| The Internet has provided another approach to utilizing information through its various services such as E-mail, file transfer protocol (FTP), and the World Wide Web (WWW). Today, thousands of business around the world have adopted the Internet as one of their communications strategies to lower inventory costs, strengthen collaboration, and improve marketing channels. To keep abreast of their international business competitors, some businesses in Taiwan have paid close attention to the Internet's leading edge, while others still ignore this critical communications technology. The purpose of this study is to get a clear view of the Internet's impact on Taiwan's businesses and to provide guidance to the executives of companies that want to use the Internet as one of their information strategies.; This is a case-based study in which 20 chief information officers (CIOs) from 20 corporations selected from “Taiwan's Top 1,000 Businesses, 1996” were interviewed for their evaluations of the Internet's services and the impact of those services on the three sections of Porter's value chain: supplier, firm, and customer. Four Internet contributions—time limitation, cost savings, easy accessibility, and productivity improvement—were selected as variables to verify the three hypotheses posed in the research. Participants were asked two questions: what impact has the Internet had on their businesses, and how have they used the Internet? Statistical methods were used to test the significance, data dispersion, and coefficient variation of data sets collected through participants' answers to the two questions.; Despite differences in business size and type, in the study, the participants unanimously confirmed the four Internet contributions to the three business value chains. The evaluation of the Internet contributions to the firm value chain scored highest; the customer value chain, second; and supplier value chain, lowest. These results support the three hypotheses posed in the research. The results of the evaluation of Internet services also tell us that all the interviewees had experience with E-mail and the WWW, while certain enterprises adopted additional services to best meet their business's needs. The significance of collected data was tested by the null hypothesis, and the result was in the critical region, which means the data collected in this study are significant.; The findings tell us that the Internet can benefit businesses no matter their type or size. The businesses in Taiwan that have adopted the Internet have already realized contributions to their business's value chains through the use of Internet services, especially E-mail and the WWW. They have experienced lower communications costs, increased collaboration, enhanced management, and improved customer service. Accordingly, it is recommended that entrepreneurs in Taiwan need not remain skeptical about the benefits of the Internet. They should consider using the Internet as one of their communications strategies, especially for internal operations, since they are likely to find an Internet application that matches their immediate needs. |
