Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Throughout history, innovations in communication technology have been associated with important developments in the manner in which people and organizations engage in economic exchanges of goods and services ( Beniger 1986 ; →  Information Society ). In the past several decades, communication technology researchers have examined the social and economic implications of the use of computer networks as a medium for supporting commercial exchange, an activity that is broadly termed electronic or e-commerce . Research on e-commerce has linked its growth to a wide range of social and economic issues including but not limited to the following: economic considerations of its effect on markets ( Malone et al. 1987 ; Ellison & Ellison 2005 ) and the pricing strategies of sellers ( Shapiro & Varian 1999 ; Bergen et al. 2005 ); marketing and strategic behavior of firms including the viability of e-commerce business models ( Weill & Vitale 2001 ), multichannel e-commerce ( Steinfield et al. 2002 ), and competitive strategy ( Porter 2001 ); consumer behavior issues such as privacy and trust ( Metzger 2007 ); site design and navigation logics to enhance usability and help buyers find products among the vast numbers of vendors and products ( Lohse & Spiller 1998 ; Dieberger et al. 2000 ); organizational and sociological aspects of exchange such as the influence of ... log in or subscribe to read full text