The Role of eServices and Transactions for Integrated Value Chains

Abstract

eCommerce has been well established for several years, particularly using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) over private or value-added networks. The advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web has given a further push to eCommerce and has been dramatically changing the way business is conducted. Enterprises, in order to be competitive, form powerful business alliances that offer services and products by utilizing the autonomous and heterogeneous infrastructure provided by the independent partners. Such extended corporations reach out not only with business relationships. They also integrate their business processes and information systems with company value chains being transformed to integrated value chains for efficiently supporting this new model of extended enterprises. This chapter gives an overview of the technological challenges for B2B eCommerce and integrated value chains. It explains how adaptive business objects and controlled interoperability on one hand, and e-services on the other, are the key enabling technologies to the challenge of integrated value chains and then discusses how business transactions can be combined with eServices to provide flexible electronic business solutions.