Electronic trading, interorganizational systems and the nature of buyer-seller relationships: The need for a network perspective

• Authors: C. Cunningham;C. Tynan
• Venue: International Journal of Information Management: The Journal for Information Professionals
• Year: 1993

Although researchers agree about the importance of information technology (IT), there remains considerable debate as to the nature of its long-term impact. Growing interest in EDI and inter-organizational systems (IOS) highlights the paradoxical nature of IT, one fundamental problem being the precise definition of the terms we employ to understand the complex phenomenon of systems in use. We suggest that a non-restrictive term such as 'electronic trading' may better capture the nature of systems used in an inter-organizational context because it focuses attention on the purpose of these systems, i.e. to improve and extend communications between organizations. This paper outlines the growing importance of electronic trading systems with particular reference to the retail supply chain. It attempts to link some of the IOS literature with the growing interest in inter-organizational communications and relationship management. The basic contention is that the diffusion of electronic trading technology and the implications of the technology in use may be enriched by acknowledging the value of complementary research traditions, in particular research that focuses on the nature of buyer-seller relationships from a network perspective.