Perceptions Of E-Commerce

Question:

Respond to the following questions in essay format:
• We have experienced financial market meltdown and global banking crisis. Why is e-commerce important in these difficult economic times?
• Why is it important to conceptualize consumers' perceptions of e-commerce quality?
• Why is there a relationship between Information Technology and e-commerce leadership?
• Why a systemic approach to e-commerce may lead to the success of an organization or company?
• What are the main challenges that e-commerce organizations face in the customer services arena?
The submission should have around 1500 words.

Answer:
Electronic commerce (e-commerce) may be defined as the process of sharing business information, maintaining business relationships

Companies like Wal-Mart, Levi Strauss, General Motors, and Nokia have built new kinds of relationships with their suppliers and customers through electronic linkages. Electronic integration supported by EDI and other information technologies help to reduce the time and space buffers that shelter the firm and that also enhance competitiveness. Electronic integration has led to the re-definition of the firm, with the emergence of virtual companies whose capabilities to deliver their products to the market are defined largely by their ability to organize and maintain a network of business relationships, rather than by their ability to manufacture a product or deliver a service. New business networks have been formed by relying on this form of integration. The commercial use of the Internet, propelled by the W WW, since 1993, has defined the new E-commerce. Contemporary E-commerce is a convergence of several major information technologies (IT) and business practices. Technologies driving modern E-commerce include computer networking and telecommunications; client/server computing; multimedia (especially hypermedia); information retrieval systems; EDI; message handling and workflow management systems; groupware and electronic meeting systems; and public-key cryptography. All the major computer and telecommunications technologies and database management in

Shopping remains relatively a secondary motivator for Web use, and it is believed that ease of access may determine the success of Web shopping and a poor consumer interface can be a disincentive. However, organizations may take advantage of the web and use it as an interactive, marketing medium. Selling on the Web utilises the well-formed and committed communities of interest and provides on-line demonstration, consultation, and assistance. An example is seen in GolfWeb, based in Cupertino, California is an example. GolfWeb has painstakingly built up a following on its electronic site before trying to sell anything. By providing extensive golf-related features and information, GolfWeb has been able to attract some 500,000 hits a day to its 25,000 pages. Until recently, the firm has relied on advertisers for its revenue; it has just started a virtual pro shop to produce sales. (Zwass