To What Extent Does the Tacit Knowledge Embodied in a Technology Product Limit Its Electronic Commerce Potential?

This paper examines the question of whether the tacit knowledge embodied in technology products limits its electronic commerce potential. The paper describes the knowledge embodied in a technology product, and the transfer of that knowledge to the customer. In particular, the relationships between Internet users/customers and Internet applications are explored. Two related small-scale case studies about the purchase of a product over the Internet are presented. In the first case study the product is a computer operator’s chair (assumed to incorporate tacit knowledge) and, in the second, a portable microcomputer (assumed to incorporate mostly explicit knowledge). Finally, a comparison is made between these cases. The comparison gives evidence that tacit knowledge limits commerce taking place over the Internet.