The Information Triple Jump as the Measure of Success in Electronic Commerce

The Significance of Information Management As an outgrowth of the continuous improvement in the information technologies since the beginning of the 90’s, the development of the resulting data networks is showing the way into the Age of Information. The corresponding communication and information technologies are characterized by such buzzwords as online service; interactive television; the Internet, or Worldwide Web (WWW); interactive multimedia (IMM) systems; and information systems (IS). Despite the many technical and legal problems, e.g., data transfer rates and secure payment means on the technical side and property rights and questions of liability on the legal, visionary sales managers hold the opinion that the “business of the future” will occur via digital data channels in the form of so-called “electronic commerce.” In anticipation of this commercial revolution, the business world is planning for the expected boom in economical, quick, and anonymous transactions in worldwide market arenas (Spar/Bussgang 1996). Even though these visions haven’t come close to being realized, the development of Internet-based and other on-line services shows that, when compared to traditional media, we are indeed beginning this promising revolution and are marching slowly but surely toward the new business world of data networks (see figure 1).