e- commerce @ Saudi Arabia (Introductory) Essay

ABSTRACT:

One of the most widespread phenomena of the Internet, especially from the business point of view, is the concept of e-Commerce. Today, this commerce model has become a standard podium for streamlining business flows and expansion of product outreach. This is corroborated by the significant eminence by a number of countries in developing robust and reliable e-Commerce architectures modified to suit their economy. An interesting case in this outlook is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Today, with a remarkable growth rate in Internet connectivity, the Kingdom is actively moving towards large-scale adoption of e-Commerce systems. This research reports on the story of e-Commerce in the Kingdom, the factors that may significantly affect the adoption of e-Commerce, and conclude with a case study of the Saudi Arabian Airlines e-commerce trial verifying strengths and weaknesses. The analysis of the results was supported by two field interviews.

INTRODUCTION:

Historical Background:
Saudi Arabia, the land of the Two Holy Mosques (Mecca & Madina), is the heart of the Islamic world.   Occupying 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia borders the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and lies north of Yemen.   The country has a total area of 2,149,690 square km, where nearly half of that is covered with desert.   The population of the country has reached 28,146,656 (according to 2006), and the capital is the city of Riyadh.



In 1902 and after laying the basis of the new state while he was exiled in Kuwait, Abdul-Aziz bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Saud led a small group of 40 men to concur & retrieve Riyadh from Al-Rashid military post.   After his victory in Riyadh, Abdul-Aziz started to expand his territory and during the next 25 years he managed to steadily extend the country.   This slow process finished by capturing the Hejaz (West Provence) in 1924 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became an official state in 1932.

Oil was first discovered at the eastern province in...