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The purpose of this paper is to show how the functionality of electronic marketplaces can facilitate collaborative supply chain planning. Supply chain planning processes are identified and analysed using a supply chain management focus. The paper also gives a brief introduction to a framework for supply chain management and to the typical structure of electronic marketplaces. Furthermore, three collaborative supply chain planning scenarios are defined, and it is shown how collaborative supply chain planning typically could be implemented on an electronic marketplace by the means of a Web‐based demonstration. As such, the paper shows how electronic marketplaces can be used to enable supply chain integration.

Although there has recently been an increased practitioner and media focus on electronic marketplaces, there still remains confusion over the advantages of participation. As a consequence organisations are finding difficulty in developing strategies, policies and procedures in relation to the e‐marketplace selection process. In some cases due to the dynamic and evolving environment of electronic trading, there can be a reluctance on the part of buyers and suppliers to participate in e‐marketplaces. Several classification models offer assessments of which type of marketplace are most suitable for different procurement purposes, but they fail to remain relevant in this dynamically changing environment. In this paper a content analysis of research and practitioner articles is carried out to evaluate the issues that prospective participants, seeking to purchase goods and services online, need to address in their selection process. A framework to support electronic marketplace related decision making is proposed, which is based within the contexts of business drivers, internal company issues and e‐marketplace facilitators.

This paper aims to explore what aspects of organisational value can be realised through taking a service exchange perspective of e-marketplaces as opposed to a product transaction perspective Marketing is increasingly concerned with the notion of service value in business-to-business markets. Electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces) have been used in B2B exchanges for many years and continually evolve as the understanding of e-marketplace participation and the technologies develop.

A case study approach is taken using three large e-marketplace organisations and interviews with senior managers from each company.

The paper argues that e-marketplaces should not be thought of solely as a product transaction mechanism but rather as a digital marketing and communication network where service, rather than products, forms the basis of a value creating exchange.

Organisations can co-create value within an e-marketplace network but must market services value across organisational boundaries.

The paper extends the literature in the area of e-marketplace trading and recognises the importance of the digital communication network in enabling service exchange between the e-marketplace, buyers and suppliers.

What is and will be the role of libraries in the Internet age? Examines the nature of the electronic information marketplace with a view to the identification of some of the factors that will shape that marketplace and the role of libraries in the marketplace. Considers first the nature of electronic information as a product, product segments and the stakeholders in the marketplace. Pricing strategies and distribution also have a role to play. The virtual library is one scenario for the future, but it fails to acknowledge the complexities of today’s developmental information society. Libraries in 1996 are already engaged in a wide range of different projects that exploit the latest communications technologies. The development of the marketplace will be constrained by issues associated with information rich, information poor, intellectual property and copyright, security and data protection, standards, and archiving and bibliographical control. The only thing that is certain is that there are no answers. Each library system needs to capitalize on its relationship with its existing customers as a base for developing its future potential.

The current study aims to systematically review the existing literature, identify the main determinants that impact individuals’ perceptions, attitude, intention and behavior and meta-analytically evaluate their respective strength. Moreover, this study examines the specific mechanism through which more distal factors, such as trust, risk, experience and enjoyment influence individuals’ decision in the context of online auction markets. Finally, the moderating effects of contextual and methodological factors that could potentially influence the relationships are explored. During the past two decades, a large number of empirical studies examined the factors that hinder or foster individuals’ initial and continued acceptance of online auction marketplaces.

Based on the effect sizes reported, 91 studies, including 95 independent samples (N = 36.788), the current study utilizes bivariate meta-analysis, meta-analytic structural equation modeling and weighted least squares regression moderator analysis to examine the nature of the identified relationships, the mechanisms through which they operate and the boundary conditions under which they do or do not hold.

The results show that trust and experience explain individuals’ initial usage intention, while risk and experience explain actual usage behavior, indicating that these variables are viable extensions to the technology acceptance model in the context of online auction marketplaces. The results also demonstrate that, once individuals participate in online auction markets, trust and enjoyment are important predictors of satisfaction, which, in turn, is the strongest determinant of loyalty intention. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that cultural context acts as moderator and, to some degree, explains the mixed empirical findings in prior research.

This study contributes to the existing literature by identifying the main determinants and their average direct and indirect effect on the individuals’ decisions in online auction marketplaces. The findings provide critical insights into the complex network of relationships which impact individuals’ perceptions, attitude, intention and behavior to initially and continuously use online auction marketplaces. Furthermore, the result contributes to the existing research by examining the effect of contextual and methodological boundary conditions – moderating factors that are difficult to test in primary studies.

E‐marketplaces are one of the relatively new trends that are affecting buyer‐supplier relationships. Although there have been several failures in the e‐business arena, whether it is business‐to‐business (B2B) or business‐to‐consumer (B2C) e‐commerce, there is no doubt that the Internet has changed the way that business is done in several ways. It has been shown that electronic commerce can fundamentally change the inter‐organizational processes involving buyer‐supplier relationships. It reshapes these buyer‐supplier relationships, improves a business's core processes, and helps reach new markets or segments through the electronic medium. This paper discusses the opportunities and challenges facing e‐marketplaces today, and also the concerns facing potential participants in these e‐marketplaces who are trying to weigh the risks presented by such participation and the possible benefits that can be reaped by streamlining supply chain processes. Some of the major concerns facing existing and potential buyers and suppliers that are discussed in this paper include integration issues, security issues and antitrust issues.

