【正文】 Pease, 1994). In order to adopt a market orientation, firms must understand their customers and engage in consumer research. Potential customers are most effectively engaged through new conversational marketing approaches. Anecdotal evidence suggests there are two types of customers ‘convenience shoppers’ and ‘explorers’ (those streetsmart consumers who are happy to surf the Web looking for the best deal or most appropriate product bination). Furthermore, the sheer size of the Web (trillions of documents and growing exponentially) means finding relevant information is being more and more difficult despite the best efforts of search engines such as Yahoo. Our research suggests that the large proportion of Web users would rather rely on an intermediary (munity operator) to sift and select information on their behalf. Web sites not endorsed will require knowledge of the address (URL) and are unlikely to be accessed when similar information, products or services are readily available inside the munity. Contributing to the rise of intermediaries are associated issues of privacy, trust and security (Schell, 1996). Whilst there is much discussion on the issues of Inter privacy and security, in the context of normal business activities, many millions of people trust others with their personal financial information. Examples include ordering over the telephone, passing a credit card to an unknown waiter, even signing direct debit mandates. If an error occurs in these types of transactions we trust the service provider to correct the error. So why is it that we expect the Inter to support a level of trust and security which we do not observe in everyday life? There is no reason why similar trust relationships cannot be established in electronically mediated discussions. If anything, it bees easier for an individual (or group of individuals) to seek retribution on those that break the rules within an electronic munity. Evidence of this can be found in the tendency to attack those that try to advertise on academic discussion groups (mail bombs) and munity policing against pornographers in the Netherlands. Marketeers must reconstruct their advertising models for the interactive, consumer controlled medium. The traditional customer loyalty ladder (Suspect, Prospect, Customer, Client, Partner, Advocate) is still applicable, but now operates in a different fashion. The first three stages are often instantaneous in electronic merce. The transition from customer to advocate relies on loyalty earned through trust. The instantaneous nature of the Inter makes this more difficult. Communicating Across The Value Chain It should be recognized that processes are not confined within one anization they cross the value chain as demonstrated by the following example. Steinfield, et al (1995) describe a large, multinational, electrical appliance and consumer electronics manufacturer that used France Tele’s Tel system to support EDIlike connections to approximately 10,000 separate retailers and independent service engineers throughout France (accessed through Minitel terminals). The ubiquitous Tel service and the mercial applications which emerged to exploit it, provide insights into the development of merce on a worldwide Inter. The aftersales service subsidiary of this manufacturer provided replacement parts and training to its widely dispersed customer base. The Tel system permitted electronic transactions, even with the smallest trading partners. Through the use of online ordering, coupled with courier service for rapid delivery, the firm was able to eliminate regional parts warehouses and reduce the average repair time from two weeks to two days. In the past, service engineers waited until they had a sufficient need for parts before driving to a regional warehouse. Once the system was implemented, they used the Tel based justintime stocking practice for replacement parts. Moving to a centralised warehouse reduced the need for replicated inventories and extra personnel around the country, creating substantial savings. Moreover, service engineers were further boundin following the introduction of a revenue producing, expert systembased, training application. Technicians connected to the expert system which asked a series of questions designed to diagnose the fault and indicate the repairs needed. This justin