S/M/68. What are the benefits and problems that a company has encountered when using e-business systems to help it internationalise: a case study of Amazon.

Amazon is at the forefront of integrating e-business systems into every element of the value chain, embracing B2B, B2C, and intra-organisational systems in an attempt to attain sustainable competitive advantages over incumbents within its markets. It has used e-business systems to help it move into international markets through three core internationalisation strategies: Internationalisation by virtue of launching a website; Internationalisation through the establishment of country-specific websites served by country-based operations; and Internationalisation using áe-mediation, whereby customers and suppliers are directly brought together through a country-specific website whose operations are based in another country. Through an examination of these three strategies, the benefits and problems that Amazon, like many companies trying to use e-business systems to help them internationalise, are outlined.