Supply-chain management, at least in the largest multi-national corporations, is a global endeavor. It is undergoing a transformation caused by the worldwide spread of digital communications, and e-commerce in particular. Hence, it is necessary to understand the development of e-commerce and its future trends. This development is based on what is at times rather rapid advances generated or supported by the external environment with factors like institutions and electronic infrastructures. E-commerce is rapidly spreading internationally, but by no means uniformly, across boundaries, or for that matter within countries. The great relevance of examining the international spread of e-commerce is that most corporations actually source globally. The stages of e-commerce evolution, from rather primitive incipiency to highly advanced B2B forms, are conditioned by factors which range from the availability of complementary assets to institutional considerations.
