电子商务外文翻译文献

The Strategic Challenges of E-commerce

Introduction

11th Century Europe saw the emergence of credit-based banking systems

and fi nancial instruments such as bills of exchange. These concepts remain with

us, in their modified form, to this day (Chown, 1994). They underpin all modern

forms of commerce. The arrival of information technology (computers and

telecommunications) has raised the prospect of radical change to this traditional

model.

The rise of the Internet (electronic commerce), since the advent of the World Wide

Web, has provided an easy to use communication channel for businesses to

contact current and potential customers. The emergence of the Internet as a

general communication channel has also given rise to the possibility of

widespread electronic commerce. Even though there is still much debate relating

to electronic payment for commercial activities, this is clearly an area of growth.

It is difficult to say how large the Internet is. Hoffman & Novak (1996) quote

a number of surveys (O'Reilly, FIND/SVP , Times Mirror and CommerceNet) which

suggest that there are at least 10 million Internet users in the United States alone.

The number of computers (hosts) connected to the Internet topped 9.47 million

(Network Wizards, 1996) as of January 1996. Note that a single host supports anywhere from a single user to, in some cases, thousands of users.

As of March 21, 1996, 24,347 firms were listed in Open Market's (1996)

directory of "Commercial Services on the Net," and there were 54,800 entries in

the "Companies" directory of the Y aho Guide to WWW (Y aho , 1996), with the

total number of Web sites doubling approximately every two months. Jim Clarke,

the chairman of Netscape, estimated the Internet has 40 million users in 1995

with growth at 8% per month (Clarke, 1995).

The Internet is only one aspect of technology. Businesses require information

and supporting systems (processes) to handle the data - over time these systems

have become computerised (IT). Modern information technology can both

support the processes and help capture useful information for the enterprise.

These technologies include:

1. Organizational support systems, such as workflow and groupware -

making businesses more efficient.

2. Customer contact databases - helping capture information about

customers and facilitate new methods of marketing.

3. Electronic payment systems for go ds and services - these are emerging,

although the majority of payments are still based on relatively expensive traditional cheque clearance.

Collectively and individually, these areas will contribute to major changes in

the way a company conducts its business. Enix have coined the term Workware to

describe the combination of these technologies.

Figure 1 - The emergence of Electronic Commerce will be underpinned by

three key components

However, there is still widespread misunderstanding on the value of

organisational support technology. A recent survey of 437 large enterprises by

research company Xephon (1996) indicated that an astonishing proportion (44%)

had no immediate intention of introducing modern information handling systems

(Groupware was defined by Xephon as Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange and

Novell GroupWise). Of these, 65% said they were unsure what these technologies

could deliver. From these statistics, it is clear many organisations are still sceptical

about the benefits of technology. The efficient collection, utilisation, handling, storage and dissemination of

information is a vital component of corporate success in the modern business world.

However, the gathering and use of information must take into account issues of

privacy and security. A recent feature in the Financial Times (1996) noted

that " … in order to thrive in the 1990s, financial services organisations are as

much in the business of managing and manipulating information as managing

and making money." Furthermore, the interest shown in topics such as TQM and

BPR has demonstrated the importance of processes as a fundamental building block.

Inevitably a few savvy organizations in each sector will utilise all three

components tochange their market or develop new markets. Those who do not

adapt quickly to the new ways of working are likely to be disadvantaged as their

strategies become redundant. All businesses should investigate the implications

of these technologies for them and the markets within which they operate.

Marketing

Champy, Buday and Nohria (1996) argue that the rise of electronic commerce

and the changing consumer processes brought about through electronic