e-business is not all that rosy. Doingbusiness in the electronic mode suffersfrom certain limitations. It is advisableto be aware of these limitations as well.(i)Low personal touch: High-tech itmay be, e-business, however, lackswarmth of interpersonal interactions. Tothis extent, it is relatively less suitablemode of business in respect of productcategories requiring high personaltouch such as garments, toiletries, etc.(ii)Incongruence between ordertaking/giving and order fulfilmentspeed: Information can flow at the clickof a mouse, but the physical delivery ofthe product takes time. Thisincongruence may play on the patienceof the customers. At times, due totechnical reasons, web sites takeunusually long time to open. This mayfurther frustrate the user.(iii)Need for technology capabilityand competence of parties toe-business: Apart from the traditional3R’s (Reading, WRiting, andARithmetic), e-business requires afairly high degree of familiarity of theparties with the world of computers.And, this requirement is responsible forwhat is known as digital divide, that isthe division of society on the basis offamiliarity and non-familiarity withdigital technology.(iv)Increased risk due to anonymityand non-traceability of parties:Internet transactions occur betweencyber personalities. As such, it becomesdifficult to establish the identity of theparties. Moreover, one does not knowe-business is not all that rosy. Doingbusiness in the electronic mode suffersfrom certain limitations. It is advisableto be aware of these limitations as well.(i)Low personal touch: High-tech itmay be, e-business, however, lackswarmth of interpersonal interactions. Tothis extent, it is relatively less suitablemode of business in respect of productcategories requiring high personaltouch such as garments, toiletries, etc.(ii)Incongruence between ordertaking/giving and order fulfilmentspeed: Information can flow at the clickof a mouse, but the physical delivery ofthe product takes time. Thisincongruence may play on the patienceof the customers. At times, due totechnical reasons, web sites takeunusually long time to open. This mayfurther frustrate the user.(iii)Need for technology capabilityand competence of parties toe-business: Apart from the traditional3R’s (Reading, WRiting, andARithmetic), e-business requires afairly high degree of familiarity of theparties with the world of computers.And, this requirement is responsible forwhat is known as digital divide, that isthe division of society on the basis offamiliarity and non-familiarity withdigital technology.(iv)Increased risk due to anonymityand non-traceability of parties:Internet transactions occur betweencyber personalities. As such, it becomesdifficult to establish the identity of theparties. Moreover, one does not know even the location from where the partiesmay be operating. It is riskier, therefore,transacting through internet.e-business is riskier also in the sensethat there are additional hazards ofimpersonation (someone else maytransact in your name) and leakage ofconfidential information such as creditcard details. Then, there also areproblems of ‘virus,’ and ‘hacking,’ thatyou must have heard of. If not, we willbe dealing with security and safetyconcerns of online business.(v)People resistance: The process ofadjustment to new technology and newway of doing things causes stress andeven the location from where the partiesmay be operating. It is riskier, therefore,transacting through internet.e-business is riskier also in the sensethat there are additional hazards ofimpersonation (someone else maytransact in your name) and leakage ofconfidential information such as creditcard details. Then, there also areproblems of ‘virus,’ and ‘hacking,’ thatyou must have heard of. If not, we willbe dealing with security and safetyconcerns of online business.(v)People resistance: The process ofadjustment to new technology and newway of doing things causes stress and sense of insecurity. As a result, people may resist an organisation’s plans of entry into e-business. (vi) Ethical fallouts: “So, you are planning to quit, you may as well quit right now”, said the HR manager showing her a copy of the e-mail that she had written to her friend. Sabeena was both shocked and stunned as to how her boss got through to her e-mail account. Nowadays, companies use an ‘electronic eye’ to keep track of the computer files you use, your e-mail account, the websites you visit etcsense of insecurity. As a result, people may resist an organisation’s plans of entry into e-business. (vi) Ethical fallouts: “So, you are planning to quit, you may as well quit right now”, said the HR manager showing her a copy of the e-mail that she had written to her friend. Sabeena was both shocked and stunned as to how her boss got through to her e-mail account. Nowadays, companies use an ‘electronic eye’ to keep track of the computer files you use, your e-mail account, the websites you visit etc
