An effective framework for evaluating policy and infrastructure issues for e‐commerce

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Standing, C. | Benson, S.

Affiliations: Edith Cowan University, 100, Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Western Australia 6065, Australia Tel.: +618 9400 5545; Fax: +618 9400 5633; E‐mail: c.standing@cowan.edu.au, s.benson@cowan.edu.au

Abstract: The growth in electronic commerce has led a number of countries to develop national level plans and statements on electronic commerce or the information economy. The evaluation of these plans is difficult. An evaluation framework taken from the economics field is used to assess the value and the emphases of these plans. The factors considered are efficiency, justice, growth and stability. A revised model for evaluating electronic commerce/information economy policies is presented and discussed. This takes into account the significance of economic globalisation, cultural and linguistic concerns and security issues. Three national plans are evaluated to determine relevant factors for inclusion in such a framework. The policies are then compared and the implications for businesses, university educators and researchers are discussed. Companies should expect the trend of globalisation to continue and therefore they should attempt to re‐position themselves to take advantage of new markets and new ways of doing business via the Web. Universities must position themselves for the improvements in telecommunications infrastructures by developing on‐line multi‐media courses and making sure all students are equipped with skills for the information economy. Researchers must start to develop links with industry since the funding for future research will inevitably come from the private sector if the guiding principles of these plans are taken seriously.

Journal: Information Infrastructure and Policy, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 227-236, 2000