Strategic Application of E-Commerce for Customer Satisfaction: A Study with Small Businesses in Korea

Recent development of information technology has brought dramatic increase of strategic use of information system in businesses all over the world. This paper will examine e-business application for customer satisfaction especially in Korean small and medium businesses to illustrate the major impact of information technology on small and medium sized firms in Korea, find out the roles of e-commerce within their supply chain systems in those small and medium-sized enterprises, and then, identify major barriers that prevent Korean small businesses from entering into e-commerce. Finally, this paper will propose an analytical framework for e-commerce penetration into small firms as a guideline of future applications in similar cases

A Framework for e-Commerce Implementation: Nigeria a Case Study

The advent of the Internet has transformed the business environment in no small measure and has influenced the ways and manner businesses are transacted. This platform has brought about enhanced electronic and mobile business transactions. However, the advent of e-Commerce, m-Commerce or i-Commerce has placed a premium on the participating organisations or nations in terms of provision of the basic infrastructure for a secure, seamless and trusted business environment through the electronic media. This paper presents an exploratory study of the prospects of e-Commerce implementation and the factors inhibiting its growth. A set of questionnaire was designed, administered and analysed based on political, economic, social and technological (PEST) analysis. The PEST analysis is to help review the current practices with a view to developing a framework for Nigeria and other developing nations in Africa. Findings revealed that the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is the most widely used medium of e-Payment in Nigeria, which is not very suitable for e-Commerce implementation. Similarly, the Internet penetration is still abysmally low and is one of the major threats to e-Commerce implementation. However, the nascent democracy enjoyed in Nigeria is faced with some teething problems, but it promised with time, relative political stability, direct foreign investment, improved economical atmosphere, improved social services and technological development more than ever witnessed in the country. Therefore, a viable framework for Nigeria and Africa would be such that involves the private and public partnership (PPP). This consortium is expected to provide the platform for access to the Internet and popularize the use of e-Payment among other things

The Digital Dilemma: Counterfeit Culture And Brand Protection Reform In The E-Commerce Era

In recent decades, the Internet’s growth has revolutionized the modern shopping experience. With the rise of e-commerce platforms, consumers can now instantly access thousands of products. Unfortunately, the ease of online shopping has also supported the development of counterfeit culture and fueled a coinciding increase in trademark infringement. Furthermore, given the expected expansion of e-commerce, brand identity conveys substantial value in online marketplaces. This backdrop, coupled with a surge in trademark litigation since Tiffany v. eBay, demonstrates the importance of trademark reform. The current framework for assessing trademark infringement in e-commerce settings disproportionately burdens small businesses, and this Comment proposes a solution that aims to balance the interests of rightsholders, online marketplaces, and consumers. Moreover, additional safeguards like artificial intelligence and blockchain technology provide an extra layer of protection for businesses. Through better legislation and improved regulations, Congress can ensure that online marketplaces adapt to challenges posed by the digital age and advance the public good

E-Commerce Adoption Strategies for Small Retail Businesses

AbstractA lack of e-commerce adoption strategies can negatively affect the sustainability of traditional small retail businesses. Business leaders of traditional small retail businesses who fail to implement e-commerce strategies can experience a loss of market share to e-commerce small retail companies. Grounded in the technology-organization-environment framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies traditional small retail business leaders use to adopt e-commerce to foster the sustainability of their business successfully. Participants were five business leaders from small and medium enterprises in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, who successfully adopted e-commerce strategies into their traditional business structure. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Through thematic data analysis, three themes were identified: (a) strategies to adopt e-commerce, (b) challenges small business leaders face when implementing these strategies, and (c) resolutions found to maintain the sustainability of their business. A key recommendation for business leaders is to understand online consumerism comprehensively and the technology needed to operate their business using an online platform. The implications for positive social change include the potential to create new web-based employment opportunities for the youth in the local community

