Software Characteristics of B2B Electronic Intermediaries: A Novel Design Science Approach

Long being seen as commercially unsuccessful after the dot-com era, web-based B2B electronic intermediaries are currently undergoing a renaissance driven by globalization and an ever increasing cost-pressure on procurement departments of enterprises. These systems are getting more sophisticated almost by the day, which is also reflected by numerous related scientific articles. This development raises the question of the latest characteristics of such systems scientifically described. In order to answer this question, the work at hand depicts the results of a novel design science approach based on a structured literature review. The outcomes of this research are i) a state-of-the-art overview of scientifically described software characteristics of B2B electronic intermediaries, and ii) a taxonomy for structuring software characteristics of this type of systems. The results may help practitioners to further develop B2B electronic intermediaries and e-procurement systems, and will serve as a basis for future research endeavors in the field.