What are the functions of corporate home pages?

Abstract

Researchers have identified a number of functions performed by corporate home pages on the World Wide Web. Although commerce and marketing functions are growing, they may be of minor importance in the evolving Internet strategies of corporations. The research presented here examined the functions of corporate home pages in the United States, Germany, and Japan, guided by theories in management studies and communications technology research. Results suggest that image creation rather than marketing, cost control, stakeholder relations, or disclosure is the major function of corporate home pages in each of the countries studied. This raises the question of why image creation is so important.