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Electronic Commerce Decisions

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Submitted By DubeC
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Electronic Commerce Decisions The decision to take up electronic commerce should be a strategic one, which is informed by the broad objectives of the firm. Whether or not electronic commerce will build value, reduce costs, or simply result in an extra layer of IT infrastructure that requires on-going support, are still issues for debate. Haag, S., & Cummings, M. (2008, pg. 227), in their case study of America Online (AOL) imply that AOL is "inching" toward becoming an Internet bank. In this posting, I discuss the recommendations I would make to AOL management, and the advice I would make to them, on the processes and outcomes they should expect from implementing the recommendations. Furthermore, recommendations on whether to follow the B2B or B2C model would be made for a small office supply company, with a small budget for IT, whose customers are local businesses, but does have a big need to be able to manage materials, delivery schedules, and build customer loyalty. The critical factors that would come into play in making this decision will also be discussed, as supported by documentary evidence and research.
E-commerce processes According to Duffy, G., & Dale, B. G. (2002), it is not easy to find a generally accepted definition of Electronic commerce (e-commerce). Haag, S., & Cummings, M. (2008), state that e-commerce is commerce accelerated and enhanced by Information technology (IT), in particular the internet, enabling customers, consumers, and companies to form powerful new relationships, that would not be possible without the enabling technologies. E-commerce breaks down business barriers such as geography, time, language, currency and culture. The UK government’s e-center organization defines e-commerce as “Electronic commerce covers any form of business or administrative transaction or information exchange that is executed using

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