After discussing the basis of business value and competitive advantage in today’s economy, this article explores the nature of small business and the increasing interdependence of business practice. An examination of the potential business value of Internet technologies is followed by an...

This paper looks at the potential for developing customer relationship strategies using the Internet (electronic customer relationship management) (ECRM) with particular relevance for SMEs. Its basis is in qualitative research and it attempts to integrate the two Internet technologies of the Web...

This paper examines the literature concerning consumers’ purchasing on the Internet and reports on a project that contained qualitative findings with the help of quantitative data to uncover consumer purchase orientations for financial services. The findings showed support for the literature...

This paper examines the use of consumer‐driven innovation networks within the UK food‐retailing industry using qualitative interview‐based research analysed within an economic framework. This perspective revealed that, by exploiting information gathered directly from their customers at...

Given the growth of services and their importance in the economy, e‐business and the Internet have the potential to increase the competitiveness and growth of small firms. However, the general pattern is that the smaller the enterprise, the less likely they are to be prepared to adapt their...

This paper considers the roles of business intelligence (BI) and e‐business systems in enhancing the quality of decision making in knowledge‐based and high‐tech start‐ups. A qualitative study, using in‐depth discussions with 11 companies based in Northern Ireland, was conducted. The...

There is a pressing need for research into the successful application of technology within organisations, given the high incidence of failure, with respect to information systems projects, in general, and e‐commerce applications, in particular. A case study was conducted into system...

Consumer knowledge is a very important asset for an organisation. Two types of consumer knowledge have been identified, “knowledge about customers” including customer segments, individual customer preferences, potential customers, and “knowledge possessed by customers” including...

The role of channels and their management in the eBusiness era is becoming increasingly important to customer relationship management. Traditional use of the application portfolio approach has been concerned with providing an appropriate basis for making investment decisions about IT...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate whether technological developments can be used in call centre environments to build trust and hence lasting customer relationships beyond the usual focus on efficiency gains through automation. Design/methodology/approach – Draws upon depth...