Electronic Commerce: A Taxonomy of the Development of Electornic Trading

Abstract

This paper reviews the diverse forms taken by electronic commerce and the varied perspectives taken by observers to analyse it. Nine cases are used to develop a taxonomy of electronic commerce implementations. Three trends in the emergence of electronic commerce are identified: a change in emphasis from competitive advantage towards the gaining of sector-wide improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, the formation of electronic markets, and a process of incremental rather than radical development within communities.