Executive Summary

This report has been developed as a description of the general situation within the electronic commerce environment. Areas of Research include:

· Analysis of the current electronic commerce environment, including an example of how a simple payment mechanism could be used.

· Identifying key security issues and commenting on how privacy and animosity can be ensured for the customer and business.

· Detailed analysis into banking and electronic commerce through the use of accepted, credible research techniques.

· A discussion on the future of electronic payments and how the banking environment is changing.

This report is also available on the World Wide Web at http://business.fortunecity.com/gap/215/index.html. It is expected that other groups taking the Financial Information Systems module will contribute to this web site making it a full and comprehensive learning resource for future BID students and researchers alike.

Financial Information Systems-John Lindsay-1999