stomers when new products in their areas of interest become available and by creating customised products and services. Thirdly and finally, trans-national companies using the Internet can increase their knowledge about consumer habits, be able to define trends, and turn consumer statistics into long-term customer relationships.
             Electronic commerce endeavours to improve the execution of business transactions over various networks. Transactions are exchanges that occur when one economic entity sells a product or service to another entity. A transaction takes place when a product or service is transferred across a technologically separable interface that links a consumer (buyer) with a producer (seller). When the buyer/seller transactions occur in the electronic marketplace, information is accessed, absorbed, arranged, and sold in different ways. There are four main categories where business transactions take place Business to Business (B2B), Business to Customer (B2C), Business to Administration and Consumer to Administration.
             An example in the B2B category would be a company that uses a network for ordering from its suppliers, receiving invoices and making payments. This category of electronic commerce has been well established for several years.
             The B2C category largely equates to electronic retailing. This category has expanded greatly with the advent of the World Wide Web. There are now shopping malls all over the Internet offering all manners of consumer goods, from cakes and wine to computers and motor cars.
             The business administration category covers all transactions between companies and government organisations. For example, in the USA the details of forthcoming government procurements are publicised over the Internet and companies can respond electronically. Currently this category is in its infancy, but it could expand quite rapidly as governments use their own operations to promote awareness and growth of electronic ...