1、Benefits &Impacts of E-commerceFew innovations in human history encompass as many potential benefits as E-commerce does to organizations, individuals, and society. These benefits are just starting to materialize, but they will increase significantly as E-commerce expands. It is not surprising that s

2、ome maintain that the EC revolutions is just “as profound as the change that came with in the industrial revolution”(Clinton and Gore 1997).Electronic commerce expands the marketplace to national and international markets. With minimal capital outlay, a company can easily and quickly locates more cu

3、stomers, the best suppliers, and the most suitable business partners worldwide.Electroonic ccommerrce deecreasses thhe cosst of creatting, proceessingg, disstribuuting, storring, and rretrieeving paperr-baseed infformattion. It reeducess the time betweeen thhe outtlay oof cappital and tthe reeceiptt

4、 of pproduccts annd serrvicess. EC can llowerss teleecommuunicattions costthe IInternnet iss muchh cheaaper tthan VVANS. For eexamplle, byy intrroduciing ann elecctroniic proocuremment ssystemm, commpaniees cann cut the ppurchaasing adminnistraative costss by aas mucch as 85 peercentt. Electroonic c

5、commerrce alllows reducced innventoories and ooverheeads bby faccilitaating pull-type supplly chaain maanagemment. In a pull-type systeem thee proccess sstartss fromm custtomer orderrs andd usess justt-in-ttime mmanufaacturiing.E-commeerce bbringss abouut impprovedd imagge, immproveed cusstomerr ser

6、vvice, newfoound bbusineess paartnerrs, siimpliffied pprocessses,ccompreessed time, incrreasedd prodductivvity, elimiinatinng papper, eexpediiting accesss to inforrmatioon, reeducedd trannsporttationn costts, annd inccreaseed fleexibillity.Electroonic ccommerrce ennabless custtomerss to sshop oor do

7、 otherr trannsactiions 224 houurs a day, all yyear rround, fromm almoost anny loccationn. It proviides ccustommers wwith mmore cchoicees; thhey caan sellect ffrom mmany vvendorrs andd fromm moree prodducts.E-commeerce iis perrceiveed nott as aa prodduct, but rratherr as aan ageent thhant wwill ttran

8、sfform tthe evvery wway prroductt and serviice iss creaated aand soold. IIt commpleteely chhangess the ruless of bbusineess prrocessses annd bennefitss expeected throuughoutt the econoomy.1、Reducced peer Traansacttion CCost vversuss Otheer ChaannelssAlthouggh esttablisshing and mmaintaainingg a Weeb

9、 sitte on the IInternnet haas cossts off its own, the pprice of ussing tthe Weeb verrsus oother saless channnels is suubstanntiallly redduced. As aan advvertissing mmediumm, proomotioon usiing a Web ssite rresultts in the ssale oof tenn timees thee numbber off unitts witth onee-tentth of the aadvert

10、tisingg budgget.Colorfuul, grraphiccal annd disstribuuting printted maateriaals. IIf speecialtty hott-saucce venndor HHot Hoot Hott prinnted ccataloogs foor itss prodducts ratheer thaan offferingg themm on tthe Weeb, thhe Commpany estimmates its ccosts wouldd skyrrockett fromm the curreent $1100 PEE

11、R MONNTH TOO $5000 000 per mmonth. AMP Interrnatioonal oof H AARRISBBURG, Pennssylvannia, oonce pprinteed itss cataalogs at a cost of $88 milllion. By puuttingg its stockk of 770 0000 itemms on the WWeb, ssuch ccosts have been greattly reeducedd and saless havee incrreasedd. Furrthermmore, the sspec

12、iaally ddesignned Weeb sitte makkes itt easiier foor thee custtomer to piinpoinnt dessired equippment partss thenn the paperr cataalog eever ddid.Produciing annd maiiling one ttechniical iinformmationn packket coosts tthe Gllobal Energgy Nettwork Interrnatioonal aan esttimateed $255. Thee costt for