Social Commerce: A Framework for Fashion SMEs in Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the developing countries where the adoption and diffusion of e-commerce remains a challenge for consumers and fashion businesses because of the significant barriers facing the economy. This has led the small businesses to a new online business model "Social Commerce" which has stemmed from the integration of social media into e-commerce. Research suggests that Social Commerce is evolving and proliferating across many emerging markets. Yet the implications of this new form of e-commerce in Pakistan is still largely unknown. Hence, this research contributes to knowledge by exploring the potential of using the Social Commerce business model as an alternative to e-commerce amongst the small fashion businesses in Pakistan. The research adopted a mixed-methods, pragmatic philosophical perspective using a convergent research design. The primary data was gathered through mixed-mode surveys from consumers groups, and interviews and social media content from six fashion case businesses. The data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis, respectively. The findings revealed that the integration of the social aspect in the social commerce business model can help in overcoming the limitations of e-commerce whilst also enhancing the benefits that were not truly accomplished by e-commerce. It was recognised that the growing acceptance of this evolving phenomenon amongst consumers was because of its ease of use and social interactivity. The study provides a contribution to theory by proposing a model that enables theoretical understanding of Social Commerce and its value potential for consumers and Fashion SMEs. This was later conceptualised and presented in the form of an empirically grounded framework that explained the use of this business model within Pakistan's context, thus advancing Social Commerce research in this underexplored region. Lastly, a simplified version of the framework was designed for the practitioners entailing seven key principles that can help to achieve effective and efficient use of Social Commerce. In terms of the research impact on the industry, the practitioners will greatly benefit from the use of this framework as a guideline for building and improving the Social Commerce presence. Finally, due to the lack of guidelines on the use of the Social Commerce business model in Pakistan this framework has the potential of becoming a leading influence in the area as affirmed by the industry experts

ANALYSIS OF SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN ONLINE MARKETPLACES

As commercial e-commerce portals continue to grow in popularity among the acquisition workforce, it is imperative that the federal government ensures companies of all business sizes are able to compete fairly. This research examines the current framework of platform providers and makes recommendations on how small businesses can be better utilized without sacrificing competition, while keeping an extensive industry base and receiving best value for both the taxpayer and warfighter.Civilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

The perceptions of SME owner-managers relating to ethics and online business practices : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Management at Massey University

The Internet has created many new opportunities for small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and many of these firms are encountering external pressure to have an online presence. E-commerce, however, brings a series of ethical challenges for many businesses, notably issues relating to privacy and security. These ethical challenges need to be met by SME owner-managers in order to ensure that their business competes and survives in today's hyper-competitive environment. To date, there is very little research on ethics and online business, and the focus of this study was to investigate ethical perceptions of SME owner-managers relating to online business practices. The study was qualitative in nature and involved semi-structured interviews with twelve owner-managers of Wellington based SMEs that had an online presence. The exploratory nature of the study meant that rich data was obtained from the twelve interviewees and the findings were grouped into three main themes for discussion, the importance of e-commerce, the underlying values and risk-tolerance of the participant owner-manager and, participant perception of ethical online issues such as privacy, security, intellectual property (IP) and online trust. The importance of e-commerce both now and in the future was highlighted by the owner-managers, and there was also a diverse range of ethical concerns that they had with online business. These findings and subsequent discussion allowed for some interesting conclusions to be made. The complex changing nature of online ethics is highlighted, as well the notion that stakeholders have an important influence on the online ethical framework. This study also concludes that there is a gap between current legislation and an awareness of how this impacts on the owner-managers business. There is also a 'disconnect' between thought and action on the part of the owner-manager in terms addressing some of their online ethical concerns

B2B online platforms development for formation of an effective business environment

