memorandum

to: Jack cook

from: Liying wu

subject: Article review 4

date: 1/10/2005

Source Citation:

Storey, V. C., Straub, D. W., Stewart, K. A., & Welke, R. J. (2000, July). A conceptual

investigation of the e-commerce industry. Communications of the ACM, 43(7). Retrieved January 1, 2005, from ACM Digital Library Database.

Summary:

In this article, authors focus on the study of the E-commerce industry provider and their products. For firms to compete successfully in E-commerce, they need to understand the structure of E-commerce industry and the roles of its many vital players. Authors undertook an empirical study that classified emerging E-commerce providers into different categories similar to what SIC code does for the industry classifications. This study was done through a Q-sorting technique through a select group of academic professionals and was later tested with a larger group of technologists and end users across different businesses. Their study categories 10 major E-commerce structure players such as client-side software and hardware providers, server-side providers, net-access services providers, billing service providers, payment service providers and so on.

Research Questions:

1. What is the structure of E-commerce industry?

Outline Ideas:

1. Structure of E-commerce industry

2. The major providers in E-commerce industry

3. What is the optimal structure for different sizes of firms?

Direct Quotes & Paraphrases:

1. “E-commerce is a dynamic, quickly changing phenomenon. In such an environment, managers need to quickly assess where the industry is headed and learn to how to compete, from strategic alliance, and create and dissolve virtual organizations.” (Storey, 123).

2. “Consumers are portrayed as users of “client-side” software and hardware. Businesses offering their goods and services via e-commerce are envisioned as users of e-commerce on the “server-side.” (Storey, 119).