Electronic Commerce: From a Definitional Taxonomy Toward a Knowledge-Management View

This knowledge-management view of electronic commerce can benefit both researchers and practitioners by furnishing a relatively comprehensive, unified, organized foundation for understanding and performing electronic commerce.

Abstract

Abstract Electronic commerce has become one of the major factors that will determine the future survival or success of organizations. Like any new field, electronic commerce abounds in confusion and lack of coherence. Consequently, a host of definitions can be found presenting a confusing picture of the field. We have collected and qualitatively analyzed an assortment of definitions representative of this variety, resulting in the identification of five clusters: the trading view, the information exchange view, the activity view, the effects view, and the value chain view. For each cluster, examples of recent research along the lines of its view are given. Although each cluster represents a distinct view of electronic commerce and has merit, none fully subsumes all others. To help unify the five perspectives, an integrated definition is advanced. However, this integration, which is as good as the five views from which it is synthesized, has limitations. A modified version of the integrated definition, incorporating richer notions of knowledge management, is introduced. Befitting the knowledge-based economy, this knowledge-management view of electronic commerce can benefit both researchers and practitioners by furnishing a relatively comprehensive, unified, organized foundation for understanding and performing electronic commerce.