E-Commerce and V-Business

Preface

Putting the ‘e-’ in business

It is increasingly becoming an understatement to say that the Internet and related technologies are changing the ways in which we live. Most definitely these technologies will affect our lives in ways we cannot yet even imagine. Indeed, if the Internet pundits are correct, few areas of our lives will remain untouched (e.g., see Negroponte, 1995; Tapscott, 1997).

One of the most significant changes promises to be in the way in which we conduct business. From being primarily a resource for the rapid and secure communications of the scientific and military communities, the Internet and related technologies are developing into the communication systems of choice for a variety of business activities in a diverse ...