1、 Electronic Commerce
Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well.A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web.Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as Business-to-business or B2B. B2B can be open to all interested parties (e.g. commodity exchange) or limited to specific, pre-qualified participants (private electronic market).Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions.
2、The Advantages of Electronic Commerce
Today, the Internet is reshaping the way business transactions are conducted. It is empowering both consumers and business by providing expanding markets and choices to not only national, but also international communities. It enriches competition in provide information and comparative choices.
Buyer looking for the best deals may purchase goods from Singapore, the Hong Kong, Argentina or South Africa. With the Internet, the globalization of commerce has arrived, and both consumers and corporations have more choice to address their personal and corporate purchasing requirements. It raises global trade and global economic growth.
The Internet is a vast new frontier of consumer-to-business and business-to-business commerce. For consumers, Internet-based shopping holds an attraction because of its breadth of coverage and ease of use. For corporations, Internet-based commerce represents an as-yet largely untapped medium for expanding and growing of their business.
Putting up a Web site to promote and display products, and then luring online shoppers in to look around at the offerings, however, is only one dimension of conducting business via the Internet. To realize the true potential of electronic commerce, an effective method of receiving payment for products sold or delivered through the Internet is a necessity. Developing and implementing effective and simple “cyber payment” methods is a major focus of current Internet-related research. While it is currently possible to make purchases over the Internet, this form of commerce has got yet gained sufficient popularity to deem it a significant factor in foreign trade. Still, it does have potential.
The ability to order and pay for products over the Internet can revolutionize international trade. It can provide purchasers in one country with access to goods and services from another of which they might otherwise not even be aware.
Since many governments restrict imports of certain products and regulate advertising and other marketing tools within their national borders, purchasers are often forced to choose from a limited-or even monopolistic-supply of a desired product. With Internet access, purchasers can scour the world in minutes to find the right product at the best price.
Until recently, however, supplier used the Internet primarily for advertising purposes. All orders were taken either over the telephone or by mail. While this certainly opened the door and paved the way for Internet commerce, it still required that business be conducted through traditional methods. Shopping at these days is easy and convenient with home shopping networks and mail order catalogs. What has been added is Internet shopping. As you surf in the Internet and come across to some vendor’s home page you’ll be able to purchase commodities.
3、The Prospect of Electronic Commerce
While nobody is certain what the future will bring, we do know that the Internet recognizes no national borders. Electronic commerce is global in nature, so the Internet cannot help but to dramatically increase international trade. As trust and security issues are resolved---as they continue to be each day---companies around the world will add the software and hardware tools required to conduct their business on-line.
Electronic commerce can only be done if the payment methods are secure and usable. Also possible juridical issues have to be solved before commerce can be done on a global scale.
E-commerce activity over the Internet is currently at a relatively small fraction of what it will become. It is expected to grow almost 15 times from USD 105 billion in 1999 to USD 1.4 trillion by 2003, according to Jupiter Research. This is the Internet demand side of the equation of exchange.
For the supply side, economies of scale take on a whole new meaning. Sellers of goods and services can expect not only local opportunities, but also national and global reach. The Internet expands opportunities to small producers with worthy products, and thrusts them into competition with their multinational big brothers.
As we can see, the number of people using Internet is increasing by 100% each year. Very soon just plain surfing isn’t going to be enough for them. Internet access providers, service providers, vendors and companies involved in Internet development have to come up with fast, secure, anonymous and easy to use solution to be used by customers, in order to make payments, who want to fully exploit Internet. Internet. The first company the hits global market big time, with application that is accepted by everyone (customers, vendors, official agencies, etc.), is going to be a major player.
When fully implemented, the new technologies will provide users worldwide with numerous benefits for legitimate commerce. How, and to what extent, governments should and must become involved in regulating electronic commerce is an issue that is only now starting to surface.
The ever-changing technology in electronic commerce and the introduction of new hardware, software, and service technology forces market participants to quickly and readily adjust their basic business strategies. Companies who want to participate in the worldwide electronic commerce revolution must adapt their electronic commerce service capabilities and product offerings to the requirements of the electronic commerce marketplace.
