E-Markets and Changing Trends

This paper discusses the role of e-markets as intermediaries in the Australasian B2B e-space. The discussion and findings of this paper are from a research project that investigated the business and operational issues of these intermediaries as highly volatile business entities in 2002 and an evaluation of these same e-markets in 2005 to determine the changing trends. This paper presents business opportunities, revenue models from intermediary services, factors contributing to success and the challenges e-markets faced in 2002 and in 2005

The Barriers and Benefits of the Electronic Marketplace Environment for SMEs

Although there are many initiatives to encourage SMEs online, not all have been successful. It may therefore seem premature to discuss electronic marketplaces in the context of SMEs. However, if SMEs ignore e-marketplaces a number of problems can result. E-marketplaces present a significant threat to SMEs since they increase competition and leave nonparticipants vulnerable to more e-enabled firms. This paper examines the barriers and benefits of e-marketplaces in the context of SMEs. It first addresses the nature of emarketplaces, before identifying the benefits that may be realisable by SMEs from participation. Drawing on the literature, the barriers facing smaller firms in this environment are discussed. Identification of these barriers, such as lack of standards, supply chain integration and global trading, enables a greater understanding of how SMEs can plan effective strategies to gain from e-marketplace participation

Challenging The Global, Rediscovering The Local: Voluntary Market Restriction In C2C E-Marketplaces

The current age of networked information systems brings concerns that in an increasingly global world the dominance of multinational corporations overrides regional and national identities. This view is challenged by the concept of glocalisation where ideas in the global environment are adapted to take account of local cultures. Many organisations operating globally seek to adapt their business strategies to fit with local environments. However, in an increasingly glocalized world organisations may curtail their market by forming boundaries around their online presence; in essence making local what is potentially global. We have identified this strategy of boundedness as ‘voluntary market restriction’. This study aims to examine voluntary market restriction in the consumer-to-consumer (C2C) space where online marketplaces are differentiating themselves by creating boundaries within which they embed communities. This paper examines three C2C e-marketplaces with strong similarities in their market mechanisms that have the potential to operate globally, although two have chosen not to do so. These two market makers have put boundaries around their markets; one by language and one by geography. They have succeeded in wresting considerable local market share from the global e-marketplace. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the research and suggestions for future study

Assessing the success and evaluating the benefits of government-sponsored regional internet-trading platforms for small and medium enterprises: A Western Australian perspective

The Internet has been viewed as an opportunity for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to efficiently compete in the global arena with their larger counterparts by overcoming distance and size. However, research has shown that actual uptake of Internet e-commerce by SMEs has been lagging behind that of larger companies. Fearing a growing digital divide between large companies and SMEs, some governments have taken specific measures to encourage SME participation in ecommerce. One of the more direct government initiatives to hasten the progression of SMEs on the e-commerce adoption curve is the creation, sponsorship and management of regional Internet trading platforms for these enterprises. Such a move is predicated on the belief that these platforms will offer SMEs a low-cost introduction to participation in Internet trading platforms without the need for significant technology investments, allowing them to reap benefits like lower costs, improved customer service and new levels of innovation through knowledge-sharing

SMEs and the internet drivers of and barriers to e-engagement.

