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Houghton and Winklhofer’s (2004) article proposes a conceptualisation of the potential effects of website and / or e-commerce adoption on conflict and the mediating effect of trust and commitment. In-depth interviews of twenty-five senior executives responsible for e-commerce, revealed that the internet has the capability to be both a constructive and destructive influence on channel relationships. The findings presented in their study both support and challenge normative and anecdotal literature, which could explain the low adoption rate amongst exporting SMEs. Although they found that there is a need to clearly distinguish between the use of the internet as a marketing communication tool and a transaction and distribution channel, the research presented in this book confirms that e-commerce utilisation has a significant impact on communication efficiency in broader terms (not only marketing), and distribution efficiency.
The ongoing interest in the impact of e-commerce on international marketing and business among those in academic and practitioner circles shows how important this subject is for further research. I hope that researchers will find this study helpful in their own investigations. Consistent with Cambria Press publishing policies, this work contains complete documentation and methodology so that future scholars can build upon this work. However, I also provide a concise Executive Summary for managers who wish to have a quick overview of the complete work and its findings.
Dr. Munib Karavdic
Sydney, July 2006