ebusiness
...5 billion in revenue between them, but lost around $1 billion. Intranets Intranets use Internet technology but are limited to a particular organisation. They are becoming increasingly popular within organisations as a source of information and as a communication tool. The use of intranets to facilitate internal marketing will be discussed in the next section. Like the Internet itself, an intranet can work all over the globe for a company that has offices based in several countries, meaning that it is not constrained by geography. The main benefits of an intranet to the organisation are improved competitiveness through operational efficiency and productivity. An intranet can also create a culture within the firm that is conducive to information sharing and collaboration. Internet Marketing defines an intranet as a: 'network within a single company which enables access to company information using the familiar tools of the Internet such as web browsers. Only staff within the company can access the intranet, which will be password protected' (p.12). The distinction between intranets and extranets is important. An extranet is: 'formed by extending the intranet beyond a company to customers, suppliers, collaborators or even competitors. This is...