13、distrributiing thhe samme infformattion oover tthe Weeb is margiinal aand dooes noot inccreasee as mmore ppeoplee acceess itt.The Webb can reducce thee calll voluume annd cosst forr provvidingg effeectivee custtomer suppoort. FFor exxamplee, Fedderal Expreesss Web ssite eenablees cusstomerrs to trac

14、kk theiir ownn packkages at a cost to thhe commpany of $00.1 peer inqquiry. Whenn livee operratorss handdle thhese iinquirres ovver tooll-frree teelephoone liines, each call costss Fedeeral EExpresss $7. Therre is no quuestioon thaat doiing buusinesss oveer thee Web is coostefffectivve.2、Full-Time B

15、usinnessBecausee of ddifferrencess in ttime zzones, coorrdinatting iinternnationnal buusinesss neggotiattions can bbe higghly iinconvveniennt.Proovidinng suppport and sservicce 24 hourss per day, sevenn dayss per week is exxpensiive. HHoweveer,Webb sitees, unnlike salesspeoplle, arre alwways oonline

16、e. Useers caan finnd thee answwers tto theeir quuestioons anny dayy of tthe yeear annd cann E-maail innquirees if the WWeb siite dooes noot ansswer ttheir questtions.In addditioon ,prrospeccts thhat arre unaaware of thhe commpanys exiistencce cann findd it oonlinee becaause WWeb siites ccan bee inde

17、exed bby Intternett searrchenggines underr a vaarietyy of kkeyworrds. AA web site becommes thhe commpanys perrmanennt homme basse, ann infoormatiion reesourcce conntinuaally aavailaable tto thee worlld.Allowinng cusstomerrs to transsact bbusineess att theiir connvenieence ccan reesult in inncreassed

18、 saales. Exproo, a ccompanny thaat supppliess partts to oil ccompannies, set uup a WWeb siite ennablinng enggineerrs froom Sheell Oiil on a tannker iin thee Nortth Seaa to iimmediiatelyy placce ordders oon thee Web, rathher thhan waaitingg to rreturnn onshhore. The eengineeers aadmit that they do, i

19、in facct, pllace mmore oorderss becaause tthey ccan pllace oorderss whenn theyy are facinng thee needd for the pproducct.An onliine sttore ccan affford to bee openn at aall tiimes oof thee day and eevery day oof thee yearr. Feww reall worlld stoores ccan juustifyy suchh an aarranggementt.3、Physiical

20、 IInfrasstructture iis OpttionallExistinng bussinessses caan creeate WWeb siites aas an addittionall salees chaannel, but the WWeb allso oppens tthe poossibiilitiees forr new typess of eenterpprisess thatt havee no rreal-wworld countterparrts. IIn thee mostt virttual oof casses, aa storre cann havee

21、 no iinventtory aand sqquare footaage too mainntain.If the produuct ittself is soold onnline, as iis thee casee withh infoormatiion, eenterttainmeent orr softtware, wareehousees andd the like are ccompleetely superrfluouus. Thhe enttire ssales cycleefromm reseearch to orrder tto payyment to deeliver

22、ryocccurs oonlinee.Even sttores with retaiil outtlets find that theirr Web-basedd storres doo not face the ssame sshelf spacee limiitatioons reeal-woorld sstoress do. No reestricctionss exisst on the nnumberr of iitems an onnline storee can carryy.Online storees cann be mmore fflexibble abbout tthe

23、prroductts theey carrry annd howw theyy pricce thoose prroductts. RCCS Nett, a MManhatttan ccomputter reetaileer, offten cchangees itss pricces evvery dday orr evenn moree thann oncee per day. In shhort, onlinne rettailerrs cann garnner a broadder auudiencce, annd carrry moore prroductts. Thhese sst

