Use of Information Technology, the Internet, and Enterprise
Resource Management
Perhaps the most fundamental of all business changes in recent years has been the increasing
use of information technology, the Internet, and performance management systems. This
new economy is reflected in the rapid growth of Internet-based firms (companies such as
Amazon, eBay, and Google); the increased use of the Internet for communications, sales, and
business data processing; and the use of enterprise management systems. These technologies
have fostered the growing strategic focus in cost management by reducing the time required for processing transactions and by expanding the individual manager’s access to information
within the firm, the industry, and the business environment around the world