Unit 5 Electronic CommerceLearning objectives:1. Have a general knowledge of e-commerce;2. Know about the development of e-commerce

in foreign countries;3. Have an overview of the prosperity of Chinese e-commerce;4. Learn about the success of Dell’s direct

model.

Text A What Is Electronic CommerceStep 1 Related informationElectronic commerce:It means doing business through electronic Media. It means using simple, fast and low-cost electronic communications to transact, without face-to-face meeting between the two parties of the transaction.

Now, it is mainly done through the Internet and Electronic Data Interchange(EDI).E-commerce was first developed in the 1960s.With the wide use of computer, the

maturity and popularity of the Internet, and the

support and promotion by governments, the development of e-commerce is becoming prosperous.

Step 2 Explain the text

Benefits of E-commerce As computer network facilitates

information exchange in a speedy and inexpensive way, the Internet now penetrates into almost every corner of the world.

SMEs who cannot afford to establish overseas offices and strongholds can now increase their exposure to every corner of the world.

3. Businesses an gather information on products, buyers and competitors through the Internet so as to increase their own competitiveness.

4. Businesses can maintain their competitive advantage by establishing close contact with their customers and consumers at anytime through the Internet by providing the latest information of products and services round the clock.

5. The Internet provides companies with many markets in the cyber world and numerous chances for product promotion.

6. By the use of multimedia capabilities, corporate image and product and service brand can be established effectively through the Internet.

7. Detailed client information such as mode of consumption, personal preferences and purchasing power, etc.

Types of E-Commerce1. Electronic network within the company:

through the Intranet, people can exchange and handle business information internally.

2. Business-to-business(B2B) e-commerce: amongst all other types of e-commerce, this way of doing business electronically through the Internet or Electronic Data Interchanges the one deserves the most attention.

3. Business-to-Consumer: businesses provide consumers with online shopping through the Internet, allowing consumers to shop and pay their bills online.

4. Consumer-to-Consumer: consumers can post their own products online through some agent websites for other consumers to bid.

5. Government-to-Citizen: among various kinds of services provided by governments, many of them can be done through electronic media.

6. Government-to-Business: this mode of trading often describes the way in which government purchases goods and services through electronic media such as the Internet.

Step 3 Words and Expressions

Auction n. 拍卖Bid vt/ n. 出价Stronghold n. 要塞Fraudulent adj. 欺诈的Forge v. 铸造Permeation n. 弥漫， 渗透

Business to Business(B2B) 商业机构对商业机构的电子商务Business to Consumer(B2C)商业机构对消费者的电子商务Consumer to Business(C2B)消费者对商业机构的电子商务Consumer to Consumer (C2C)消费者对消费者的电子商务

Text B A Case of Business-to-Business EC

Related information about the textBusiness-to-Business applications will offterEnterprise access to the following information:Product: specification, price, sales history;Customer: sales history and forecasts;Supplier: product line and lead times, salesterms and conditions;

Product process: apacities, commitments,product plans;Transportation: carriers, lead times, costs;Inventory: inventory levels, carrying costs, locations;Supply chain alliance; key contacts,

partner’s roles and responsibilities, schedules;

Competitor: benchmarking, competitive product offerings, market share;Sales and marketing: point of sales (POS), promotions;Supply chain process and performance: process descriptions, performance

measures, quality, delivery time, customer satisfaction.

Words and Expressions

Streamline adj. 流线型的 Vt. 改进流程Redeploy v. 重新部署Implement vt. 实现，执行Requisition n. 通知单Diversify v. 使多样化Invoice n. 发货单

Requisitions for quotations(RFQS)询价信Points of sale (POS)收银机Supply chain management供给线管理

discussion

What is the future of B2B e-commerce?