WEB ENHANCED SERVICES IN THE INTERSTATE MOTOR CARRIER INDUSTRY: SUSTAINABILITY OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

摘要

Studies have shown the value of investing in Internet technologies to interstate motor carriers. Unfortunately, results have been inconsistent. Companies that have invested in the Internet tend to be larger than their counterparts. Web Enhanced Services (WES) were found to be strongly associated with increased profitability (ROA, ROE, and ROI) during the time period of the Internet boom (1997 to 1999). However, many of these economic advantages did not prove to be sustainable in a follow-up study that treated the years 2000 to 2002. This study continues this stream of research and compares the profitability of those interstate motor carriers that invest in Web Enhanced Services In particular, it measures the economic advantages of those companies that first invested in WES in the 1997 to 1999 study to determine if the initial advantages have proven sustainable over the successive six years. Also, the rate at which WES is being implemented in the industry is measured.