Today, more than ever, there is a need for comprehensive support for intercompany electronic B2B trade, as an effective business environment for the functioning of small and medium-sized businesses. The main objective of this study is to identify the problems hindering the development of Internet commerce in the B2B segment, and to provide recommendations for its development in Russia under the sanction’s restrictions imposed by the West. The main barriers to automation and digitalisation of sales and purchases at the intercompany level of interaction are: 1) the prevalence of a conservative idea of doing business in B2B, unwillingness to change outdated business processes; 2) the erroneous judgment that launching your own B2B online solutions is very expensive and difficult; 3) the idea that creating your own B2B portal or marketplace is advisable only for large businesses; 4) underestimation of the enormous advantages and benefits that digitalisation provides for small and medium-sized businesses. Based on the analysis of these barriers, directions for more active involvement of small and medium-sized businesses in e-commerce are formulated. Namely: 1) training of business representatives in the specifics of organizing and implementing automated procurement and sales processes; 2) the development of online platforms that bring together many sellers and suppliers of products, logistics and financial companies, since this tool does not require investments in the creation of an Internet platform and does not bear the cost of maintaining its own IT department; 3) development of comprehensive support for electronic commerce of small and medium-sized businesses, including onboarding; 4) modernization of the regulatory framework for regulating electronic commerce based on the use of information and telecommunication technologies, since electronic commerce is regulated by the Commonwealth of Independent States Model Law “On Electronic Commerce”; 5) creation of state support system for electronic commerce, as it is a driver for the development of the national economy

UC-12 Comprehensive Security Solution for small E-commerce Business

Project Description: Create an e-commerce server and a comprehensive security program to protect a web server for a simulated small business. This server will include security tools such as intrusion detection, firewall, and network monitoring. The installation and maintenance of this solution will be documented as part of the final documentation package. The server will be reviewed for exploitation from other teams while we attempt the exploitation of their server(s). Research/Motivation: How to research, install, configure, and integrate various open-source software packages for information security, e-commerce, web hosting, and database. Our motivation for this project was to create and secure an e-commerce website that allows the team to explore, learn, and gain knowledge to become better real world IT professionals. Materials/Methods Our team leveraged the use of their own virtual machines and online documentation to test various software packages on the Ubuntu operating system. We leveraged the NIST cybersecurity framework to integrate industry standards and best practices to create risk assessment and information security documents. Preliminary Results: We have created a secure Internet facing e-commerce solution with supporting documentation. We are currently awaiting other teams to begin penetration testing and results from of our server. Intellectual or business merits of our project: Our team gained real world knowledge and skills during the research and implementation of the server and security project. Our documentation details the steps taken throughout the implementation of the project and allows us to hand off the ongoing maintenance to an e-commerce business. Actions that we\u27ll take to enhance the potential of the project to benefit society: Our documentation of the project could be published to allow e-commerce businesses to create a low cost, secure e-commerce store.Advisors(s): Project Sponsor: Dr. Lei Li Professor: Dr. Ying XieTopic(s): SecurityIT 498

The Business Model Handbook for Developing Countries

The Business Model Handbook (BMH) for developing countries is a proposition for a tool that has the goal to help Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) and local entrepreneurs to design business models that use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and particularly the Internet in the context of developing economies. It shall help to develop the urgently needed critical mass of knowledge workers, technology users, and motivated entrepreneurs in order to deploy ICT in businesses of developing countries. Never before the Internet it has been as easy to share and transfer knowledge in such an efficient and global way. The objective of this Paper is twofold. First it proposes a theoretical business model framework (BMF) which shall allow SMEs, but also motivated local entrepreneurs in developing countries to understand the most relevant business issues in the Information Society. The BMF gives special attention to the opportunities that arise out of the use of Information Technology (IT) and particularly the use of the Internet for businesses in emerging economies (i.e. e-commerce). The second objective, which is the introduction of the Business Model Handbook for Developing Countries, shall allow an efficient knowledge transfer of the concepts developed and illustrated in the BMF. Therefore, the BMH should be deployed as a Web based tool, which allows Users to navigate through the concepts and the corresponding real world examples (case studies) and easily learn about business opportunities.developing countries, e-business