Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is an activity which takes place in a soci
al context called the 'digital information environment'. The advantage of u
sing this concept is its emphasis on the information-intensive character of
business conducted on the Web. After a brief discussion of a definition an
d the current state of e-commerce, the digital information environment of e
-commerce is introduced and two of its constitutive elements, rules and res
ources, are discussed. Attention then shifts to a subset of rules, called '
information imperatives', that are critical for e-commerce. The paper concl
udes with a discussion of the organizational changes that can be expected t
o accompany the incorporation of these imperatives into the mission and cor
e business processes of e-commerce firms.