A framework for the analysis of socio-economic aspects of Electronic Markets

where she works in the Competence Center for Electronic Markets. She holds a lic. oec. HSG from the University of St. Gallen and a CEMS Master degree granted by the Community of European Management schools. Her original research focus was the analysis of EDI costs and benefits in the Swiss Health Care system. Currently she is responsible for the development of a WWW application for the structured accumulation, dissemination, and review of knowledge over the Internet (Net Academy). Besides, she is engaged in the European " Paysyst " project on Electronic Payment Systems in Electronic Marketplaces. The Internet still lacks global acceptance of being a platform for user-friendly, trustworthy Electronic Commerce. Latest research in the field of Electronic Markets shows that there are, without any doubt, a number of socioeconomic (social, psychological as well as economic) criteria which represent critical success factors for the global breakthrough of electronic shopping applications. Usually, forecasts on Electronic Commerce development focus on technical aspects, such as tele-communication infrastructure, security and speed. The following paper presents a theoretical framework for the evaluation of the socioeconomic aspects to which all electronic business relations are also subject. The empirical results stem from the business case of the Electronic Mall Bo-densee (EMB), an existing mall with more than 400 partners, companies as well as organisations, and universities, in the Lake Constance region (Switzerland, Germany, Austria).