"Internet Retailing"--chapter one introduction to Network retailing

Chapter One introduction to Network retailing

The first section of network Retailing science and its research object

The research object of network retailing science

(i) Criteria for the establishment of subject research subjects

The research object is a high generalization of the scope and content of a subject. To determine the meaning of research objects is the starting point of discipline research, only the establishment of research object, can establish a scientific discipline system. Any subject has its specific object of study, the subject of which is not a specific subject can not be called as an independent discipline, and the difference between the subjects is the fundamental difference between the subject.

There is no unified understanding of the criteria for the establishment of subject research objects, but it is generally believed that subjects should be able to answer two questions: What to study? Why is it necessary to study? Thus, three criteria for selecting subject are formed: particularity, generality and usefulness. The first two criteria are addressed to question one, and the third is for the second.

1. The particularity of the research object

The particularity of the research object is the special contradiction that the subject should focus on to solve the fundamental difference between the subject and other subjects. In contradiction theory, Mao Zedong pointed out that "the distinction of scientific research is based on the special contradictions of scientific objects." Therefore, the study of a certain contradiction peculiar to the field of a certain phenomenon constitutes the object of a certain science. "Surely, if we do not recognize the universality of contradiction, it is impossible to find out the general reason or the universal basis of the development of things, but if we do not study the particularity of the contradiction, it is impossible to determine the special nature of a thing different from his, and it is impossible to find out the special reason for the development of the movement of things, or the special basis , it is impossible to distinguish between the fields of scientific research. Mao Zedong's object in this case is actually the object of study. Engels pointed out: "Every science is the analysis of a certain other movement form or a series of interrelated and transformation of the form of movement, so the scientific classification is that these forms of movement itself is based on the inherent order of the classification and arrangement, and its importance is here." "The French sociologist, Emil Durkheim, also pointed out that" a science can become a true science only when it truly establishes its own individuality and is truly independent of other disciplines. The reason why a science can become a special subject is that it is not studied by other subjects. If every science studies the same phenomena, or the same concepts can be applied without distinction to different kinds of things, then there will be no science. "It can be seen that the unique research object is to measure whether the subject is independent of the standard, the difference between the subjects is the difference between the research objects."

2. Summary of research content

The generality of the research content is whether the research object can generalize and reflect the research content. Xuying, a famous accounting master in China, believes that "the object of a subject is the concentration and generalization of the relevant content in its specific field, which is always carried out in this discipline." "The object of study is the thing that best reflects the essence of theory, with a summary, abstract, concise features, once the abstract definition, with relative stability, generally will not easily change; The research content is specific and rich to the research object, with the development of the subject, the research thorough and the practice need unceasingly expands and enriches, has the diverse, specific and changing characteristics. However, the contents of these studies should be consistent with the subjects in essence, otherwise, the existence of subject research object is questionable. In addition, the emphasis on the subject is not in conflict with the idea that the logical starting point of the discipline should be located at the target (such as the basic knowledge of strategic management accounting at home). The goal of discipline may exist the level of the final goal, the direct goal and the specific goal, but the research object is the core of the subject's goal.

3, the usefulness of research value

The study of the usefulness of the research object itself must be meaningful to the research subject, can help the research subject to understand the world, explain the world and transform the world, if this can not be done, even if it is special, there is no need to exist. Marx pointed out in the Economic philosophy manuscripts of 1844 that the study of objects was his object to him, depending on the nature of the object and the nature of the essential force to which it was adapted, because it was the prescriptive form of the relationship-a special, realistic way of affirming. Practical criteria to answer questions about why the discipline exists.

(b) The establishment of the research object of network retailing science

Network retailing is a subject which studies the transaction activity and special movement law between the manufacturer and the end consumer to transfer the ownership of goods or services and loans with the network media.

1. The particularity of the research object of network retailing

The network retailing is a subject which is the research object between the manufacturer and the end consumer, and the special Movement Law of the commodity and the loan ownership in the network medium.

