Free Business Dissertations - , 2001), Where The Timely Flow Of Accurate Knowledge And Information Is
, 2001), where the timely flow of accurate knowledge and information is critical to the competitive positioning of the firm. The timely availability of problem -specific knowledge is a useful service that extends the knowledge management processes of organizations. In addition, there is a need for an integrative architecture to deliver problem-specific, machine-interpretable information and knowledge over highly integrative systems.
Medium and Small scale companies in the United Kingdom are adopting e-business at a fast pace. Recent developments in e-business focus on the development of collaborative value chains between organizations to deliver value to customers. The flow of information and problem specific knowledge across collaborating organizations is required in order to enable such strategies.
Prior research was examined to find existing frameworks or categories describing the possible purposes of websites or electronic transactions. Several authors have published categories of Web business, many of which contain similarities. Hoffman, Novak and Chatterjee (1995) have suggested six categories of commercialization efforts among websites, which include: 1) online storefront, 2) Internet presence, 3) content, 4) mall, 5) incentive site and 6) search agent. Steinfield et al. (1995) argue that current e-commerce models do not fully capture the existence and impact of interpersonal relationships among the firms and the degree of trust between firms engaging in e-commerce. IT is not currently sufficiently advanced enough to eliminate, or seriously reduce, the relationship-related costs associated with preventing opportunistic behaviour (Baldwin & Currie, 2000). Therefore, the level of trust and/or the ability to secure the technology influences e-commerce development.
The need for trust and secure transactions depends on the use and capabilities of the site used to conduct ebusiness. Estimates of website uses are: advertising (94 percent), providing in-depth product or service information (85 percent), obtaining new sales leads (71 percent), and providing services to customers (50 percent) (Levy, 1998). Only 32 percent of firms with a Web presence use it for direct sales of products or services (Levy, 1998). It could be that concerns about security and a lack of trust have dampened, and will continue to dampen, the use of direct sales or transaction- based e-commerce. It has been suggested that the World Wide Web has caused a fundamental paradigm shift in the way businesses operate (Palmer & Griffith, 1998, pg. 45). Frameworks for determining the nature of this paradigm are just beginning to emerge and are in exploratory stages.
The SME sector generally provides the majority of the jobs and is a significant contributor towards the national economy (Baldwin, 2001). SME’s are considered to be the core of UK’s economy.
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