Li & Fung opposed this view, stating that the key to its business was not hardware but information and its application to the management of client's supply chains. The company believed that instead of being a threat, the Internet and e-commerce would offer more opportunities by helping it drive supply chain costs down and integrating management of'supply chain via IT. Analysts too felt that this was true. They said that the real value of Li & Fung's business model lay not just in its ability to link suppliers and buyers, but in ity.power to• influence suppliers and manufacturers, with whom the company had a strong relationship of trust.