The exchange of human beings has a history of more than thousands of years, from the earliest barter to the exchange of currency, to the modern meaning of the commodity economy. With the rapid development of modern science and technology, new scientific and technological applications in the exchange of goods, the emergence of newspapers, magazines and other printed materials, radios, radio, television, vending machines and other machinery, electronic means to achieve commodity exchange business model, But these modes of commodity exchange have not fundamentally changed the traditional mode of business operation which has formed in the past thousands of years, that is, a spot transaction between the subjects exchanged in the physical market, "hand-made money" (where the "money" is generally the form of tangible currency cash) (The forward transaction later developed into an important commercial form), And online retail trade is a breakthrough in the physical market constraints, use Network to link the main trade, and use the network to change the tangible currency as the electronic money, to realize the payment of payment and the transfer of the ownership of electronic currency, the goods through the Third party logistics service to the network buyers, the completion of the goods and loan ownership of each other, finally formed the network retail market.

Network retailing refers to the sale of goods or services to the needs of individuals or families through the Internet or other electronic channels. This definition includes all E-commerce activities for end customers (rather than productive customers), i.e. business-to-business to customer (consumer), or net Trader to customer (Consumer-to-consumer) rather than enterprise. The use of the Internet to publish merchandise information, promotion of enterprises or commodity brands and other commercial activities, although all belong to the category of consumer, but because there is no "net goods <=> net Payment" online (on-line) direct transactions, but in the traditional retail channels to complete transactions or offline transactions, belonging to the traditional retail category, Thus does not belong to this book discusses the network retail category. In the strict sense of the network retail is the network between the Internet merchants and the network to carry out the net goods and net payment in the Internet ownership of mutual transfer business activities.

2. The generality of the research content of network retailing science

Any normative economic research must have its core concept, which is a highly logical abstraction of many economic phenomena. The concept must be based on facts and at the same time a high degree of generalization of the facts. The core concept of network retailing is: a set of concept clusters formed by the high generalization of the transaction activity and its special movement law on the basis of the transaction activity between the manufacturer and the end consumer in the network retailing, the transfer of goods or services and the ownership of the loan by the network medium, The core concept cluster itself constitutes a complete theoretical system of the network retailing science. This concept cluster includes a first-level concept: network retailing; second-level concept four: Network retail supply, network retail demand, network retail intermediary, network retail supervision, three level concept 19: Network business, net goods, net goods pricing, network retail supply channel, network retail marketing, network buyer, net Purchaser psychology, net purchaser behavior, The purchase decision of the Net-purchaser, online shopping risk, internet retailer's rights and interests, network retail trade platform, Network retail third party payment, network retail third party logistics, network retail market failure, network retail market potential risk, network retail market Macro-control, network retail subject and object supervision, network retail third party payment supervision, etc. A number of four-level concepts (do not repeat here, see the text of this book)

Figure 1-1: "Network retailing" discipline level three concept cluster

The subject orientation of network retailing science

(a) network retailing is an applied economics subject which belongs to the broad category of economics

Economics is the general name of various disciplines on the theoretical, applied, historical and relevant methods of human economic activities and various economic relations. Economics can also be called Economic Science (economic Sciences). is to study the various needs of human beings and their societies at each stage of their development, and to meet the needs of the activities and laws of the discipline. Economics (Economics) is called the "Queen of the Social sciences". Economic resources are always scarce relative to people's desires. Economics is the science of how to rationally allocate and make full use of scarce economic resources to satisfy people's various demands. Microeconomics and macroeconomics are the foundations of economics. Microeconomics is the study of economic behavior of individual economic units in a society, and how the individual values of corresponding economic variables are determined by economics, also known as Market economics or price theory, whose central theory is price theory. Macroeconomics is the research object of the whole process of national economy, mainly studies the total employment level, gross national income and other economic aggregates, macroeconomics is also called employment theory or income theory.

Theoretical economics deals with the basic concepts and principles of economics, as well as the general laws of economic operation and development, which provide basic theory for various economic disciplines. Applied economics mainly refers to the basic principles of applying theoretical economics to study the regularity of economic activities and economic relations in various sectors of the national economy, various fields of specialization, or to the economic and social benefits of non-economic activities. It can be divided into a number of branches, including the economic activities of individual departments of national economy as subjects of study, such as agricultural economics, industrial economics, Business Economics, architectural economics, transport economics and so on. Business economics can be divided into retail studies, wholesale studies and so on. Network retailing is a branch of retail science.

Figure 1-2: The role of "network retailing" in "economics"

(b) Internet retailing is an interdisciplinary subject of applied economics

Network retailing is a new mode of commodity circulation in modern circulation industry----to connect the supply and demand parties with the network as the media, and to communicate, trade and settle the goods distribution and circulation. Network retailing is an interdisciplinary subject between retailing science, network economics and electronic commerce.