簡述電子商務
1.電子商務
電子商務，通常被稱為電子貿易，包括購買和銷售產品或服務通過電子系統，如互聯網和其他計算機網絡。所進行的貿易總額增長非常電子自互聯網的普及。商業種類繁多，以這種方式進行，推動和繪畫的創新在電子資金轉移，供應鏈管理，網絡營銷，在線交易處理，電子數據交換（EDI），存貨管理系統，自動數據收集系統。現代電子商務通常使用至少在壹些事務的生命周期點的萬維網，盡管它可以包括諸如電子的技術更廣泛，像電子郵件。電子商務的壹個很大比例是完全以電子方式進行，如能夠獲得優質的虛擬物品在網站上的內容，但大多數電子商務涉及的壹些具體物品的運輸方式。網上零售商有時被稱為網絡銷售商和網上零售，有時被稱為電子尾巴。幾乎所有的大型零售商對萬維網電子商務存在。電子商務是企業之間進行，被稱為企業到企業。企業對企業可以開放給所有有關各方（如商品交換），或僅限於特定的，預審合格的參與者（私營電子市場）。電子商務被普遍認為是銷售方面的電子企業。它還包括便利的融資和支付的商業交易方面的數據交換。
2、電子商務的優勢
今天，英特網技術的迅速發展，正在引領著交易方式的發展。英特網所提供的豐富的資訊，給市場的雙方，不論是商家還是消費者，都提供了更多的可選擇的余地。同時，市場的範圍也不再局限於國家範圍內，不同國家的人們，通過互聯網，也可以很方便地進行交易了。
買方可以利用英特網，很方便地購買來自很遠地方的東西，比如新加坡，阿根廷、香港或者南非。正是由於英特網的應用，我們才真正地迎來了全球化的時代，無論是買方還是買方，在選擇他們的交易對象時，都有了更多的選擇，這無疑會大大刺激全球貿易的增長。
無論是C to B方式還是B to C方式，英特網都提供了壹個巨大的舞臺。對消費者來說，英特網帶來的方便和高速，展示了它足夠的魅力。而對於商家來說，英特網為他們的商業擴張，提供了壹個前所未有的巨大的完全開放的媒介。
雖然，通過在網站，只能展示產品的外觀和大小，但這足以吸引那些在線購物者隨意地查看和選擇。同時，為了發揮電子商務的真實潛能，我們還必須有壹個有效的付款和交貨模式，來保證買賣雙方可以通過英特網順利和安全地收到貨款或貨物。如今，人們已經發展除了壹種被稱為“網際付款”的方式，它使得方便安全的網絡交易成為可能。不過，作為壹種新興的商業模式，還需要壹個發展和應用的過程，才能充分發揮它的潛力。
全球互聯網絡甚至可以為壹件商品的賣方，聯系到壹個可能來自壹個他們並不知道的國家的買方。電子商務，最終將使整個世界的貿易方式，發生革命性的改變。
由於出於保護本國企業產品的需要，許多政府都對進口產品進行了各種各樣的限制，所以買方的選擇通常都是有限的，有時候甚至根本就無從選擇。而通過英特網，買方就可以在數分鐘內，就用最優惠的價格買到滿足其要求的世界上最好的產品。
雖然現在，交易者更多地還只是把英特網當作壹種廣告投放場所，所有地交易流程還只是通過電話或者信件。即使電子商務的大門已經打開，但交易最終仍然離不開壹些傳統的方式，仍然需要傳統交易方式的引導。如今人們已經可以很方便地通過便利連鎖店和采用郵購目錄的方式，坐在家裏完成購物了，但如果再加上因特網，那會是什麽情況呢？恐怕連最普通最小地商品，妳也可以坐在家裏就買到了。
3、電子商務的前景
雖然沒有人能判斷未來到底會怎樣，但我們確實可以判斷出來，英特網將給我們帶來壹個沒有國界的世界。因為電子商務的本質就是全球化，所以它就無法不戲劇性地促進國際貿易的發展。比如簽訂信托和安全協議--他們每天都在繼續--全球的公司都將不得不為他們的電腦增加商業軟件和硬件工具，以滿足在線交易的需要。
只有當付款方式安全方便，電子商務才能成為可能。同樣的，可行的統壹規則的制定，才能使得電子商務在全球範圍內得到大規模的應用。
相對而言，在英特網上的電子商務活動，現在還比較少。但有數據顯示，從 1999 年2003，電子商務的貿易量將增長15倍，在1999年，電子商務貿易額為幾1050億美元，而2003則有1.4萬億美元，而這正是網絡擴張的結果。
對於賣方來說，經濟效益將被賦予全新的意義。貨物和服務的賣方能期待的不只是在當地的機會, 同時也是跨越國界的機會。英特網甚至把商業機會擴展到了任何生產有價值產品的小生產者。英特網使來自各個國家的眾多商家加入到了競爭的行列中。
正如我們已經看到的那樣，使用英特網的人數正在以每年100％的速度增長，而且，很快這個數字就會顯得保守了。為了滿足那些不斷開發英特網潛能的消費者的要求，越來越多的英特網的網路提供者、服務提供者、各廠商和公司被卷到了壹起。在英特網上，每家公司都在全球範圍的市場中尋找自己的機會，每個人參與者 (客戶，廠商，商業中介等等.), 都將成為主角。
現在，這僅僅是開始。當電子商務這項新技術被完全開發的時候，它將為合法的商業提供無法估量的效益。它的使用者無論在世界的哪個地方，也無論是在什麽時候，都可以方便地使用它。
隨著網絡硬件、軟件和服務的不斷發展，電子商務也將不斷地發展，政府應該而且必須把電子商務的管理提上日程，盡快地制定相應的商業規則，引導其健康快速地發展。而那些希望參與到全球電子商務中的公司，就必須盡快地調整自己的戰略，使得自己能夠提供滿足電子商務市場環境下所需要的產品和服務。