E-commerce :: Business and Management Studies

E- craftUnless you go for been living under a rock for the last ii years, you know heard about e-commerce And you have heard about it from several(prenominal) distinguishable angles. For exampleYou have heard about whole t mature of the companies that assert e-commercebecause you have been bombarded by their TV and radio ads.You have read all of the news stories about the shift to e-commerceand the hype that has developed around e-commerce companies.You have seen the huge valuations that web companies ticktock in the stockmarket, even when they dont realise a profit.And you may have actually purchased something on the web, so you havedirect personal experience with e-commerce.Still, you may feel like you dont realize e-commerce at all. Whatis all the hype about? Why the huge valuations? And just about importantly,is there a way for you to participate? If you have an e-commerce idea,how might you get started implementing it? If you have had questionslike these, then this edit ion of How Stuff Works get out help out byexposing you to the entire e-commerce space. Lets have a advertCommerceBefore we get into a complete discussion of e-commerce, it is right-handto have a good mental image of plain old commerce first. If youunderstand commerce, then e-commerce is an easy extension.Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary defines commerce as followscom.merce n MF, fr. L commercium, fr. com- + merc-, merx merchandise(1537) 1 social intercourse convert of ideas, opinions, orsentiments 2 the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on alarge scale involving transportation from place to place 3 sexualintercourseWe tend to be interested in the sulphur definition, but that third oneis interesting and unexpected - maybe thats what all of the hype isaboutSo commerce is, quite simply, the exchange of goods and services, commonly for money. We see commerce all around us in in millions ofdifferent forms. When you buy something at a grocery store or atWal-mart you are participating in commerce. In the same way, if you drag out half of your possessions onto your front lawn for a yard sale,you are participating in commerce from a different angle. If you go towork each solar day for a company that produces a product, that is yetanother link in the chain of commerce. When you think about commercein these different ways, you instinctively recognize several differentrolesBuyers - these are people with money who essential to purchase a good orservice.Sellers - these are the people who liberty chit goods and services to buyers.Sellers are generally recognized in two different forms retailers who