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Category: E-Commerce System Development
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9787-4.ch052
INTRODUCTION
A crucial factor in transforming a traditional Business Environment (BE) into an innovative and lean
e-business/e-commerce architecture platform, is the role of the e-Business Transformation Manager
(e-BTM); who should be assisted with an efficient framework that includes a central decision making
module. A just-in-time framework can change the e-business/e-commerce architecture transformation
project’s outcomes. The e-BTM’s role is crucial for the finalization of the implementation phase of the
very complex e-business/e-commerce transformation project (e-BTP). During this phase the e-BTM’s
decisions can be made in a just-in-time manner. There is a need to govern (or control) the e-business
and e-commerce transformation project. Unfortunately an adaptable decision making module for such
e-projects is quasi non existent. A decision making environment can be also used in the e-commerce’s
production phase which comes after the finalization of the implementation phase of e-BTP. This re-
search phase’s focus is on the Architecture module of the Selection management, Architecture-modeling,
Control-monitoring, Decision-making and Training management Framework (SmAmCmDmTmF; for
simplification reasons, in further text it will be referred to as the Environment) supports the e-BTP archi-
tecture activities. In this chapter the authors present a set of e-commerce managerial recommendations.
BACKGROUND
E-BTPs are very difficult to implement, because of their complex and holistic nature, where the big part
of complexity is met in its technical implementation phase (Watt, 2014; Gudnason & Scherer, 2012). The
Environment can be applied to all e-business/e-commerce business models (Joseph, 2014). E-Business
refers to any business conducted using different types of electronic media; where the most common
form is the business that makes its business transactions and revenue via the world wide web that is
based on internet technologies (e-business, 2014). The development and evolution of e-Business related
fields like e-commerce are a fundamental factor for any economy. E-Business/e-commerce related fields
added significant savings in the building of business infrastructures where they are also an enabler for
optimized decision making and support quicker response to market requests. Market requests known as
e-transactions are essential for all e-business related interactions (Kalpić, 2011).
The technical implementation phase of an e-BTP is the major cause of high failure rates in e-business/e-
commerce transformation projects. That is why the e-BTMs’ skills should encompass knowledge of:
The E-Business Transformation
Framework for E-Commerce
Architecture-Modeling Projects
Antoine Trad
IBITSM, Switzerland
Damir Kalpić
University of Zagreb, Croatia