Figure 1-3: Network retailing and retailing science, network Economics, e-commerce interdisciplinary

and "Network retailing" closely related but different disciplines include: circulation economics, retail Science, Network Economics, E-commerce, Third-party payment and settlement, Third-party logistics.

1. Circulation economics

The circulation economics mainly studies the general law in the trade circulation, the research object is "business flow, logistics, information flow, capital flow" in the traditional business model, especially "business flow" as the focus, but basically does not study the connection between the supply and demand sides of the network media, the distribution of goods and the new mode of circulation.

2. Retail Science

The retail industry is an ancient industry, the human being carries on the effective retail activity to have thousands of years of history, retail theory is mainly to the human Chita years of retail activities of the law of Summary and research, but by the limitations of the Times and history, the traditional retail theory is basically not involved in the network era of network retail business model, even if there is only "Skimming".

3. Network economics

Network Economics studies the General Law of modern economic operation and its difference from the traditional economic form in the background of network era, but its research focus is not on the network retailing.

4. E-Commerce

E-commerce research on the network economy under the conditions, the general rules of Internet transactions among the various market entities, and its network of e-commerce of the Asian-level retail business model of the regularity has not made a systematic, in-depth research and disclosure.

4. Third party payment and settlement

Third-party payment and settlement research one of the "four flows" in the modern business circulation, the "capital flow" and try to reveal the law of the generation, development and evolution of the fund flow in the process of payment and settlement based on electronic transaction, but it does not point out the different characteristics of payment and settlement in the network retail payment and settlement and traditional business model, Not to put the research focus on the network retail transactions in the payment and settlement law revealed.

5. Third party Logistics

Third-party logistics studies the "four flows" in the modern business circulation, one of "logistics", and try to reveal the formation, development and evolution of the third party logistics, but it is based on the network retail "logistics" is how to expand and complete, and the laws contained in the basic not involved.

In summary, the above disciplines from different aspects of contact and more or less involved in the book "Network Retailing" research topics. "Network retailing" inherits and absorbs the different advantages and research results of the above-mentioned books, not only emphasizes the inheritance and continuity of the research on discipline development, but also emphasizes the particularity of the research on the operation rules of the network retailing. According to professional, attentive, focus, highlighting its own law of the new business model of network retailing, and constantly exploring the future development trend of network retailing, undoubtedly makes this research has its frontier, professional and application. This book is based on "ontology", "Supply Theory", "Demand Theory", "Intermediary Theory", "supervision Theory" "Five Theory" as skeleton, plus "Introduction" Together constitute "network retail" core proposition complete system logic structure, with its unique research perspective, research structure and research methods, and "Retail Science", "Network Economics", " E-commerce, "third party payments" and other similar books.

Research on the significance of network retailing

The significance of the study of internet retailing is manifold, which can be discussed from four aspects of economics subject construction, government, enterprise and consumer.

1, the study of network retailing is conducive to the establishment of a perfect economic discipline system, to make up for economic theory to explain the current sluggish economy, the theoretical guidance of the lack of practical guidance of weaknesses, to enhance the economics of the current new economy, especially the network retail economic phenomenon of interpretation and theoretical guidance of the actual ultimate mission Network retailing has become an important applied economics subject, which fills the theoretical gap of applied economics, and thus helps to establish and perfect the discipline system of modern economics.

2, the study of network retailing is conducive to the government to promote and guide the modern circulation industry, especially the network as the media of the healthy development of the retail industry. The government must have corresponding theory to support the policy of making scientific network retailing industry. The network retailing is the study of the law of the mutual transfer of the Internet between the network merchant and the net buyer to the Internet, which can be used as a macro policy for the development of the network retailing industry for government agencies and related personnel To optimize industrial organization and industrial structure to provide theoretical basis and empirical data.

3, the study of network retailing is beneficial to the network retail trading platform operators or independent retail website organizations, personnel and network operators to choose the right investment area, and also helps the social organizations and personnel to set up network retail trading platform or shop, to enrich the network retail business, analyze the competitive situation of the network retail market and improve the efficiency Therefore, the correct competitive strategy and skills should be established to maintain the competitive advantage of the supply main body and intermediary of the network retail market.

