Currently, there is no clear and unambiguous definition of the concept of “business technology”, it (the concept) is rather vague and applicable to the most diverse actions. But at the same time, there is no doubt that business technologies exist as a phenomenon that is quite large-scale, popular, applicable in practice, and sometimes clearly structured.
If, nevertheless, we assume that the “decoding” of the term is important, then the concept of business technologies can be defined with a high probability of accuracy in the following words – this is a set of methods, techniques, innovations, technical and mental solutions that contribute to the development of a business, expand its capabilities and create for him new perspectives.
Currently, there are many business technologies that can be called justified, well-established and have received worldwide recognition. At the same time, new mechanisms and developments continue to appear, and, as it seems, the process of development of such technologies has no designated end.
Business Technology Goals
The tasks assigned to this type of methodological discipline are reduced to the functions of promoting commercial activity in those segments of the market process that were inaccessible to it in the traditional form of doing business.
The tasks of the technologies under consideration can be specified as follows:
Search for innovative solutions in the relationship between business and consumer.
Optimization of income through non-standard forms of interaction with other participants in the market environment.
Improving the efficiency of the staff.
Development of new types of business strategies.
Search for non-traditional ways to enhance the marketing effect.
This list can be continued and detailed, but the whole essence of business technologies ultimately comes down to helping to increase business profits, which is the very reason for the existence of the latter.
The most famous business technologies
Here we consider several types of business technologies that at one time had the status of “know-how”, but have justified themselves historically and are currently, in fact, phenomena integral to the economy:
Franchising. The essence of this entrepreneurial interaction lies in the fact that a company that has improved its technologies, conquered the market by a certain measure, achieved marketing success and created a certain brand, expands its profits due to a kind of passive income. It invites lesser-known businesses to take advantage of the business system it has already formed.
adopt proven methods and conduct business on behalf of this company, while remaining an independent unit. Such interaction, as a rule, is mutually beneficial, since the franchisee (buyer of the brand) uses an already proven scheme, and the franchisor (company with the brand) receives income (royalties) from the sale of the franchise (license).
Leasing. This technology has significantly expanded the scope of lending, as it has provided the parties with the opportunity to transfer credit relations to a new plane. The essence of leasing is that one party acquires certain property and transfers it to the use of another party, which, as a result, must make regular payments in favor of the lessor. If this technology was previously applicable exclusively in the sphere of relations between legal entities, now the so-called consumer leasing is becoming more common.
Outsourcing. This kind of business technology has allowed large companies to ease the internal organizational burden by shifting it onto the shoulders of their counterparties. The meaning of interaction lies in the fact that the company delegates certain functions or parts of the business to a contractual entity.
which takes over the organization of this segment of activity, and itself concentrates the use of its production and human resources on achieving higher business goals. For example, a company outsources bookkeeping management to third-party specialists or entrusts other persons on a contractual basis with the maintenance of its information systems.
Factoring. Like leasing, the considered business technology has simplified the activities of structures tied to lending. In cases where there are receivables that adversely affect the possibilities of financial turnover, factoring allows you to “sell” this debt on a commission basis to a third party. In such cases, the company quickly replenishes its liquid assets and reduces the cost of maintaining accounts, while the other side of the factoring makes a profit in the form of full repayment of receivables.
You can supplement this list with such world-famous technologies as crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, out staffing, and so on, but it makes no sense to list all successful business technologies, because they are just a model, not a paradigm.
The latest trends in business technology development
Like any other form of social activity, business technologies are subject to the influence of general progress and technical innovations. If earlier such technology as video marketing was impossible due to the non-existence of video shooting itself, now it has been fully implemented around the world and is used by millions of enterprising people. As well as advertising products with the help of videos, other technological methods of business development are emerging.
The main place is now occupied by the so-called e-commerce (or e-business), when using interactive networks new opportunities are achieved not only in marketing or trade, but also in the movement of funds, consumer banking and even services, from crafts to insurance. This is an example of how industrial technologies become assistants to business technologies, allowing the transfer of hitherto local business projects to a global environment.
At the same time, business technologies develop on their own and without the involvement of modern technical innovations, an example of which is the so-called co-marketing, a concept that has recently appeared when market participants combine their efforts to promote products. Increasingly.
manufacturers of often different services are creating advertising alliances, thereby exchanging consumer audiences, as it were. The process of improving old business technologies also continues, when the already familiar outsourcing constantly takes on new forms, gradually turning into separate holistic areas.
Summarizing, it can be noted that business technologies are not only existing methods of non-standard business development, but also a constant and dynamic search for new solutions based on commercial experience and deep knowledge of market mechanisms.
