The ubiquitous nature of the Internet is dramatically revolutionizing the manner in which organizations and individuals share information. Developed out of necessity during the cold war, the Internet was created as a means to help governmental institutions and collegiate institutions send documents and research materials electronically (Williams et al., 1999). Over 30 years it has grown slowly and painstakingly; though vast quantities of information existed on this “network of networks,” it was so scattered and disorganized that finding anything taxed even the most computer literate devotees. The developments that made the Internet a “25-year overnight success” were the creation of HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and the development of server/browser software to view the interconnected documents. It is this layer of the Internet architecture, the Web, which has become synonymous with the Internet. Users access information on the Web, or “the Net,” by simply pointing and clicking on key words or images linking individual or organizational home pages. New business and personal applications are being developed on a daily basis, and the number of people using the Internet (“users”) is increasing exponentially with each passing day. At the end of 2000, there were an estimated 407.1 million people “surfing the Web” (Nua Internet Surveys, 2000) world wide; United States users comprised almost 153.84 million, or over 55 percent of the US population.

The Internet is having a dramatic impact on the scope of business applications and has become the foundation for the world’s new information infrastructure. Technological advancements and the promise of cost reductions have set the stage for the emergence of the World Wide Web as a vehicle for electronic commerce (e-commerce). Conservative estimates forecast that Internet generated revenue will reach approximately US $300 to $360 billion by the year 2002 (Hoffman et al., 1999; Hinde, 1998). Consumers worldwide use the Web to acquire information, find and compare products, and purchase these products. The Web is a conduit for transactions between businesses and consumers as well as between businesses and other businesses. It has allowed business to compete and thrive, succeed or perish in an environment that is free of geographic limitations (Kannan et al., 1998). Ninety million people utilize it to exchange information or transact business around the world (Hof et al., 1998), linking directly to suppliers, factories, distributors, as well as customers.