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Electronic commerce and its various applications from online auctions to
business-to-business buying is revolutionizing organizations in the 21st
century.
Consumers worry about security, and businesses continually need to improve online
services and add value-added services to stay competitive. Businesses of all size,
from the Fortune 500 to small businesses, are all getting into the business of electronic
commerce. The following book is a compilation of essays about the most recent and
relevant aspects of e-commerce. The authors of the following chapters discuss the
most current theories for business thinking about e-commerce and practical suggestions
for improving existing e-commerce initiatives. The research is the most up-to-date
and is useful for academicians who are teaching and studying the trends within the
electronic commerce industry. As electronic commerce throughout the world
reaches into the billions and even trillions of dollar industry, the research contained in
this volume will prove to be invaluable to business persons, researchers, teachers and
students alike.
Chapter 1 entitled, “Cyber Shopping and Privacy” by Jatinder N.D. Gupta and
Sushil K. Sharma of Ball State University (USA) focuses on privacy issues that arise in
cyber shopping. The authors address the fundamental questions of how an online
shopper can keep information about his/her Internet browsing habits safe and how to
insure safe buying. The authors specifically review the recent publications on privacy that
have appeared in various journals.
Chapter 2 entitled, “Structural Influences on Global E-Commerce Activity”
by M. Lynne Markus of City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) and Christina
Soh of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) argues that global information
management researchers should not lose sight of structural conditions related to
business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce activity. The authors
discuss the implications of structural conditions, namely physical, social and economic
arrangements, that shape e-commerce. The authors argue that these conditions vary
from location to location and are not necessarily based upon natural culture.
Chapter 3 entitled, “Social Issues in Electronic Commerce: Implications for
Policy Makers” by Anastasia Papazafeiropoulou and Athanasia Pouloudi of Brunel
University (United Kingdom) examines how social concerns such as trust and digital
democracy pertain to all levels of Internet and electronic commerce policy. The
authors discuss different scenarios that influence the construction of an effective and
socially responsible strategy for electronic commerce.