A combination of devastating advantages. It's global, so the Company that exploits the Internet potentially has global reach. The Internet never sleeps. Every second of every day, it can be serving your business (and your competitors'), while you sleep. Individuals who surf the net are volunteers, so the Internet provides access to large numbers of people who have already declared an interest in what you sell, currently at a fraction of the cost of conventional publicity and advertising. To businesses operating legacy systems, web technology offers a standard means to integrate disparate information sources and extract more value from their data, by using standardised and relatively inexpensive resources.

The cost of entry on the Internet can be very low compared to starting a conventional business. Instead of requiring a prime physical site to impress customers, the web business can be located anywhere at the lowest cost - it doesn't even have to be on the same Continent as its customers. For processing and transmitting transaction information, the Internet is the fastest publicly available medium available.

It is these advantages that make the Internet so attractive and deadly if you're caught unawares.

E-business produces a different interface to both customers and suppliers, and must have different back-office systems to support it. You have to consider customer care and support issues, returns and refunds, and a host of related matters.

The most advantageous use of the Internet requires a fresh look at every business practice you engage in, including questioning what markets you should be in and where.

The much-quoted Amazon.com is not just another bookshop that happens to work on the Web. They offer comprehensive search facilities, which the medium naturally supports. They provide reviews and contents lists. They tell you what's in stock and if not how long it will take to get a particular title. They discount, and deliver quickly. If you are shopping for content rather than beauty, this is arguably more convenient and a better service than the conventional bookshop.

Amazon.com was never a conventional bookseller. It came from nowhere, and its turnover is currently measured in 9 figures. The shares are worth rather more.

Parcels company UPS made it possible for customers to obtain documentation, book deliveries, and track them on the web. Customers liked this differentiating move a lot, and it saved money for UPS at the same time.