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In some cases, indigenous crafts-people have been able to sell their products to a global customer base. For others, increased tourism may be a strong opportunity. Where a workforce is skilled in ICTs, the Internet can often provide direct employment opportunities in software development, data processing and many other information-intensive jobs.

A global market demands world-class quality service as well as the flexibility to meet very differing needs. These requirements place a heavy responsibility on new electronic merchants to use state-of-the-art web design, interactive media, different language options and other features to ensure consistent user-friendliness and relevance to a diversity of clients. Newcomers to the digital market will find this degree of sophistication quite a challenge to achieve. There will consequently be a great need for business development support programmes and for training in e-commerce applications.

There is also a vital need for sharing of information and experience among web-based businesses, particularly those from developing countries that may discover market opportunities, strategic advantages, and unique approaches to this emerging industry which could be of value to their counterparts in other countries and other markets. New networks are springing up to connect Internet-based businesses for this type of intelligence sharing, and also for joint marketing initiatives. These activities are being sponsored on a global level - for example by the Global Trade Point Network of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) - as well as by national Ministries of Trade and Tourism and by many private industry associations.

The opening of national boundaries for wider market participation works in both directions, so the benefits can be accompanied by risks to domestic markets and consumers. Debates continue at the level of the WTO and other fora over the proper balance, especially in developing countries, between fully open trade markets and the need to protect national interests. These issues transcend e-commerce, but the ease and immediacy of cross-border trade via tele-communications compels governments to adopt a greater sense of urgency as they weigh the tradeoffs.

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* Contributed by: -
Sambit Kumar Mishra & Ashok Kumar Chandra,
Ph.D. Scholars,
Institute of Management,
Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur.