Lack of control is seen in the fact that just under a third of those interviewed do not know what percentage of their IT budget was spent on e-Business over the last twelve months. The fact that internal politics accounts for such a high percentage means that traditional priorities are not being considered in e-Business strategies, resulting in insecurity and conflict within the organisation. Derek Sayers, ICL says, We are seeing a new breed of decision makers taking over the IT strategy from the IT specialists.
Most businesses now have a massive emphasis on the web which bypasses all other channels.
The more traditional business areas, such as the high street, may begin to fear for their existence and try to slow down the movement onto the Internet. Care must be taken to avoid internal politics becoming a serious hindrance to your business. When Thomas Cook decided to provide an Internet holiday booking service, we made sure that the people running the retail business realised that our e-commerce strategy was essential to our survival. We are now implementing a communications plan to ensure that the staff in our shops and call centres understand how the online business must work alongside the bricks and mortar and telephone sales businesses. The findings also indicate that one third of IT decision makers are either uncertain of where e-Business is going, or feel there is an insufficient return on investment to justify expenditure.