The strategic intent of on-line trading systems: a case study in national livestock marketing

On-line trading is the buying and selling of goods or services through an interactive telecommunications-based computer network. The paper describes a system which was developed in Australia for the particular conditions that exist in the livestock sector of that country. Known as CALM, the system is claimed by its owners to be the first in the world to offer a national information technology-based livestock trading scheme. The strategic intentions of calm's owners and sponsors are assessed from the perspectives of the market operator and the industry participants, and some cautious generalizations made concerning on-line trading systems generally. Weaknesses in the explanatory power of strategic information systems theory are identified, and the suggestion made that these weaknesses derive from the predominantly competition-oriented approach of contemporary theory.