电子商务英语（ 第二版） unit1.docVIP

Unit1 Introduction to Electronic Commerce 学习指导： 本章将介绍： ·什么是电子商务 ·电子商务的发展 ·电子商务的类型 ·电子商务的优势 ·电子商务的劣势 1.1 Electronic Commerce and Electronic Business To many people, the term electronic commerce means shopping on the part of the Internet called the World Wide Web (the Web). However, electronic commerce (or e-commerce) also includes many other activities, such as businesses trading with other businesses and internal processes that companies use to support their buying, selling, hiring, planning, and other activities. Some people use the term “electronic business (or e-business)” when they are talking about electronic commerce in this broader sense. For example, IBM defines electronic business as the transformation of key business processes through the use of Internet technologies. Most people use the terms electronic commerce and electronic business interchangeably. In this book, the term electronic commerce (or e-commerce) is used in its broadest sense and includes all business activities that use Internet technologies. Internet technologies includes the Internet, the World Wide Web, and other technologies such as wireless transmissions on mobile telephone or personal digital assistants (PDAs). 1.2 The Development and Growth of Electronic Commerce Over the thousands of years that people have engaged in commerce with one another, they have adopted the tools and technologies that became available. For example, the advent of sailing ships in ancient times opened new avenues of trade to buyers and sellers. Later innovations, such as the printing press, steam engine, and telephone, have each changed the way in which people conduct commerce activities. The Internet has changed the way people buy, sell, hire, and organize business activities in more ways and more rapidly than any other technology has in the history of business. Although the Web has made online shopping possible for many businesses and individuals in a broader sense, electronic commerce has existed for many