Adaptive Strategies of Firms in High-Velocity Environments: The Case of B2B Electronic Marketplaces

The adaptation-evolution strategies of firms have been a major area of interest. Internet based businesses operate in highly unstable environments witnessing shakeouts and changes in the industry structure. In this paper, we focus on the adaptive strategies and paths of adaptation of independent B2B marketplaces. The independent B2B marketplaces have undergone tremendous change with regard to their business models and products/services. Since their inception as pure market makers, these marketplaces have morphed into integration service providers with market making being one of the functions. What makes the adaptive strategies of B2B marketplaces interesting is the extremely short time period within which these changes happened. The research uses the case study methodology to identify the adaptive strategies of B2B marketplaces in IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING This chapter appears in the book, Advanced Topics in Global Information Management, vol. 4 edited by G. Gordon Hunter and Felix Tan © 2005, Idea Group Inc. 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033-1240, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com ITB11267