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Journal of Information Technology

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

Exploitation of the World Wide Web (WWW) is a pipedream for many businesses, as they do not or cannot analyse their motives for having a web site. Many do not understand that there is more to a successful web site than having a corporate logo on a home page. They do not foresee the effort that goes into maintaining a web site, the increased competition from exposure to a ‘global market’ via the Internet and the impact a web site will have on the existing business. This case study allows analysis of the opportunities and risks of launching electronic commerce (EC) services in the case of the Co-op Bookshop, Australia's largest academic bookseller. The case describes Co-op's difficult progression to a profitable WWW presence and investigates potential developments due to growing competition from ‘global players’ and increasing amalgamation between bookselling over the WWW and electronic publishing. The case outlines the four possibilities by which a firm can profit from its Internet activities and transfers these general benefits to Internet service provision by bookstores. In particular, it directs attention to thinking of the core goals of the business, how a WWW presence helps to meet these goals and whether the introduction of a web site changes the direction of the business. This leads to a consideration of the nature of the web site. The case study allows exploration of the current customers and markets and why the firm focuses on these. Further, there are the issues of the resources required to set up and maintain a web site, how the site may be integrated into the existing business and its growth path. These issues are explored and modelled in the teaching notes and further background detail is given.

DOI

10.1177/026839629901400309

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