eCommerce
The overall structure of the global economy is rapidly changing. In what once was primarily limited to consumer transactions, a new industrial sector is emerging. This is driven by the convergence among computing, communications and manufacturing organizations. It is the combination of these technologies/skills, the alliances/partnerships between companies from various sectors and large investment capital that will effectively revolutionize the entire eCommerce concept.

Through NorthStar's eBusiness Migration Model, we help you establish the first step in the model of an eCommerce site, leading to a full eBusiness environment.

eBusiness
There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the terminologies associated with eBusiness and eCommerce. While eCommerce is an important component of eBusiness, it is only one element. In the case of many manufacturing organizations, it is not necessarily the most important element. There is a conscious shift toward customer-centric, multi-channel eBusiness applications.

eBusiness is defined as the strategic use of information and communication technology to interact with customers, prospects and partners through multiple communication and distribution channels. eBusiness-enabled organizations maintain a continuous dialog with their value chain about the selection, use, enhancement and replacement of products and services. This capability to both capture and manage information across channels enables organizations to derive maximum value from every interaction and to continually improve the quality of the customer experience. Through NorthStar's eBusiness Migration model, we enable companies to become truly eBusiness-enabled.

Connectivity
In conjunction with the overall eBusiness Migration Model, NorthStar's approaches this activity as a Relationship-Centric Initiative. The first step is to identify the information generated within each functional area of the organization.
We then create interdepartmental entity relationship models based upon the needs for various levels of information. At this stage, we develop the appropriate connectivity model to facilitate effective knowledge management between these internal groups including Field Sales and Support. This also serves to create, or would be compatible with, existing Contact Relationship Management (CRM) or Sales Force Automation (SFA) Initiatives.

The goal is to identify individual sources of information, transform that information into knowledge and then manage that knowledge stream to facilitate better business decision-making capabilities.

Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management is the capacity of an organization to create knowledge and use it to strategically adapt to its environment or marketplace. Ultimately, all companies are seeking to manage knowledge in order to gain competitive advantage in their respective markets. However, not all knowledge is created equal.

There must be a mechanism to distinguish between different types of knowledge, segment into a hierarchical structure and understand the value of specific knowledge to the organization. Knowledge is an asset, but its effective management requires the investment of other assets, namely money and labor.

One of the most valuable assets companies have is the knowledge of their employees. In addition to their employees, organizations must incorporate an ongoing business intelligence component to their knowledge system. This focuses on best practices capture and transfer.

Simply put, knowledge increases when shared. The goal is to facilitate the creation, distribution and use of knowledge by everyone in the organization; to make knowledge as attractive and accessible as possible. They will need the right hardware and software tools to do that.

NorthStar, through a series of tools and assessments, works with you to develop the ability to distinguish between different types of knowledge as well as create the "right path" to developing the strategic practices needed to manage knowledge. We will also train your employees in the various methods of capturing, packaging and categorizing knowledge.

Organizational Empowerment
As effective as the Relationship Network System is internally, its real strength lies in the ability of an organization to now share information and knowledge with their key supply chain partners. This technology represents a gigantic leap forward and forms the foundation for the implementation of a true eBusiness Transformation Initiative.

The XML architecture allows for seamless integration of a variety of software applications across organizations. Value is immediately evident in the reduction of resources and time, and increased efficiencies along the entire supply chain continuum. NorthStar's role is to coordinate these activities and assure they are implemented within the framework of a fully integrated Strategic Plan.