Economics and electronic commerce: Survey and directions for research

This article reviews the growing body of research on electronic commerce fr om the perspective of economic analysis. It begins by constructing a new fr amework For understanding electronic commerce research, then identifies the range of applicable theory and current research in the context of the new conceptual model. It goes on to assess the state-of-the-art of knowledge ab out electronic commerce phenomena in terms of the levels of analysis here p roposed. And finally, it charts the directions along which useful work in t his area might be developed. This survey and framework are intended to indu ce researchers in the field of information systems, the authors' reference discipline, and other areas in schools of business and management to recogn ize that research on electronic commerce is business-school research, broad ly defined. As such, developments in this research area in the next several years will occur across multiple business-school disciplines, and there wi ll be a growing impetus for greater interdisciplinary communication and int eraction.