Further to these external forces that require managers to closely observe and follow every oh-so-slight move in the market, they are also pressured by its stakeholders. The Board of Directors is requested by the company's shareholders to improve efficiency and productivity, increase return on investment, decrease the introduction time of new products, continuously improve the quality system, and enhance customer service – and all this while reducing resources.
             Top management needs to provide the basis for organizational members to carry out the mandate of a faster cycle of knowledge creation and action based on this new knowledge. Internet technologies offer a range of potentially useful applications to organizations in many different industries. Simple Internet applications such as e-mail can facilitate communication within distributed multinational corporations. Related networked applications can simplify flows of information among elements of a single organization and among multiple organizations. Real-time teleconferencing technologies can support meetings involving individuals located in different cities. Direct capture of sales information can enable retailers to streamline the delivery of inventory and forecast purchasing patterns. New automation systems can allow for distributed management of supply chains, support of human resource functions, and exchange of contact and other sales information. Internet technologies appear !
             to have enhanced organizational performance by lowering costs, increasing efficiency, differentiating products and services, or creating broader markets. Leading users of these technologies have found that the value of the Internet lies not simply in automating existing business processes but in creating new means of interaction between suppliers and consumers of products and services, often with significant implications for industry structure.
             Even though managers are faced with great ...