Issues in the Globalization of Electronic Commerce

Abstract

This chapter presents globalization aspects of electronic commerce, describes the key issues in each area, and then analyzes approaches that could be Used to address these issues. "Globalization" is the marketing and selling of a product outside a company’s home country, and the most effective way to do that on the Internet is via localization of Web content. ‘Localization’ is the process and product of customizing Web content so that it is most understandable and usable to a person residing in a particular locale. That process involves several aspects including: Language, Culture, Laws/Regulations, Payment/Currency, Dates/Units, and Logistics. In each of these areas there are a number of both business and technical issues that are illustrated and analyzed in this chapter.