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Purpose -To construct and test, through its application to a real case study, a methodology that generates contingencies for the evolution of a company or an industry's reference business model (BM) under the impact of a technology innovation. Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws on theoretical predicaments of organizational development and scenario planning as well as more recently published works (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004) on BM design and change in order to build the primary steps of the methodology. A contingency approach is applied for selecting among alternatives the most suitable future BM. The usefulness and applicability of the provided methodology are proved through a real case study that concerns changing the exhibition's industry reference BM under the impact of a mobile innovation. Findings -The proposed methodology is primarily useful in cases where a strategic manager wishes to draw and assess not one totally new BM but a set of scenarios that reflect alternative configurations for its current BM evolution. Such a methodology needs to be complemented with a contingency framework for guiding the selection of the scenario that better suits the internal and external environment of the company. Research limitations/implications -It is expected that related theories, such as the theory of Industrial Organization and the theory of Network Economics, also need to be examined under the light of BM change to identify and cross-validate factors that contribute to the design and assessment of BMs. Practical implications -The ultimate utility of the proposed methodology is as a road-map for leading change in the value-creation logic of a firm, taking advantage of an advanced technology solution. By continuously changing their BM, and identifying new ways to deliver value to their customers, firms aspire to obtain and sustain a competitive advantage in high-velocity environments. Originality/value -This paper fulfils an identified research gap for a structured approach towards changing the BM of a firm, which introduces a technology innovation by keeping the principles of the old (traditional) business logic and taking into account the effects incurred from the firm's internal and external environment.

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Vehicle routing (VR) is critical in successful logistics execution. The emergence of technologies and information systems allowing for seamless mobile and wireless connectivity between delivery vehicles and distribution facilities is paving the way for innovative approaches to real-time VR and distribution management. This paper investigates avenues for building upon recent trends in VR-related research towards an integrated approach to real-time distribution management. A review of the advances to-date in both fields, i.e. the relevant research in the VR problem and the advances in mobile technologies, forms the basis of this investigation. Further to setting requirements, we propose a system architecture for urban distribution and real-time event-driven vehicle management.

Early research in electronic markets seemed to suggest that ecommerce transactions would result in decreased costs for buyers and sellers alike, and would therefore ultimately lead to the elimination of intermediaries from electronic value chains. However, a careful analysis of the structure and functions of electronic marketplaces reveals a different picture. Intermediaries provide many value-adding functions that cannot be easily substituted or 'internalized' through direct supplier-buyer dealings, and hence mediating parties may continue to play a significant role in the e-commerce world. In this paper we provide an analysis of the potential roles of intermediaries in electronic markets and we articulate a number of hypotheses for the future of intermediation in such markets. Three main scenarios are discussed: the disintermediation scenario, in which market dynamics will favour direct buyer-seller transactions; the reintermediation scenario, in which traditional intermediaries will be forced to differentiate themselves and reemerge in the electronic marketplace; and the cybermediation scenario, in which wholly new markets for intermediaries will be created. The analysis suggests that the likelihood of each scenario dominating a given market is primarily dependent on the exact functions that intermediaries play in each case. A detailed discussion of such functions is presented in the paper, together with an analysis of likely outcomes in the form of a contingency model for intermediation in electronic markets.Advances in information technology (IT) are widely acknowledged as causing fundamental changes in organizational and market structures (Malone et al., 1987). The advent of inter-Info Systems J (2002) 12, 231-246 231

Wireless positioning determination has received increased attention during the past few years. Several wireless applications have been envisaged when mobile terminal location can be determined with sufficient accuracy at any time. In this paper, we attempt to identify the various indoor and outdoor positioning techniques that can be used for the provision of mobile and wireless applications and services. In order to maximize the benefits of this research in the area of positioning technologies, we propose a novel taxonomy with detailed analysis and evaluation of these techniques based on the accuracy that is needed for various mobile location-based services.

Research on mobile commerce has attracted the interest of e-commerce scholars ever since mobile and portable devices became a widespread and effective means of commercial transactions and business practices. In the present editorial of this special issue of IJEC, we first revisit the past of m-commerce practice and research through an analysis of m-commerce-related publications and prevailing business models from 2000 to 2011. The analysis points to the increasingly topical and maturing status of the field, as well as to a gradual move from engineering-driven to socioeconomic-focused research. We then move to examine the field's present, by examining the submissions to this special issue and the five accepted papers that appear herein. This discussion provides a glimpse into the questions on m-commerce researchers' minds today; however, it also allows us to investigate what lies ahead in the future of m-commerce research as we move toward the more social-minded, hyperconnected world of tomorrow's social commerce (s-commerce).

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