British Aerospace estimate that design processes are now 25 times faster. A digital shop front is much cheaper to maintain than a physical one. And a web-site allows even the smallest SME to operate as an open all hours, global business. Turnover has increased tenfold in 12 months, with new orders flooding in from around the world. Otter Water Sports Bradford company Otter Water Sports sell diving equipment worldwide via the Internet.
Intranets allow better communication, and the sharing of organisational knowledge.
The companies highlighted in Figure 3 are examples of businesses which have grasped the opportunities offered by network technology. But it is also clear that, if a business cannot bring itself to see this technology as an opportunity, it must see it as a threat. Businesses which fail to apply ICTs across their business processes will find themselves operating at a significant cost disadvantage to their competitors. And businesses which fail to embrace e-commerce will increasingly find their customer base slipping away.