There is a need to provide secure and safe information security systems through the use of firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, encryption, authentication, and other hardware and software solutions. The purpose of this paper is therefore to propose a framework which includes safe, secure, trusted, and auditable services, as well as forensic mechanisms to provide audit trails for digital evidence of transactions and protection against malicious and illegal activities.

The paper reviews the literature as the foundation and knowledge base for the proposed framework and system of secure and trustworthy mobile agent (MA)‐based e‐marketplaces. It consists of the current state of the art taxonomy for the classified MA‐based frameworks for e‐marketplace trading, underlying supporting systems, e‐payment systems, and the essential issues related to auditable and digital forensic services.

The current knowledge shows that there is a serious lack of auditable and digital forensic services to make secure and trustworthy MA‐based e‐marketplaces systems. The paper draws conclusions and highlights further research work which is ongoing and new work that needs to be performed.

The paper perceives the needs to define the requirements for secure and trustworthy MA‐based e‐marketplaces and proposes a framework to design effective systems using the latest techniques and technologies.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in the production of natural essential oils can reduce market accessibility challenges by trading through electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces). However, trust is a barrier that SMEs should overcome in order to successfully trade in e-marketplaces. The agricultural sector presents a unique challenge to the subject of trust and e-marketplaces. It is difficult for SMEs in the agricultural sector to provide the level of assurance of product quality that their buyers expect. Trust between buyers and sellers during the earliest stages of e-marketplace interaction can pave the way for future trust in a seller on an e-marketplace. Thus, this study uses the uncertainty reduction theory (URT) to investigate factors that could influence the initial trust and pave the way for future trust in a seller on e-marketplaces. This study assumes a qualitative research methodology in which a multiple-case study approach is adopted. The study focuses on SMEs that produce natural essential oils in South Africa. Open-ended interviews were conducted with companies involved in buying or selling natural essential oils in South Africa to determine the factors that influence their decision to buy or sell in an e-marketplace. Findings from data were used to inform the development of a model of trust in sellers of natural essential oils in e-marketplaces. The proposed model recommends trust factors that should be considered during the entry, personal, and exit phases of the URT. The model identifies common and unique trust factors that relate specifically to businesses trading natural essential oils on e-marketplaces. The study found that some SMEs face challenges in coming up with an effective model for selling agricultural produce on e-marketplaces. Hence, they often resort to face-to-face interaction when it comes to product inspection, especially when dealing with first-time buyers. However, this study presented measures put in place by other SMEs suggesting how such challenges could be addressed. Nevertheless, a lack of trust in technology remains a cause for concern to some SMEs selling natural essential oils.

This research aims to examine the extent of e‐marketplace usage from the buyer perspective. Three types of e‐marketplace – third party exchange, consortium exchange, and private exchange – are compared and the impact of the buyer's information technology (IT) purchasing preparedness on the extent of e‐marketplace usage is evaluated.

A web‐based survey of 359 purchasing professionals in the USA is used in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the extent of e‐marketplace usage among the three e‐marketplace types. Multiple regression methodology is also used to test the impact of IT purchasing preparedness on the extent of e‐marketplace usage.

The results indicate that there is no significant difference among the three types of e‐marketplaces in regard to the extent of current e‐marketplace usage and planned e‐marketplace usage. Additionally, IT purchasing preparedness appears to have a positive impact on e‐marketplace usage.

The research empirically confirms the positive impact of IT purchasing preparedness on e‐marketplace usage. Nevertheless, it was limited to the buyer side and did not examine the interaction of IT purchasing preparedness and other influencing factors.

The research provides useful information for companies who are using or plan to use the e‐marketplace for purchasing. It also helps market participants to choose an appropriate e‐marketplace based upon their own IT purchasing preparedness.

This research fills the gap in the existing e‐marketplace literature and provides empirical evidence for e‐marketplace usage and the impact of IT purchasing preparedness.

This paper seeks to apply the relational exchange framework, updated by insights on interimistic relationships, to analyze governance implications for the three types of e‐marketplaces currently in operation: independent exchanges, consortia, and private exchanges. These three archetypes are analyzed from a functional perspective and, more importantly, from a relationship governance perspective.

The paper is conceptual in approach.

The three e‐marketplace archetypes currently in existence correspond to different levels of operational integration and, in turn, to three different types of inter‐firm relationships. Moreover, the three types of relational structures proposed offer different solutions for governance processes such as partner qualification, monitoring, and enforcement.

The network of relationships between firms is changing all the time as a result of dynamic industry conditions. The relational continuum proposed can explain the focal firm's shifting reliance on one or another of the e‐marketplace types as a result of industry volatility.

The analysis advocates a portfolio approach to e‐marketplace adoption, based on the varying strengths of their connections with different industry partners. This approach also implies a new type of segmentation, based on the place that the trading partner occupies on the relational continuum.

When analyzing e‐marketplaces, a focus on technology and functional parameters alone misses an essential aspect: when choosing among various e‐marketplace formats currently in operation, firms cannot overlook the inter‐firm relationships that characterize these marketplaces and give them their identity.