Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce

To improve efficiency, some large retailers, suppliers, and distributors have begun to conduct business-to-business commerce electronically. This practice could grow rapidly if the Internet becomes the primary low-cost network for such transactions. Before the Internet can fully support business-to-business commerce, however, companies must overcome several technological and security obstacles. In recent years, a number of companies have reported gains in operating efficiency through the use of businessto-business electronic commerce, or the movement of information electronically between businesses over computer networks. 1 This success could have important implications for U.S. industry. By extending the benefits of computers to the exchange of information between suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers, business-tobusiness electronic commerce may give companies the added advantage that they need to achieve measurable