4, the study of network retailing is conducive to net buyers to circumvent the risk of online shopping, the correct protection of their legitimate rights and interests, rational conduct of the network purchase activities, the use of online retail delivery of tangible goods and services to improve and enhance their quality of life.

The theory system of network retailing

Network Retail Trading Model

The general law of Network retailing is illustrated with the available network retail transaction model.

Figure 1-4: Network Retail "NET goods-net Payment" transaction model

Network retailing consists of the basic parties of a transaction, one of which is the supplier to the left, as shown in the figure, it is the Internet retail transaction of the object network goods (including physical network goods and Services network goods) provider, he to the net buyer to provide the necessary goods and services, the other side is as shown on the right side of the demand, It is the demand of the object net goods of the network retail, it is to obtain the ownership of the net goods, satisfy its own effect must pay a certain cost to the supply namely net payment. The net goods ownership transfers from the supplier net to the demand square net purchaser, the net payment ownership from the demand party net buyer transfers flows to the supply square network merchant, thus completes a "net goods <=> net Payment" the circulation. Among them, the Supplier network business in the network retail transactions, lost is the ownership of the net goods, get the ownership of the net payment, and thus obtain the corresponding benefits (in the form of value); The buyer in the network retail transactions, lost the net payment of ownership, get the ownership of the net goods, and thus obtain the corresponding utility (in kind or in the form of service), both the supply and demand after the completion of the transaction, "What to Do", "Get What You get", "two-way win", this is the retail industry in the thousands of years ago the mystery, although through the twists and turns but still maintain a very tenacious vitality of the value, but also the internal operating rules of the retail industry The difference is, from the traditional retail trade "goods <=> loans" to the network retail "NET goods <=> net Payment" to join an intermediary, that is, the middle part of the map intermediary: Network, is the Internet to deal with the supply and demand of both sides of the link up, Instead of connecting the supply and demand sides of a transaction through the physical market like traditional retailing, the network itself is both tangible and intangible. More importantly, both the supply and demand of the transaction are reached through the network, and through the network to agree on the rights and obligations of both parties, in which the demand of the net buyer to abandon the ownership of the net, through the Third-party payment tool, the corresponding net payment ownership transfer to the supplier network, and the supplier of the network will give up ownership of the net goods, the corresponding net goods ownership, Transfer through third party logistics to buyer of demand. The existence value of the third party payment in the network retailing is to guarantee the balance of the rights and obligations between the supply and demand and the transaction safety. Ensure and balance the interests of both sides of the transaction, to solve the supply and demand of both sides of the net goods and net payment arrived at their respective time difference between the contradictions and other transactions friction, play a link between the supply and demand of a guarantee and credit intermediary tool role. The value of the third party logistics in the network retailing is to ensure that the network goods are delivered to the demand party net purchaser, and the service is safe, timeliness and economy. It is the government that is on both sides of the network retail transaction and the intermediary side. In order to ensure the normal and healthy development of the network retailing industry, to enlarge and strengthen the network retailing industry, and to ensure the welfare of all members of society, as the provider of social public goods, the government that fulfills the functions of social public administration has the responsibility and obligation to supervise the network retailing, but the government does not participate in the retail trade of Internet, It's a "referee" for online retailing, not "athlete."。 In online retail transactions, only the network retail supply and demand both sides and the intermediary of these three "athletes", network retail "game" is unable to do, but the lack of the government of the network retail "game" of the "referee", "game" is not normal and healthy "play" down. Can not rely solely on the network retail "game" "athletes" consciously or conventional, of course, can not let the Internet retail "rules of the game" arbitrary offside or whatever.

The theoretical framework of network retailing science

The book "Internet Retailing" can be divided into six parts.

The first part is the introduction, mainly state the research object of network retailing, research content, the subject status of network retailing, the theory system of network retailing, the research method of network retailing. It is the leading content of the book.

The second part is the ontology, which mainly states the emergence and development of retailing, the emergence and development of e-commerce and network retailing, the basic laws and principles of network retailing, the structure, behavior and performance of the network retailing market.

