Enhancing Competitiveness of B2B and B2C E-Commerce

Abstract

A framework that is often used to describe the transformation of society relates to the percentage of people involved in or impacted by a given paradigm at some point in time. Even though some of these paradigms co-exist at a given point in time, one of them tends to dominate and exert considerable influence on the others. Several authors have described such evolution in different contexts. For example, Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (2004) suggest that societies have undergone the following transformation, one leading to the next in succession: agrarian, manufacturing, service, and information. Since its introduction a little over a decade ago, the Internet, which exemplifies the leap into the information age, has had a profound impact on many areas of human endeavor, indeed, far more than had been imagined or anticipated. This impact on society is apparent through its widespread use in government, education, medicine, engineering, as well as in business. Considering the number of people involved and the dollar amount of sales transacted over the Internet, it seems reasonable to infer that it has had the greatest impact in business during the past millennium. The Internet continues to play a significant role in making enterprises to be more competitive.