Electronic Commerce:
Opening Up New
Opportunities for Business
Edited by Paul
Timmers, Brian Stanford Smith & Paul T. Kidd
2001, ISBN 1-901864-04-9
Preface
Electronic commerce is not just about buying goods over the Internet,
such as ordering books, clothes or tickets on-line or even downloading
products like software. When, in 1994, Arthur Andersen (the auditors
and financial advisers) used group conferencing tools, to electronically
link its world wide partners who were developing a vision for
the future, it too was conducting electronic commerce. Businesses,
daily, make commercial transactions with customers, and undertake
internal activities such as new product development or strategic
reviews. If, in performing these actions, they use information
and communication technologies to link together different groups,
then they are engaging in electronic commerce.
Electronic commerce is of course over promoted and over sold.
We are told that the Internet, with its information banks, email
and world wide web, etc. will enable entirely new ways of working
and that a radically different future awaits us. There is of
course some truth in this; the potential of electronic commerce
is only limited by the imagination of those who participate in
its uptake and application. However, before one can move towards
new methods of working, many barriers need to be overcome, not
the least of which is our tendency to view information and communication
technologies as the means of continuing to do exactly what we
do now, only faster and cheaper. But there are also other barriers,
and this book addresses some of them - strategic, policy, legal,
wider awareness and acceptance, and so on.
Electronic commerce can be of particular importance for small-
and medium-sized companies (SMEs). It offers them many possibilities
to reach customers world wide, develop their competitive advantage
and collaborate effectively with other businesses. However, SMEs
can lack adequate resources to overcome the hurdles, such as
the complexity of doing business internationally, language and
cultural barriers, costs, and others. This book has been supported
by the G8 Global Marketplace for SMEs Pilot Project which addresses
these issues and sets out to provide SMEs with practical information
about electronic commerce in the emerging global digital economy.
This is not an instruction manual telling you what to do and
when to do it; that could only be properly compiled after an
understanding or each company's individual needs and aims. This
book is a basis for understanding; an awareness of the issues,
the possible advantages and potential problems. It should stimulate
readers to evaluate their own situations and be better placed
to make judgements and decisions. The papers have been organised
into four sections:
-
- Part one deals with business and policy
issues. This aims to give an overview of the potential for electronic
commerce, the technical, legal and organisational barriers that
still need to be removed, and the requirement to use information
and communication technologies within the context of a broader
strategy.
- Part two addresses some legal aspects
and the issue of security. The problems addressed in this section
include new legal liability that might arise from the use of
the world wide web and the legislative developments needed to
enable electronic manuscripts to have the same legal standing
as paper documents. It considers also the importance of using
tools such as cryptography to ensure safe and secure electronic
transactions, as well as international developments to produce
secure electronic links.
- To achieve general acceptance electronic
commerce has to be global. Part three deals with electronic commerce
in developing nations. Papers here describe work being undertaken
to introduce electronic commerce in Eastern Europe as well as
the Mediterranean area, including countries in North Africa.
Cultural, political, economic, and technological aspects are
among the issues discussed in this section.
- The final part examines the ways of achieving
greater acceptance. Part four, deals with applications and awareness.
There are case studies of applications, descriptions of benefits
and lessons learnt and recommendations. Some papers address the
issue of awareness, describing actions being taken to inform
small business about electronic commerce and the potential benefits,
as well as actions being undertaken, sometimes with support from
governments and other agencies, to support the implementation
of electronic commerce in small firms.
Many of the contributors hold senior positions
in their respective companies and organisations. This gives the
book both a high level dimension as well as a practical orientation.
Taken together these two aspects should provide the reader with
a good overview of many of the issues involved, while at the
same time providing practical insights into the applications
of electronic commerce.
This book was produced as part of a European Commission funded
project within the Esprit programme.
Paul Timmers, The European Commission
Brian Stanford-Smith, Stanford Taylor Matchet Ltd
Paul T. Kidd, Cheshire Henbury |