For many years, the internet and its associated technologies have been heralded as the new frontier for SMEs and, inherently, “a good thing”. Despite this having been a common theme for at least the last fifteen years, still many SMEs are not “e-engaged. Despite significant amounts of public money being invested in promoting the Internet to SMEs, estimates for the UK range from 20 to 40 percent non- e-engagement, and substantially more in other jurisdictions. This thesis examines the barriers and drivers to e-engagement by SMEs and challenges the conventional wisdom that the Internet is a positive force for all. In particular, the research looks at the micro end of the SME spectrum, (the μSME), and identifies a number of hitherto un-examined areas of their operation and business models. Following a comprehensive review of the relevant canon of literature, a conceptual framework is derived, developed and presented. This provides the skeleton upon which the research strategy sits. The empirical data set consists of seventeen in depth case studies from a range of SMEs involved in the b2b, b2c and professional services fields. A cross case analysis was then undertaken, leading to the finalised framework. One of the key contributions of this research is the development of the conceptual model and associated framework. This allows for the identification and analysis of barriers, drivers and key determinants of the decision by SMEs and specifically of μSMEs with regard to their engagement, or not, with the Internet. Some commentators have noted that the literature on SME Internet engagement is fragmented and incoherent and that there is a need for framework development and research at the conceptual level to provide more focused research. This thesis accepts that challenge. It takes a comparative approach to both engaged and non-engaged companies, where possible in the same industry, to allow for key determinants and principle impact factors to be identified. The research provides detailed examples of the business models operated by the case companies and the factors affecting their implementation and operation. The variables affecting each SME are codified and mapped against the determinants and principle drivers. This enables the analysis to identify the barriers that filter, and in some cases entirely block, engagement with the Internet

Identification and realisation of the benefits of participating in an electronic marketplace : An interpretive evaluation approach

Electronic marketplaces have proliferated as use of the Internet has become widespread in business. A rapid growth in the number of marketplaces, followed by a period of stringent consolidation, as market makers develop a greater understanding of effective business models, has resulted in a climate of uncertainty and confusion. As with many aspects of e-commerce the drive towards participation is fuelled less by strategy planning than by a fear of lagging behind competitors or losing first mover advantage. In this climate of uncertainty organisations often bypass effective evaluation of the benefits that can be realised from participation in e-marketplaces, thereby exacerbating the process facing them and hampering effective decision-making. Evaluation is perceived as a fraught subject within the Information System field, and particularly within the business community which adheres to tried and trusted, albeit often inappropriate, methods such as financial or technical evaluation. The difficulties involved in effective evaluation of systems are well documented; these will increase as systems become more pervasive throughout organisations and those of their trading partners. Calls for a more holistic approach to evaluation are increasing, based on a developing appreciation of interpretive methods of research within the Information Systems discipline. However, the understanding that the social, political and cultural factors affecting and organisation have an impact on the uses and advantages of systems is by no means universal, and empirical evidence of this view is only slowly emerging. This research examines the benefits that can be realised from participation in an electronic marketplace by taking an interpretive approach to the evaluation. It examines the nature of electronic marketplaces to provide clarity to a confused and dynamic environment. The study then focuses on the development of evaluation studies within the IS discipline to identify how an effective evaluation method for assessing the benefits of e-marketplace participation can be achieved. An empirical examination of an organisation’s participation in an electronic marketplace is used to identify the benefits that are realisable and the issues that impact on them. The case study is conducted through an interpretive lens, using a content, context, process (CCP) approach based on existing IS literature. This enables a crucial understanding of the internal and external environments influencing the organisation and its realisation of potential benefits. To allow for the range of interpretations and reflections required to fully address the complexity of the issues involved in such a case study, a variety of research influences such as dialect hermeneutics, critical realism and case study theory are drawn into the research model. The case study organisation’s motivation for participating in an e-marketplace was primarily cost savings. Over the two years of the study, several more potential benefits were identified, such as supply chain efficiencies, greater market awareness and a widening of the supplier base. However, the organisation’s commitments to its local and regional communities, its need to retain status and some consideration of existing relationships needed to be balanced against the gains that might be realised. In some cases the organisation chose to forgo a potential benefit in favour of socially or politically motivated actions. Cultural factors also influenced their actions, particularly as they moved towards extending participation in the marketplace to gain from a global sourcing strategy. The contribution of this research lies in two areas. Firstly, it was existing evaluation literature to development a framework for the evaluation of benefits in the complex area of electronic marketplaces, thereby extending and informing the call for more inclusive and interpretive evaluation studies. Secondly, the research contributes empirical evidence to support the recognition of benefits to be gained from electronic marketplaces and shows how the realisation of the economic benefits is impacted by the social, political and cultural factors that influence an organisation

