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Electronic networks, including the internet, are increasingly serving as a channel for commerce. A growing number of goods and services - ranging from industrial components, software, books, music fragments to personal advice - can be ordered electronically. Most reputable companies and organizations now have their own website. More and more individuals have access to the Electronic Highway.
Electronic commerce or E-commerce - the subject of this study - is more than just a new distribution channel or the electronic handling of commercial transactions with third parties. E-commerce is described by the Ministry of Economic Affairs as the total of business transactions (by companies, consumers, and governments) that are carried out electronically to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of market and business processes (National Action Plan Electronic Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs, 1998). It encompasses both internal business processes and those supporting interaction with third parties.
Like other national and international organizations (for example EU, OECD, EITO), the Ministry of Economic Affairs is considering how E-commerce - and more broadly the digital or network economy - should be defined and made measurable. Therefore, it intends to create an E-commerce monitor. The aim is to achieve an accurate, up-to-date insight into the actual development and significance of E-commerce for the Dutch economy. To this end, a consortium consisting of Dialogic Innovation & Interaction, TU Delft (Delft Initiative for Telematics-based Systems Engineering, DITSE), and the Electronic Commerce Platform Netherlands (ECP.NL) has been asked to provide advice on the setup of such a monitor.
