An integrated e-marketplace framework: A case study of wood-based products industry in Malaysia

Rapid growth and expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) have set the pace for an electronic revolution leading to adoption of e-marketplace within the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Locally, this growth in ICT promises to further bolster the SMEs´ position as the engine of growth for the Malaysia economy. However, there are various challenges and issues in setting up an e-marketplace in developing countries which appear to impede the growth of e-marketplace. In this paper, the realities of e-business adoption in Malaysian wood based products industry are discussed. This leads to the proposal of an integrated e-marketplace framework. This framework integrates different types of business mechanisms to facilitate in the trading of wood-based products in Malaysia. These mechanisms comprise of a third-party intermediary portal, mobile agent-based multi-attribute reverse auction and an e-negotiation feature that incorporates the use of the short messaging system service.