| Abstract: | Excitement is growing around the world about the Internet's potential to enable a global electronic commerce. The reality, however, differs a great deal depending on what part of the world we consider. In Latin America, the e‐commerce theme is often found in the popular press portraying it as a solution for multiple national problems and as a catalyst to propel the region to a stronger position in the world economy. Unfortunately, many of the “new” capabilities required to harness the economic benefit of e‐commerce, which emphasize value‐adding steps performed through and with information, are very scarce in the region. This article raises questions about Latin America's ability to exploit the Internet, and to implement and capitalize on e‐commerce applications. It underscores the region's need to engage in a future planning discourse about the adoption of e‐commerce within organizations, communities, and across traditional boundaries of competition and national borders. To start the dialogue, four scenarios are presented as “future snapshots” written from the vantage point of the year 2010. Each scenario considers issues regarding technological adoption and potential social responses, and discusses some of the critical assumptions about patterns observed in the region today and their implications for the future. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
