to access the internet. The internet has a lot of information which is accessed through inter-linked hypertext documents which are available in the World Wide Web. The information is accessed by the use of a web browser which is a software application. The internet also has the capability to support electronic mail. Communication is enhanced as people send emails to each other through sites such as Yahoo and Gmail. Businesses are now using the internet for their business activities. They are able to set up websites where the customers query on the products and purchase them electronically. E-business allows transactions to be handled through the internet. A business may also use internet technology to set up an intranet which is a computer network that uses the internet technology within an institution. Only the employees of the organization can access the site. Employees are able to interact and communicate with each other. Strategies to reduce variation in a business process There are two types of variation in business processes. The common causes of variation are caused by the process of production. It is the responsibility of management to inspect the process by use of control charts, redesign the process and reduce the variability (Deming, 1982). Control charts provide a clear picture to management on the process methodology. The management should calculate the averages and the control limits. If the common causes of variation are below the control limits, the process is considered to be stable. The process is also considered to be consistent and predictable therefore offering high productivity and low costs. The second type of variation is known as the special causes of variation. They are caused by abnormalities. They are caused by events that were not part of the process. It is not poss