24、oress reprresentt the ultimmate iin fleexibillity. Howevver, ssuch sstore must offerr a geenerouus retturn ppolicyy becaause ccustommers ccannott physsicallly exaamine produucts.A Virtuual SttoreE-commeerce iincluddes anny bussinesss trannsacteed eleectronnicallly ,whhetherr the transsactioon occcur

25、s bbetweeen twoo busiiness partnners oor a bbusineess annd itss custtomerss .Eleectronnic daata innterchhange(EDI),whichh has to-daate beeen immplemeented almosst excclusivvely bby larrger bbusineesses that can aaffordd the necesssary initiial innvestmment ,is reeachinng smaaller organnizatiions aas

26、 traansacttions occurr moree freqquentlly oveer thee Inteernet .Comppaniess are posinng eleectronnic sttorefrronts on thhe Worrld Wiide Weeb andd garnneringg worlldwidee custtomerss .Theese onnline businnessess may repreesent a neww salees chaannel for tthe coompanyy or mmay bee comppletelly virrtua

27、liized ,holdiing noo inveentoryy . Frrom 19995 too2000, we hhave wwitnesssed mmany iinnovaative appliicatioons raangingg fromm adveertiseement to auuctionns andd virttual rrealitty expperiennce .AAlmostt everry meddium aand laarge-ssized organnizatiion inn the Uniteed Staates aalreaddy hass a weeb s

28、itte .Maany arre verry exttensivve ;foor exaample, in 11998 GGeneraal Mottors CCorporrationn offeered 118000 pagess of iinformmationn thatt inclluded 9800 linkss to iits prroductts,serrvicess,and dealeers. 1、Advaantagees of Virtuual SttoreGenerallly, tthe beenefitts of operaating a virrtual storeefr

29、ontt falll intoo seveeral aareas of buusinesss strrategyy.A compaanys distrributiion chhannells cann becoome exxpandeed witth thee pressence of a virtuual sttorefrront, whichh in tturn ccan trransfeer morre powwer too direect maarketiing, wwhich is thhe mosst tarrgetedd commmunicaationss vehiicle. T

30、his capaccity aallowss the compaany too chooose whhat iss to bbe thee purppose oof thee Web site:onlinne salles, oonlinee adveertisiing, oonlinee custtomer serviice, oor othher saales oor commmuniccationns acttivitiies. UUsing the WWeb ass new distrributiion chhannell willl requuire aa straategicc r

31、eviiew off the compaanys otherr disttributtion cchanneels too streeamlinne thee direect maarketiing fuunctioon. Maany tiimes tthe tyype off mercchandiise, tthe diirect markeeting functtion. Many timess the type of meerchanndise, suchh as ddry gooods oor serrvice, willl inflluencee the integgratioon

32、of the WWeb innto thhe proomotioonal aand diistribbutionn straategy.With a virtuual prresencce, caapitall expeendituure iss muchh lesss in sstartiing coonsumeer-dirrectedd or bbusineess-too busiiness-direccted mmarketting pprograamas. The ccapitaal exppenditture tto opeen eleectronnic sttorefrront i

33、is mucch lesss thaan opeening a tanngiblee storre(reaal esttate aand sttructuures); thiss facttor shhould reducce thee amouunt too borrrow, wwhich is prrobablly earrmarkeed forr elecctroniic equuipmennt, ISSP serrver, and nnecesssary ssoftwaare too suppport tthe viirtuall storrefronnt.There iis mucc

34、h morre fleexibillity iin proovidinng a bbase ffor opperatiions tto suppport the vvirtuaal stoore. TThe fllexibiility is suuch thhat ann entrreprenneur ccould mainttain ssales and sservicce froom anyy locaation. The Web ssite ccan opperatee twennty-foour hoours eevery day, and tthis ccapabiility is

