Once they get their toe in the water, they stay there. We just completed a survey of commodity manufacturers, asking how much they planned to sell via the 'net in 2003. They said about a third, because they have no choice. A big piece of the market will be there, so they have to be there. If we look at how business operates today, organizations dominate business operations.
Processes run horizontally, as opposed to the vertical structures.
When you look across different companies, it looks the same way. There are stovepipes. Business activity runs across companies and runs across external organizations, and that's where the 'net comes in. The horizontal lines run across suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers. The real work in the 'net area is for processes.