Evolving the social business

Abstract

The use of Web 2.0 technologies, in particular, Social Media tools, are rapidly increasing. Accordingly, the distinction between personal and professional lives is blurring, as users incorporate the advantages of SM into their work environment. Companies have begun to integrate Web 2.0 technologies into their business activities, as the expectation from employees, customers and partners increases. One of the ways to aid integration with these technologies is to use a stages of growth framework as a guideline for future implementation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriateness of Earl's [1] model, as companies evolve using Web 2.0 technologies. Earl states that when companies reach the full transformation stage of the e-business model it is necessary to revisit the six stages as technologies evolve and try to adapt to the latest demands from customers, suppliers, partners and employees.