35、vaaluablle forr thosse firrms thhat maarket oversseas. Whethher thhe staaff iss actuual peeople or ann autoomatedd systtem, tthe cuustomeer is relieeved iin havving hher orrder aacknowwledgeed.To expaand thhe firrms ccredenntialss and qualiificattions, the retaiil Webb sitee can dispeense mmarkettin

36、g oor salles maateriaals auutomatticallly on requeest. SSales brochhures can bbe obttainedd by pprospeects(aas welll as compeetitioors) tthrouggh a WWeb prresencce, annd witth thee prolliferaation of coolor pprinteers, ssales brochhures retriieved from the WWeb arre as attraactivee as tthe prrintedd

37、 salees pieece. AAs staated bbeforee, theese saales mmateriials aare avvailabble too downnload and pprint twentty-fouur a dday.Produciing a firstt-classs Webb sitee willl enhaance tthe viirtuall pressence of thhe commpany usingg the promootionaal mixx elemments. Withh the advennt of the ccolor, soun

38、nd, moovemennt, annd sellectivvity oof thee Web, otheer proomotioonal ttools can bbe inccorporrated to thhe pagge dessign oor as a bannner oon a ssearchh engiine hoome paage.The oppportunnity tto tesst neww prodducts or seervicees mayy be oone off the biggeest addvantaages oof thee Web. Thiss inteer

39、actiive abbilityy can also be emmployeed intto sammplingg new produuct orr servvice cconceppts ammong eexistiing cuustomeer basses. IIt is a greeat waay to get ffeedbaack onn custtomer opiniions ffor fuuture use. New ttools are aavailaable aalmostt dailly andd inteegrateed intto Webb sitees forr cus

40、ttomer evaluuationn and conveeniencce. Laands End IInc. iis addding aa featture tto itss Web site that will alloww shopppers to seee whaat cloothes will look like on thheir bbodiess. Thee featture, calleed Youur Perrsonall Modeel, ennabless a usser too seleect haair coolor, heighht, annd shooulderr

41、widtth, waaist aand hiip sizze to matchh her body.The ttechnoology then combiines tthose featuures tto forrm a tthree-dimennsionaal virrtual body. The site then seleccts cllothess to ssuit tthat bbody ttype, and aa shoppper ccan cllick oon iteems too see them on thhe moddel. TThe teechnollogy aallow

42、ss for fifteeen diiffereent feeaturee combbinatiions.Many maarketeers arre eagger too selll inteernatiionallly witth minnimal electtronicc salees suppport.Theree are many markeeting issuees to be coonsideered iin addditionn to tthe opperatiional and ffinanccial iissuess in ssellinng andd deliiverinn

43、g thee prodduct oor serrvice abroaad. A good placee to aask thhese bbusineess quuestioons iss in aa disccussioon envvironmment. Discuussionn grouups mmemberrs rannge alll oveer thee globbe, soo withh the propeer no bordeers prroductt, an effecctive markeeting progrram coould ttap seelecteed tesst ma

44、rrkets. The reachh of tthe Weeb is interrnatioonal, so wiith laanguagge-corrrect packaaging and cclose scruttiny tto acccommoddate tthe coountriies llegal restrrictioons, uusage patteerns, and cconsummers valuees, thhe marrketerr can sell throuughoutt the worldd at aan amaazinglly loww commmunicaati

45、onss costt.2、Buildding tthe Cyybersttoress AwarrenesssEmpathyy for the ccutomeers wwants and ddesirees is one oof thee key ingreedientts forr storrefronnt succcess. Thiss quesst to satissfy a custoomer ssegmennt is no diiffereent frrom atttractting bbuyerss to aa reall storre fillled wwith ddesiraab

46、le mmerchaandisee. Thee markketer devellops aa mercchandiising strattegy ffrom pprospeect innput. The mmajor conceerns tthat tthe maarketeer musst mannipulaate arre mattchingg corpporatee straategy, conttent oof thee sitee, graaphicss and text appeaarancee, andd sitee secuurity for ccustommer orrder

