This chapter introduces the fast-changing world of business applications of information technology, which increasingly consists of what is popularly called e-business applications. Remember that e-business is the use of the Internet and other networks and information technologies to support electronic commerce, enterprise communications and collaboration, and Web-enabled business processes both within a networked enterprise, and with its customers and business partners. In this chapter, we will explore some of the major concepts and applications of e-business. We will begin by focusing in Section I on information systems that support activities in the functional areas of business. Section II introduces concepts and examples of cross-functional enterprise systems, which serve as a foundation for more in-depth coverage of customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and supply chain management in Chapter 6.

This section introduces you to concepts and examples of cross-functional e-business applications that redefine the traditional models of the business functions we discussed in Section I. These cross-functional enterprise applications are integrated combinations of information subsystems that share information resources and support business processes across the functional units of the business enterprise and extend beyond to customers, suppliers, and other business partners. Thus, this section provides you with an overview and examples of several cross-functional enterprise systems. You will then be ready to explore other key enterprise e-business systems in more depth in Chapter 6.