Policies are statements of the ethos and values of an organization and define the framework for decision making in the organization. They reflect the plans of action that the company would generally adhere to. Procedures are the methods to implement the policies. Policies define the specific requirements and limits or boundaries within which decisions are to be made or actions are to be taken, or shall be acceptable. They also define roles and responsibilities for implementation of the policy statements and the broad guidelines regarding procedures that determine the way the actions will be taken to implement those statements. Well-defined relevant policies and procedures can make deployment of technologies more effective in building trust among the trading participants in B2B e-commerce system.
Although a number of policies are relevant in building trust in B2B e-commerce, the focus in this study is on technology related policies like (a) Security Policy; and (b) Privacy policy. Such policies help in eliminating ambiguity in technology processes and procedures and also establish accountability of actions by clearly defining/clarifying responsibilities. A well-documented policy also helps in promoting standardization in processes. Another factor that raises the levels of assurance in respect of the technology policy is the comprehensiveness of the policy. More elaborate a policy; greater is the level of assurance provided. The following paragraphs shall attempt to analyze the varying level of assurance in respect of these policies by the sample companies.