Overview of E-Partnerships: Definitions and Patterns

Abstract

In the past decade, many significant changes have affected the business environment, including globalization of economies, the fast growth of electronic business, dramatically increased competition in most industries and sectors and rapidly evolving technology innovations. As globalization increasingly permeates the world markets, competition is no longer limited to that between individual businesses, but now exists between the entire supply chain. Equally, the convergence of IT and communication and the advent of the Internet have impacted dramatically on almost every aspect of our lives. Indeed, the Internet and WWW have been seen as the catalyst for radical change in businessactivities and business processes. The digital world offers a borderless and virtual village where companies are interconnected and interdependent through a network of partnerships and relationships. Companies have responded differently to the opportunity this represents; some use Web sites as a show window (a public relations tool) or build e-business portals which complement an existing brick-and-mortar business, while other Web sites serve as the only physical appearance of an e-business.