Electronic commerce research and applications (ECRA) ECRA co-editors' introduction for volume 8, issue 5, September - October 2009

• Main Authors: KAUFFMAN, Robert John, Chau, Patrick Y. K., Payne, Terry R., Westland, J. Christopher
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2009
• Subjects: Computer Sciences
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/3822
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Since this issue contains special issue papers, we defer to the Guest Editors Ming-Hui Huang of National Taiwan University and Rob Kauffman of Arizona State University for background comments on the research area and a brief synopsis of each of the papers. Their work to develop special issues on the topic of “Marketing and Electronic Commerce” will be an ongoing effort in the next couple years, so ECRA readers should expect to see more new articles on this topic. In addition, we continue to solicit new submissions on this topic. “Marketing and Electronic Commerce” will continue to have a menu item on the journal’s Web site, since it is an “open” call for papers, without a particular final deadline for submission. Articles will be flexibly bundled by the Guest Editors as a basis for providing relevant and cohesive content in future issues of the journal.Electronic Commerce Research and Applications would like to solicit the interest of researchers and practitioners for special issues in the following areas of interest: (1) healthcare and the Internet, (2) the digital divide, public policy and the global Internet, (3) data privacy and information security in electronic commerce, (4) statistical challenges in electronic commerce, (5) digital cryptography, and (6) agent-based technologies and e-commerce innovations. We welcome your indications of interest to develop a special issue, submit a paper on one of these topics, or work jointly with any of the Co-Editors to bring this kind of new content to the journal.We also would like to announce the development of a new special issue on the topic of ‘Microfinance, Technology and Global Economic Development,’ which will be led by Area Editor Fred Riggins ([e-mail]) and Co-Editor Rob Kauffman ([e-mail]). The special issue editors are interested in seeking papers that reflect some of the emerging issues in the use of traditional information and communications technology (ICT), the Internet and mobile technologies in support of microfinance activities such as group lending, regional financial network formation, innovations in the provision of remote financial services, microfinance informediaries, and other related issues. A fuller call for papers is available at Elsevier’s main Web site for Electronic Commerce Research and Applications at www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/621289/description#description, and by email request from the special issue editors.We thank the authors, the anonymous reviewers and the members of ECRA’s Editorial Board for all their contributions. We also appreciated the efforts of Guest Editor Ming-Hui Haung and Co-Editor Rob Kauffman to make this special issue possible. We are open to receiving comments and suggestions on how to do better with the review processes that we run, the editorial suggestions that we make to authors, and the quality of the interactions that we have in providing “developmental reviewing” assistance to those who wish to publish in this journal. We look forward to reading your new submissions!