Quality Dimensions of E-Commerce and their Implications

Abstract E-commerce business managers are under increasing pressure to justify the value and contribution to the productivity and competitiveness of the organization. It is the quality of their products and services that determines survival. Excellence in quality helps firms gain customer loyalty and achieve competitive edge. Previous studies have suggested the need to develop quality capabilities to improve business performance. However, quality is multi-dimensional, and the development of each dimension requires different sets of resources. It is important for a firm to develop quality capabilities with a focus on a particular set of quality dimensions to support its strategic needs. Quality dimensions are not well established and recent studies indicate that more research is needed. In this paper, authors examine the need for assessment of quality in e-business. The existing quality measures are reviewed to include the emerging success dimensions of service quality and work group impact and provide a comprehensive method for organizing the various measures. Further, a comprehensive set of quality assessment measures are presented that will provide managers with the guidance necessary to develop their own assessment systems. These assessment systems have the potential to furnish the feedback required to enhance the competitiveness of the e-business.

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