Leveraging the Web business potential: the influence of organizational and Web management characteristics

The Web technology with its various capabilities (e.g., information dissemination, interactive communication, multimedia support, and seamless information sharing) presents significant business opportunities (Cronin 1996; December and Randall 1995; Kalakota and Whinston 1996). It has led to the emergence of the World Wide Web (WWW), a global electronic platform, that can be used by companies to support various business activities (e.g., marketing, ordering, product delivery, customer support, recruitment, market research, and product testing) and business strategies (e.g., enhancing company image, attracting new customers and offering value-added customer services). However, empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that not all companies are taking full advantage of the WWW capabilities (Haley et al. 1996; Pardue and Chatterjee 1997).