A Managerial Perspective on E-Commerce: Adoption, Diffusion and Cultural Issues

Abstract

From a trading perspective, Internet-based e-commerce (electronic commerce), the most widely known form of e-commerce, refers to the exchange of products and services via electronic networks that may include value-added networks (VANs), the Internet, corporate intranets and extranets. E-commerce can be described and discussed from a strategic perspective using the ICDT framework (information exchange (I), communication (C), distribution (D) and transaction (T)) as well as the Four Layer framework. This chapter aims to discuss the issues of adoption and diffusion of e-commerce at the macro level in relation to the Four Layer and the ICDT frameworks. The influences of cultural differences among countries on diffusion and success of e-commerce are briefly discussed in relation to organisational models of national cultures. Future areas of research are pointed out at the end.