47、inng andd privvacy. Thesee straategicc and tactiical iissuess shouuld bee consstant regarrdlesss if tthe siite iss a siingulaar adddress or paart off a cyybermaall.Mindingg the corpoorate or diivisioon objjectivves shhould be sttated in thhe corrporatte marrketinng plaan;theese obbjectiives mmight b

48、e diictateed as generratingg 60 ppercennt salles annd proofits from the yyoung adultt noveels. SSpeciffic obbjectiives, whichh are usuallly exxpresssed nuumericcally as a saless voluume orr perccentagge retturn oon invvestmeent orr asseet,willl deppend oon thee enviironmeental or coompetiitive force

49、es faccing tthe coompanyy as aa wholle or the ddivisiion inn partticulaar.3、The BBest AAdviceeThe marrketerrs as the mmerchaant shhould invesstigatte thee pitffalls beforre he beginns to extoll the potenntialss of EE-commmerce and bbecomee blinnded bby itss advaantagees.Thee susppiciouus marrketerr

50、willl perfform mmuch bbetterr thann the casuaal or misinnformeed onee becaause tthere are mmany ddetaills to addreess thhat unnorgannized, slopppy maanagerrs mayy skipp. To avoidd commmerce overcconfiddence, the generral sttrateggy of settiing upp commmerciaal uniits byy funcction shoulld nott be aa

51、ny diiffereent foor E-ccommerrce acctivitties. Tradiitionaal orgganizaationaal ressponsiibilitties ffor esstabliishingg finaanciall affaaires, prodductioon conncernss, andd markketingg actiions sshouldd be ddetermmined in thhe samme mannner ffor viirtuall commmerce compaanies. Afteer alll, thee same

52、e seriies off stepps shoould bbe unddertakken ass runnning aa reall busiiness.Balanciing thhe commmerciial fuunctioons iss crittical. For exampple, iif thee markketingg depaartmennt oveer-priices tthe meerchanndise, salees willl sloow andd may affecct cassh floow, whhich iin turrn desstabillizes fin

53、annces. With slowiing saales, the ooperattions/manuffacturring ffunctiion allso sllows, and mmaximuum utiilizattion oof ressourcees is lost. An iimporttant aaxiom to foollow, regaardlesss of electtronicc or ttangibble coommercce opeeratioons, iis thaat thee busiiness shoulld perrform on tiime, oone

54、sppecifiicatioon, annd on budgeet. Reelatioonshipps aree cemeented when the mmerchaant deeliverrs theese quualitiies too a cuustomeer or when a suppplierr prodduces the ssame tto a ccommerrcial enterrprisee.電子商務的優點點和影響電子商務可能給給企業、個人人和社會帶來來巨大的益處處，這幾乎是是人類歷史上上任何一次革革命都無法比比擬的。這些些益處正在變變為現實，并并且隨著電子子商務的發展展而迅

55、猛增長長。因此有人人認為電子商商務革命“如同工業革革命一樣正給給人類帶來深深刻的變化”（克林頓和和戈爾，19997）。電子商務將市場場拓展到全國國乃至全球。公公司以最低的的資金支出，便便可迅速便捷捷地在全球范范圍內發展更更多的客戶，找找到最好的供供應商和最佳佳的商務伙伴伴。電子商務能降低低創新、加工工、銷售、存存儲和檢索紙紙面信息的成成本，同時也也縮短了從資資金支出到商商品和服務到到位的時間。由由于國際互聯聯網比增值往往（VANSS）價格低廉廉，電子商務務還可降低電電信費用，如如借助于電子子采購系統，企企業可以把采采購管理成本本降低85%。電子商務提供下下拉式的供應應連鎖管理，有有利于減少庫庫

