A security risk management approach for e-commerce

E-commerce security is a complex issue; it is concerned with a number of security risks that can appear at either a technical level or organisational level. This paper uses a systemic framework, the viable system model (VSM) to determine the high level security risks and then uses baseline security methods to determine the lower level security risks.

Implications in e-commerce research in small business

It is believed that the recent emergence of electronic commerce (eCommerce) in the early 90s could provide different opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in overcoming part of their technological. environmental, organizational, and managerial inadequacies. However, recent research portrays a gloomy picture about eCommerce uptake and use in SMEs. Therefore. the implication here is twofold. Initially. there is a need to generate more eCommerce research that could penetrate much deeper into main impending issues pertaining to the SMEs in their potential uptake and use of eCommerce. On the other hand. eCommerce is characterized of being embryonic but growing very fast and fragmented across the different disciplines. which makes the task of capturing its different perspectives a very complex task. The preceding two implications represent the greatest challenge for researchers and professionals interested in undertaking eCommerce research in SMEs. In line with the above implications. the first objective of this research aims at capturing the different eCommerce perspectives from the SMEs point of view and the second objective aims at capturing the eCommerce perspective from the theoretical and the methodological point of view. Addressing the preceding implications in this research could shed some light into some of the grey areas in the eCommerce research in SMEs.

Factors affecting e-commerce adoption by SMEs : a meta-analysis

There have been a myriad of research studies concerning SME e-Commerce adoption. However, the findings of these studies with regard to adoption factors have often been fragmented and contradictory. This paper analyses the previous research and synthesises the findings into a cohesive model of factors affecting SME adoption of e-Commerce. Eight meta-factors were identified: (1) perceived relative advantage; (2) perceived compatibility; (3) perceived complexity; (4) pressures from trading partners; (5) pressures from competitors; (6) external change agents; (7) knowledge and expertise about e-Commerce; and (8) management attitudes towards e-Commerce. These meta-factors were further grouped into three contexts: technological, environmental and organisational.

Internet commerce : digital models for business

This edition has been revised to reflect the latest developments in this rapidly changing area. Theory is supported by examples drawn from industry developments, regulatory policies and government initiatives. All chapters feature Australian and international examples of policy reform and innovation.

Micropayments and e-commerce transactions : Thailand

Online payments in electronic commerce (e-commerce) are usually carried out with credit cards because they are the most convenient to use. Web sites that do not accept credit cards risk losing their customers. Yet potential customers do not include only credit card holders. There are a lot of potential customers who do not have credit cards, some for cultural reasons, others because of trust implications and others because of cost. Even among those who have credit cards, some do not buy online just because they do not feel that the system is secure enough to give away their credit card information over web pages. More importantly perhaps, credit card payments are not suitable for small-value purchases due to their high-incurred overheads to merchants.

Trust in B2C e-commerce for the New Zealand Maori

This study was performed to allow an understanding of some of the elements of trust that are apparent to encourage the Mäori Internet shopper to feel comfortable to shop online. Mäori arrived in New Zealand from the Pacific over 1,000 years ago. Since then, New Zealand was colonised by Europeans in the 19th century. As a result, the Mäori have become a minority (Belich, 1996). That is, their culture, language and values have become secondary to those of the dominant European culture (Liu, Wilson, McClure & Higgins, 1999). Mäori have been defined as including “all those who identify themselves as belonging to the New Zealand Mäori ethnic group, either alone or in combination with any other ethnic group” (Statistics New Zealand, 1998, p. 94).

An improved trust model in agent-mediated E-commerce

Trust is a fundamental issue in multiagent systems, especially in agent-mediated e-commence. The trust model plays an important role in determining who and how to interact in open and dynamic environments. To this end, many trust models have been developed. Based on the confidence–reputation model proposed by other researchers, an improved trust model is discussed. The original model was enhanced in two aspects: (1) when evaluating the trustworthiness of target agents, the reliability of the witness itself is taken into account and further aggregated by Dempster-Shafer evidence theory and (2) the ontological property of trust is considered, which implies that trust can be calculated more precisely. A case study is provided to show the effectiveness of the improved model.

Interaction between tax treaties and e-commerce re-examined

[No Abstract]

Impact of electronic data interchange in the Australian automotive industry

Information technology continues to play an increasingly significant role in the development of firms competing in the vast array of markets from those classified as global markets, such as the automotive industry, to the smaller nationally-based markets such as retailing. An objective of electronic commerce is to assist organisations to remain competitive and gain entry to markets which were previously unattainable. This study focuses on the organisational impact of one form of electronic commerce (electronic data interchange) on the component sector of the Australian automotive industry and examines the extent to which trading partner relationships have been affected. The research investigates the extent to which the integration of electronic data interchange (EDI) with an organisation’s internal application system may facilitate specific net benefits. The automotive industry became the first Australian industry to cooperatively adopt EDI. Research to date has not adequately examined the organisational impact of the nature and extent of net benefits gained from EDI adoption. To achieve the objective of assessing EDI net benefits, a conceptual model was developed. The model proposed that the level of EDI net benefits expected is influenced by the size of the organisation and the concentration of trade achieved within the industry via intervening links through (a) the level of senior management commitment and (b) the extent of system integration. Nine empirically testable research propositions are derived from the model, each testing the relationship between model constructs. Data was collected from 114 component suppliers to Ford Australia in 1992 and 1994 using a repeated cross-sectional longitudinal design. Structural equation modelling using partial least squares was adopted in the analysis of the data. A pure longitudinal model together with 12 case studies of selected component manufacturers supplemented the research design. The results of the research showed that the proposed conceptual model is a good description of the data. In particular, net benefits obtained from EDI adoption are directly determined by the size of the organisation, and the extent to which firms integrate EDI into their internal application systems. The level of net benefits is only indirectly influenced by the level of senior management commitment to the EDI project through (a) management commitment’s direct effect on integration, and (b) the direct effect the volume of trade a supplier achieves with the automotive industry on senior management commitment and system integration. The major benefits organisations experienced from EDI were enhanced productivity, clerical staff savings, improved data accuracy, enhanced customer service and reduced administration costs. The research showed that few suppliers gained inventory savings from EDI, a frequently claimed benefit from EDI adoption. Evidence of small improvements in product quality emerged from the results. In summary, this research attempts to make two primary contributions to knowledge, first in providing a method by which net benefits from electronic commerce can be measured within an industry adopting electronic trading, and second, by providing organisations with the knowledge of the specific net benefits organisations could expect from EDI adoption, together with the four major factors affecting these benefits. The research concludes with possible directions for future research, in particular an assessment of the impact of incorporating financial EDI into electronic trading.

Understanding B2B e-commerce implementation : the evolving Australian experience

This study investigates the implementation process of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce in Australian organisations. Using a case study method, the study extends substantially theories on Information Systems (IS) implementation. It also suggests an entirely new framework for understanding e-commerce implementation behaviour, which is useful for organisations developing and managing e-commerce initiatives.

The need for treaty-based e-consumer protections in global B2C e-commerce

The thesis puts forward historical, logical and efficiency arguments for the implementation of treaty-based legal protections for e-consumers transacting in global Business to Customer (B2C) e-commerce. It concludes, however, that the international political climate is such that the implementation by the international community of such protections is very unlikely in the near future.

Framework investigations for harmonizing global taxation of internet commerce

Identifies and evaluates contemporary global approaches to taxation in internet commerce. Adapts the principles of evidence-based medicine to develop a working model for evidence-based taxation. A collaborative extranet structure is used to validate the axioms underpinning the critical success factors for a modern knowledge management solution.