SMEs and the Internet: Re-Engineering Core Business Processes and Defining the Business Proposition for Success

Abstract

This chapter provides in-depth profiles of two representative small firms and one medium-sized firm from a variety of industry sectors in order to delineate the workflow processes, cost structures, and other aspects about these companies that affect their e-commerce potential. We seek to identify specifically how SMEs can feasibly re-engineer and engage in e-commerce. We consider re-engineering internal business processes as a prerequisite for firms trying to move to e-commerce on the Internet. However, even after re-engineering has occurred, our primary data gathered from key cases—Schober’s Machine and Engineering, a small business that designs and builds custom-engineered machines; Castle Press, a small firm specializing in high-quality printing; and Dilbeck Realtors, a medium-sized real estate brokerage—all show that the value proposition for e-commerce still has yet to be realized.