International E-commerce Research Articles

Chinese and US online consumers’ preferences for content of e-commerce websites: a survey

Content usability of websites is central to the success of e-commerce. In the context of international e-commerce, to serve online consumers from different nations better requires taking into account cultural differences in content preferences. The present study explored how online consumers’ content preferences vary between China and the US with regard to economic standing, cognitive style, cultural dimensions, communication context and infrastructure of e-commerce. This exploration was accomplished by conducting a web-based survey of 68 Chinese and 75 US college students, which examined their preferences for 25 information items when purchasing portable electronic products online. Significant differences in preferences between China and the US were found on 13 of these information items. Implications of these differences in content preferences for e-commerce website design in China and the US are discussed.

Content preparation for cross-cultural e-commerce: a review and a model

Content preparation is an important stage in e-commerce website development. It is critical to present appropriate information content to facilitate consumers' decision-making. In the international e-commerce setting, to better serve users from different countries, their different information preferences must be accommodated by taking cultural differences between countries into consideration in content preparation. After examining relevant literature, this paper proposes a conceptual model on content preparation for cross-cultural e-commerce. The model explores cultural effects on information processing of consumers by taking into account both normative effects and psychological effects. Tentative conclusions about cultural differences that need to be accommodated in content preparation are also offered.

A comparative analysis of International, Korean and Chinese e-commerce research

Ngai and Wat (2002) presented a literature review and classification scheme for internet and e-commerce research, with 275 journal papers published between 1993 and 1999 in nine international journals. We extend their literature review and conduct a comparative analysis based on their classification scheme and research methodology. Our research consists of 1,467 journal papers published between 1993 and 2003 in seven international, seven Korean and seven Chinese journals. The results compare not only the current state of International, Korean and Chinese e-commerce research but also show the comparative differences among them.

Do the regulations on electronic signatures facilitate international electronic commerce? A critical review

This paper critically reviews the regulations on electronic signatures (e-signatures) around the world and examines their possible impact on the development of international electronic commerce (e-commerce). Do they facilitate the development of e-commerce as expected? If not, why? This paper will consider this issue from an international and comparative perspective, and particularly looks at four jurisdictions – the US, the UK, Germany and China. It argues that the landscape of e-signatures regulations is divergent and fragmentary, which, to some extent, impedes the flow of international e-commerce. More effort is needed to achieve a harmonised and coherent regulatory framework.

Promises, paradoxes, and firm adaptation in international e-commerce

The internet promises a portal to global markets, instant communication, and round-the-clock access for firms and customers. Yet, as firms adopt the internet for international marketing they face a series of paradoxes, online opportunities create new challenges. Firms must adapt to these online challenges and effectively direct users to the appropriate applications. This paper provides a preliminary framework for internationalisation and adaptation on the internet and examines the efforts of a sample of firms.

Customer Service, Responsibility, and Systems in International E-Commerce: Should a Major Airline Reissue a Stolen Ticket?

This case is about customer service and responsibility in international e-commerce. A prominent e-commerce web site sells a ticket on a nonexistent flight, a human reservations agent fails to inform a customer about a well-known problem he is likely to encounter, an international airline’s telephone agents in Spain and the United States provide contradictory information, the airline’s office in Spain seems unaware of policies on the airline’s web site, and later its policies seem unhelpful. The case raises questions related to customer service, trust, responsibility, ethics, and business practices in international ecommerce.

Is international e-commerce an HIV tax issue?

Due to the fact that since its emergence a decade ago, and in spite of the last attempt by the OECD, international e-commerce still remains insolvent, I propose an approach consisting in applying what I call the Permanent Establishment (PE) function test to e-commerce infrastructures in order to see whether they qualify for being fiscally treated as PE, if they pass the concerned test. The question is no more whether a website or server can be or constitutes a PE but whether these infrastructures substantially have the same function or play the same role as any form of established PE in international business. As my conclusion is that some of them substantially have the same function as the category of office PE, I say they should be fiscally treated as this category of PE no matter the form they have. This is an application of the substance over form doctrine to the international e-commerce.

Why is it so difficult to construct an international legal framework for e-commerce? The Draft Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters: A Case Study

The Hague Conference on private international law has been negotiating for some time a draft Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters. The draft Convention, otherwise known as the Judgments Project, is intended to create common jurisdictional rules for international civil and commercial cases and to provide for the recognition and enforcement of judgments issued by foreign courts under these rules. When discussions began on this Convention, e-commerce was not a consideration as it was not yet a reality. Since then, however, the importance of e-commerce within the context of the Convention has become all too obvious. In recent months, lawyers have gone so far as to tout the Judgments Project as “the most important legal event in the history of cyberspace”. A recent New York Times article even quoted a law school professor as saying that the Convention is “likely to shape the future of international e-commerce”. Some have seised upon the Project as an opportunity to create an international legal framework for the Internet, yet recent negotiations have proved this to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. Interestingly, this is not an isolated occurrence. Other intergovernmental organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) have also had difficulty negotiating international instruments with regard to the Internet, especially relating to the harmonisation of private international law rules. This article discusses the importance of building international co-operation for the development of e-commerce and examines the Internet related problems encountered in the Judgments Project, in an attempt to shed light on why it is so difficult to negotiate such co-operation. This article takes stock of the difficult policy decisions that must be made by States in order to push forward and concludes with some thoughts on how States and intergovernmental organisations might move ahead in obtaining greater international co-operation within regard to the Internet.

Cultural Impact on Internet Connectivity and Its Implication

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of national culture on the Internet connectivity. The study finds that Feminine and Individualistic cultures positively influence the use of internet whereas Uncertainty Avoidance culture is negatively related to internet use. The research findings also corroborate the general beliefs that national culture can play a significant role in the transfer of technology. The results can provide a new and valuable information to international marketers who want to expand their business horizons through international e-commerce.

Practitioner Note

As Internet use continues to grow worldwide, its potential to facilitate e-commerce and international trade, especially among small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), is well recognised. However, formidable barriers in language and word processing have to be overcome before significant uptake by SMEs can be realised. A pragmatic methodology to enable multilingual e-mail communication is introduced, in a prototype system called “TigerTalk for SMEs”. This approach has been endorsed by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as the Multilingual International Trade Project. Communication needs in every link in the e-commerce value chain including contract negotiation, payment settlement, transportation logistics, custom declaration, customer services, etc. are analysed through a series of case studies. The goal is to provide a multilingual platform for end-to-end business transactions among SMEs worldwide. Progress in several key links is presented for practitioners contemplating international e-commerce.

Data Protection Commissioners Explore New Ground

International data protection commissioners met in the monastic surroundings of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, located on a small island in the water-logged city of Venice, Italy. In a juxtaposition of old environs and new technology, the commissioners discussed ways to protect personal privacy in an era of high-speed data networks, and international E-commerce.