There’s no business like e‐business

Seeks to address directly two assumptions that are inherent in current discussions concerning business and the role of technology. First, that business intelligence is, in fact, a feature of the business rather than the staff within that business. Businesses are simply entities with assets and capabilities but no cognitive processes, intelligence is a unique property of humans. Therefore there is a greater need to understand the social processes concerned in order to recognise this resource effectively. Second, that “e‐business” is distinct from “business”. Uses original research in the area of technological innovation as the basis for developing a wider argument with respect to e‐business. Argues that what is currently referred to as e‐business is a relatively poorly developed bundle of technologies that have yet to achieve full application in order to deliver optimum benefit. Also discusses the e‐business phenomenon, the role of technology and the importance of a social perspective of business to give more insightful understanding of the interactions between these areas.