56、存與管理費費用。在下拉拉式系統里，商商務運作從客客戶下訂單開開始，采取即即時生產。電子商務有利于于企業提高形形象，改善客客戶服務，尋尋找新的商務務伙伴，簡化化生產過程，節節約時間，提提高生產率，消消除紙面業務務，加快信息息檢索，降低低交通費用，以以及提高業務務的靈活性。電子商務可全年年為客戶提供供全天候、隨隨時隨地的購購物服務。它它為客戶提供供了更多的選選擇機會，客客戶可以從眾眾多的賣主和和更多的商品品中進行選擇擇。在某些情況下，尤尤其是對于數數字化商品，電電子商務可實實現快速交貨貨。客戶可在在瞬間獲取相相關詳細信息息，而不必等等待數天甚至至是幾周的時時間。電子商務本身并并不是一種商商品，而是

57、改改變生產和銷銷售商品、服服務方式的催催化劑。它徹徹底改變了商商務的運作規規律，提高了了經濟效益。1、相對于其他他渠道，其交交易成本低盡管建立和維護護一個網站需需要一定的投投資，但是與與其他銷售渠渠道相比，使使用萬維網的的成本已經大大幅度地降低低了。假如使使用網站作為為廣告媒介進進行網上促銷銷活動，其結結果是在增加加10倍銷售售量的同時，只只花費傳統廣廣告預算的11/10。網上色彩斑斕的的圖像效果，比比傳統四色印印刷并散發促促銷材料的做做法總會節省省成本。以一一家出售辛辣辣調料的零售售商（Hott Hot Hot）為為例，如果該該公司按照傳傳統方式印制制彩色產品目目錄，而不是是像目前在網網上展

58、示其產產品的話，該該公司預計其其促銷成本會會從網上成本本的每月1000美元提高高到不可想象象的每月500萬美元。美美國賓夕法尼尼亞的一家公公司美資安普普公司（AMMP Intternattionall of HHarrissburg）曾曾經花費8000萬美元印印制產品目錄錄。現在該公公司將其所有有7萬元項產產品在網上展展示，其成本本已經大大降降低，而且銷銷售量大幅度度增加。除此此之外，精心心設計的網頁頁可以大大方方便客戶準確確迅速地查找找到所需的設設備零部件，而而紙面產品目目錄卻不容易易做到這一點點。對于全球能源網網絡公司（GGloball Enerrgy Neetworkk Inteerna

59、tiional）來來說，每份精精心設計并散散發的技術資資料要花費大大約25美元元，而在網上上公布散發相相同的技術資資料，其成本本微不足道，并并且不隨瀏覽覽人數的增加加而增加。企業通過網絡提提供有效的客客戶支持服務務，可以大量量地減少電話話咨詢的次數數，進而節省省大量開支。例例如，美國的的聯邦快遞公公司通過設立立網站咨詢服服務系統，使使客戶可以隨隨時跟蹤快遞遞包裹的運輸輸情況，客戶戶每次咨詢只只花費公司00.1美元。如如果相同的查查詢工作由人人工接話員通通過免費電話話來做的話，客客戶每次查詢詢將花費公司司7美元。毫毫無疑問，使使用萬維網可可以大大降低低交易成本。2、全天候經營營由于世界各地總總存

60、在時差，從從而造成了國國際商務談判判的不便。對對于企業來說說，提供沒周周7天、每天天24小時的的客戶支持與與服務，費用用相當昂貴。然然而，不同于于銷售人員，互互聯網的網站站可以實現224小時的在在線服務。用用戶可以隨時時得到問題的的答案。如果果網站沒有回回復他們的問問題，用戶還還可以發電子子郵件進行查查詢。即使不不了解該公司司存在與否，也也可以通過國國際互聯網上上所提供的搜搜索引擎采用用輸入關鍵字字的方式查找找。企業的網網址成為永久久性的地址，為為全球的用戶戶提供不間斷斷的信息。隨時為客戶提供供在線服務可可以增加企業業的銷售量。例例如，Exppro公司是是一家向石油油公司提供零零部件的機械械制