Businesses throughout much of the world have begun to show considerable interest in the development of electronic data highways. Many feel that these two-way electronic communications pathways will provide dramatic innovations in education, shopping, financial services, entertainment, and many other fields. Although it is not yet clear what technology or technologies will provide the communications backbone for these highways, there is at least one such environment in place that provides an inexpensive early testing grounds. That technology is the Internet and, in particular, the World Wide Web.
This case study first introduces the Internet and the World Wide Web and then discusses some of the early attempts to use these technologies for electronic commerce. It concludes by providing an introduction to developing applications for the World Wide Web.
The case is available in both printed and electronic versions. The latter requires access to the World Wide Web.