massive change has occurred as a result of available information technology. during the decade of the 1990 s, the world of commerce was irrevocably impacted by computerization, the internet, and a range of inexpensive information transmission capabilities. information characterized by speed, accessibility, accuracy, and most of all relevancy became the norm. the internet has become a common and economical way to complete business - to - business transactions. an increasing number of consumers are directly connected to firms via the internet. driven by these fundamental forces, a global economy rapidly emerged.