Study the text and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

    The impacts of electronic commerce in a developing country can be helpful rather than detrimental. Electronic commerce has the potential to tie developing countries into the rest of the world so they are no longer considered outsiders. For example, electronic commerce can enable more people to access products an serves that once were not available. Another benefit is that electronic commerce stores are avails able 24 hours a day 7 days a week As the infrastructure for electronic commerce keeps growing, services that were not offered in the past become available. Many of these benefits have not been proven yet, but the technology is now available, and developing countries are looking forward to these benefits. The high cost of technology may still be detrimental in many developing countries; however, the constant innovation of software and hardware will hopefully reduce these cost.

    Consumers in developing countries can benefit from electronic commerce because they can buy product that could only be found in major cosmopolitan cities. Electronic commerce is closing the gap between the countries have wide availability of products and those with limited availability. The basic purpose of electronic commerce is to provide goods and services to consumers who do not live close to the physical location of the product or service and would otherwise have a hard time acquiring these products and services.

    Society and consumers alike have only begun to enjoy the benefits of electronic commerce. Since new developments are made on a continuous basis, it will eventually affect every individual. Some of the benefits enjoyed by society and consumers, for example, are ease of transaction, comparability of products, quick delivery and the ability to make any type of transaction at any given time of day.

    Electronic commerce facilitates delivery of public and social services, such as healthcare, education an distribution of government social services at a reduced cost, improving the quality of care and living in these communities. For example, healthcare services can reach patients in rural areas.

Adapted from Lubbe, S. and J.M. van Heerden, 2003. The Economic and Society Impacts of Electronik Commerce London: Idea Group Publishing, p.23.

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