Merging Website Design & Business: E-Commerce Resources

Electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce, embodies the buying and selling of goods and services over electronic systems, primarily the Internet, although other computer networks are used among independent distributors. E-commerce includes all aspects of offline business transactions, such as product development, marketing, selling, monetary management, delivery and servicing. Electronic trade has grown exponentially since the advent of the Internet. In fact, entire sub niches have evolved to introduce innovations in electronic fund transfer, Internet marketing, electronic data interchange, inventory management electronic systems, and even supply chain management for prominent e-commerce establishments. E-commerce business primarily relies on the Internet for the bulk of transactions; however, it may also use technological convergence through mobile devices to broaden a customer base. Although e-commerce conducts business through electronic means, a percentage of physical goods and services face deployment and transportation from brick-and-mortar warehouses.

What is E-Commerce?:

• Northwestern university: History of E-commerce: A brief overview of e-commerce history in a short time-line format. The rest of the homepage covers other aspects of e-commerce, including business model types, visual presentation, and industrial impact.

• Learn Link: Foundations of Electronic Commerce (PDF): An extensive overview covering the foundational aspects of e-commerce, including the multi-billion dollar business models that comprise it.

• E-commerce Journal: Electronics Commerce History: A thorough review explaining what embodies e-commerce, and how it grew with the advent of the Internet.

• United States Small Business Administration: What is the Future of E-commerce?: A small introduction into the future forecast of conducting business through electronic systems.

• Export.gov: What is E-commerce?: A brief definition of the Internet business avenue that incorporates lucrative offline principles into an electronic package.

• University of Utah: What is E-commerce?: A power-point presentation introducing e-commerce business principles to a prospective audience.

• University of Kentucky: Scope of E-commerce: A power-point presentation explaining the entire scope of e-commerce, including the challenges and strategies to overcome pitfalls.

Government Regulation of E-Commerce

• University of Buffalo: The Regulation and Taxation of E-commerce: A recommended reading list of documentation entailing the brute force of government regulation on electronic commerce businesses.

• United States Department of State: Electronic Commerce: An Introduction: A document providing insight into the United States Depart of State's vested interest in government regulation of e-commerce business models.

• National Telecommunications and Information Administration: Reinventing Commerce at Net Speed: A brief essay explaining the government's role in e-commerce relations and how imposed regulations help reshape the ever-expanding business model.

• Federal Communications Commission: Connecting the Globe IX: The Internet: An extensive overview serving to connect the globe through government regulation of e-commerce businesses on the Internet.

• National Center for Biotechnology Information: Tobacco Commerce on The Internet (PDF): A Threat to Comprehensive Tobacco Control: An extensive commentary addressing the regulatory threat of tobacco e-commerce transactions, and how it affects the entire tobacco industry.

• Business Link: E-commerce Regulations: An international perspective on global e-commerce regulations that full came into full effect in 2002.

• Joint Center for Regulatory Studies: Is More Government Regulation Need to Promote E-commerce? (PDF): A publication presenting key concepts relative to e-commerce regulatory strategies and its future advancement of the industry.

Business to Consumer (B2C) E-Commerce Model Type:

• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: Business-to-Consumer E-commerce Statistics (PDF): An extensive document detailing a presentation addressing the overall B2C e-commerce statistics in 2001.

• University of Missouri: Factors Influencing B2C E-commerce Adoption in Organizations (DOC): A paper detailing the changeover policy of organizations from previous business models to a technological B2C type.

• Account Software Research: The Many Flavors of E-commerce: Business-to-Consumer: A brief summarization of the different e-commerce business models, including business-to-consumer relations.

• American Bar Association: Resources in E-commerce and Hi-Tech (PDF): A comprehensive e-commerce resource compilation aimed at informing business prospects of issues pertaining to business transactions over the Internet.

• Yale University: B2C E-Commerce (PPT): A power-point presentation covering the basics of B2C e-commerce business models.

• Midwest Academy: New Niche Formation and Creative Destruction of Business-to-Consumer E-commerce: An extensive study that examines statistics compiled from 1995 to 2005, and comparatively concludes that business-to-consumer business model conversion has steadily impacted the brick-and-mortar retail industry.

• Mobile Web: Pros of B2C E-Commerce Solutions: A short article addressing the benefits of conducting business-to-consumer e-commerce transactions.

Business-to-Business (B2B) E-Commerce Model Type:

• Dell.com: Dell Business-to-Business E-commerce Solutions: Dell, an international computer manufacturer, has developed a business-to-business e-commerce model that helps improve transactions between existing business-to-business relations.

• Internet Society.org: B2B E-Commerce: To Be or Not to Be in the Brave New World of Global Business Virtualities: An authoritative resource covering every aspect of business-to-business e-commerce models, including b2b forms, case studies, and future direction.

• What is B2B? - A great, in-depth explanation of business to business ecommerce.

Consumer-to-Consumer E-Commerce Model Type:

• University of Helsinki: From B2C to C2C E-commerce (PDF): A comprehensive paper providing an introduction to C2C e-commerce and the key challenges that face this business protocol.

• University of Texas: E-commerce (PPT): A power-point presentation that addresses the basic fundamentals of e-commerce, including consumer-to-consumer business models.

• Buzzle.com: E-commerce: All You Need To Know: A brief summary of e-commerce, and its different business models, including consumer-to-consumer business transactions.

• Sorking.org: Payment Methods for Consumer-to-Consumer Online Transactions (PDF): An extensive paper that addresses payment options for businesses with a consumer-to-consumer framework.

• University of Tulsa: Consumer-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce: A Distinct Research Stream (PDF): A chapter segment outlining online auctions as the primary avenue for consumer-to-consumer e-commerce business models.

• Time.com: E-Commerce: Auctions: An online database of online auction sites and other categories related to e-commerce business models.

• Crime Research.org: E-commerce and Internet Auction Fraud: An overview of Internet fraud predominantly in consumer-to-consumer, auction-related business transactions.

• Pennsylvania State University: Are E-commerce Negotiations Auctions?: A paper addressing the distinction between auction-related and strictly negotiated online business transactions.

• CNN.com: Online Auctions Push E-commerce: A retrospective article hosted by CNN that addresses the explosion of online auctions and its effect on e-commerce in 1999.

• University of Minnesota Extension: Online Auction: Ebay: A brief article providing a profile of Ebay, the leading auction website on the Internet.

• Journal of Industrial Economics: Does a Seller's E-commerce Reputation Matter? Evidence From Ebay (PDF): An extensive paper that addresses how the direct effect a seller's reputation has on an existing consumer-to-consumer business model.

The Future of E-Commerce:

• Forbes.com: The Future of E-commerce: An article addressing the growing competition in the world of e-commerce in 2009.

• Virginia Law of Law and Technology: Dynamic Pricing and the Future of E-commerce: An extensive overview of how pricing directly impacts the future outlook of e-commerce.

• E-commerce: The Present and the Future (PPT): A power-point presentation outlining the prospective future of e-commerce business models.

• University of Cincinnati: The Future of E-commerce: An insiders perspective on the ever-evolving world of e-commerce business-related transactions.