The First 25 Years of the Bled eConference: Themes and Impacts

The Bled eConference is the longest-running themed conference associated with the Information Systems discipline. The focus throughout its first quarter-century has been the application of electronic tools, migrating progressively from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) via Inter-Organisational Systems (IOS) and eCommerce to encompass all aspects of the use of networking facilities in industry and government, and more recently by individuals, groups and society as a whole. This paper reports on an examination of the conference titles and of the titles and abstracts of the 773 refereed papers published in the Proceedings since 1995. This identified a long and strong focus on categories of electronic business and corporate perspectives, which has broadened in recent years to encompass the democratic, the social and the personal. The conference\u27s extend well beyond the papers and their thousands of citations and tens of thousands of downloads. Other impacts have included innovative forms of support for the development of large numbers of graduate students, and the many international research collaborations that have been conceived and developed in a beautiful lake-side setting in Slovenia

VAT treatment of financial services: a comparative analysis between methodologies applied in South Africa and other tax jurisdictions

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce (Specialising in Taxation)The taxation of financial services is challenging from a Value-Added Tax (VAT) perspective. Conceptually, VAT should apply to any fee for services but where financial services are concerned, there is difficulty in quantifying the value-added by these institutions. According to the First Interim Report on Value-Added Tax for the Minister of Finance (the Davis Tax Committee report) most jurisdictions have therefore opted to exempt financial services from VAT. In South Africa, financial services are exempt from VAT, however, where an explicit fee is charged as consideration for a supply, it will be taxed. The South African VAT legislation provides for the denial of input tax on costs incurred to generate exempt supplies. The burden of an irrecoverable VAT cost exposes the financial industry to hindrances such as vertical integration and tax cascading. Certain VAT jurisdictions have however implemented policies to reduce the overall cost of financial institutions. This study will therefore analyse the alternate VAT methods to determine whether a more viable mechanism of taxing financial services in South Africa, exists. Key words: Apportionment, cascading, implicit fees, input tax, efficiency, exemption, explicit fees, equity, full taxation approach, neutrality, simplicity, standard rate, reduced input tax credit, value-added, VAT grouping, vertical integration, zero-ratingMT201

Market makers\u27 recognition of key success factors in electronic marketplaces

This study examines the recognition and use of critical success factors by market makers in electronic marketplaces. A content analysis of e-marketplace websites enabled an examination of how these factors have been incorporated into marketplace sites. Evidence of market makers’ awareness of the success factors was found in all the sites although there remain questions and issues to be addressed. Awareness of the need for critical mass and privacy were very evident, but the key factors of security, technological infrastructure and neutrality were identified as areas of concern. Evidence of an awareness of the importance of trust by market makers was found, but more effective signalling of trust to buyers and sellers within the marketplaces is required

The role of publicly-reported research in the early stages of the diffusion of an innovation: the case of E-commerce

This study examined patterns of research-based information and predictions about e-commerce that have been disseminated during the first six years of the diffusion of this innovation. The theoretical expectation was based on Hoopla Effect theory, which suggests that early information and predictions about an innovation will be overly optimistic, produced mainly by inventors and businesses that have a stake in their success, and focused primarily on main effects of the innovation rather than indirect social impacts the innovation might have. All 1,134 research-based reports about e-commerce posted on the website nua.com were content analyzed in this study. Findings showed the tone of information did tend to become significantly less positive over the five-year period. While studies about social impacts of the innovation did increase over time, there were many more studies about financial and business aspects across all time periods. The source of most of the reports was research firms, which was contrary to the expectation that it would be primarily businesses themselves. This suggests that research firms may now be playing a major role in presenting information used by investors or businesses to make decisions about e-commerce. The extent to which such research firms are acting as agents of businesses promoting these innovations could not be determined by this study. The study supports supply-side diffusion theorists who suggest that the quantity and source of innovation information is likely to vary widely over time