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Keywords E-commerce, Central government, Knowledge management, Information technology, Infrastructure, Singapore
Abstract With the advent of Internet technology and its rapid growth during the last few years, electronic commerce has become an increasing reality. While e-commerce still constitutes a small part of many countries' economies, it is seen by many as an opportunity to reduce cost and improve productivity. This is true, as many economies are transferring themselves into knowledge-based economies, where information and innovation are the competitive instruments. Singapore as a small country with limited natural resources realized the importance of the new economy and the need to position itself as an information and knowledge hub in Asia. The government has taken an active role in the establishment of an e-commerce infrastructure. The government's vision is to build a premier service hub in the region with global orientation, and focusing on new high growth hub services. This paper reviews the development of e-commerce in Singapore and studies its impact on the development of the information society in Singapore.
Introduction
The Web and the Internet make tremendous impacts on society, particularly its effect on the way companies conduct their business and activities. In the knowledge-based economy, many organizations are forced to re-think their business strategies and move away from the traditional approach to organizing and measuring their economic activities. They are forced to adopt new and more innovative ways of maximizing the use of information technology and the Internet in their business activities. Improving productivity, reducing cost and enhancing customer support are some of the key competitive factors in any successful enterprise. Geographical locations and size of operations are no longer important factors, as small companies are now able to sell their products on the Internet and penetrate new markets in a very short time.
Singapore is a small country with a population of about four million. It has a small market and limited natural resources that made it almost impossible to depend on these resources for its growth. Prompted by the advances in the Internet and the Web, Singapore is entering the information age, where knowledge has become recognized as being the major force behind its competitive success. The Singapore Government has recognized the importance of knowledge assets in the new economy and...