The third part is the supply theory, which mainly states the supply side of the network retail transaction. Including network business, network goods, network retail operation channels, network goods pricing, network retail marketing and other content. It is particularly necessary to note that the two sides of the network retail trade, in the actual operation of the business, the two sides are in the process of equality, parallel and simultaneous structure, but for the needs of the study and presentation of the book, the supplier is placed in front of the demand side, but this is not the actual business reality, It does not mean that the supplier is naturally more important than the demand side or is in the priority position in the transaction, nor does the author support the theory and practice of the so-called heavy supply of light demand or demand after the first supply.

Part Four is the demand theory, which mainly states the demand side of the network retail trade. Including the net buyer, the network purchaser psychology, the net buys the behavior, the net purchaser buys the decision, the influence net buys the decision the factor, the net buys the risk, the net buys the rights and interests protection and so on content.

Part Five is the intermediary theory, which mainly states the network retail trading platform, the third party payment and the third party logistics in the network retailing. The so-called intermediary is between the supply and demand between the two sides of the link between the actual commercial operation of the network retail, and theoretically, but also with the supply and demand of both sides in a parallel state, but the book in order to study and statement of the need to put the intermediary theory behind the demand theory.

Part VI is a regulatory review, which mainly states the government's supervision over the internet retailing industry. In order to ensure the normal and healthy development of network retailing, to enlarge and strengthen the network retailing industry, and to ensure the welfare of all members of the society, as the provider of social public products, the government that fulfills the functions of social public administration has the responsibility and obligation to supervise the network retailing industry. Therefore, this chapter as an organic part of the network retailing industry and important content, put in the last part of the book.

Among them, the third part of the supply of the series, part IV of the requirements of the series, part V of the intermediary theory, the last part of the regulation of the network retail business operation of a number of important components, common a complete whole.

Figure 1-5: The logical structure diagram of the network retailing science

Section Three research methods of network retailing

When constructing the discipline system of network retailing, we must attach great importance to scientific research methods. Only network retailing based on scientific research methods, can obtain the broad explanation power and to the actual economic operation guidance power, because the economics task is not only to know the world, the scientific explanation network retailing This new commodity circulation new mode and the economic phenomenon, more importantly is directs the network retailing the economic practice. According to the research object of network retailing, the nature of subject and the complexity of research content, there are many ways to study network retailing, including:

1, the combination of macro-analysis and micro-analysis method

The network retailing is the commodity Exchange channel and mode which the manufacturer makes through the network medium and the end consumer to exchange the commodity and the loan ownership. In the study of the network retailing economy, we need to use the micro-analysis method to master the characteristics of the micro-economic subjects in the network retailing, to carry on the research in a targeted way, and to use the macroscopic analysis method to make the whole of the network Retail department as the research object, This paper studies the law of the change of network retailing in the whole economic development and the influence on the total economic quantity. Only by combining macro analysis and micro-analysis effectively can we fully understand the regularity of the emergence, development and change of network retailing, and correctly deal with the problems appearing in the process of network retailing economy development.

2, empirical analysis and normative analysis of the combination of methods

Empirical research is the basic method of network retailing economics research. Empirical research is a method to describe, analyze and explain the actual operation of social economy. Through analyzing the process and law of the actual economic operation, the empirical research shows that the social economic phenomenon is "what is actually", it does not involve the evaluation of the actual economic operation condition and the consequence, and does not answer the question of the social economic phenomenon. Normative research is the method to analyze how the social economy should operate. Standardize the study of social and economic operation of the process and results of theoretical analysis and value judgments, evaluate the pros and cons, to answer the social and economic phenomenon "should be what" problem, through a certain value standards for judgment and reasoning, to find a better way to manage the development of network retailing methods and measures. In the study of internet retailing economics, in order to combine the empirical analysis with normative analysis, we should attach importance to the empirical analysis, standardize the analysis, first carry on the empirical research, then carry on the normative research, exert the network retailing science to reveal the network retail development Law, promote the network retail development role.

3, static analysis and dynamic analysis combined method

Static analysis is the analysis of things at a certain point or cross section of the situation and with regular characteristics of the method, this method is helpful to understand the situation of things, help to carry out comparative research, analysis of the existence of network retail problems, targeted to solve. However, the network retailing is always in constant development and change, study the development and change law of the network retailing, and must use the method of dynamic analysis, this method is more advantageous to reveal the law of the development of things. In many cases, static analysis is the starting point and foundation of dynamic analysis, the research of network retailing is more focused on dynamic development, and dynamic research is the main method to study the network retailing economy.

4. The method of combining qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis

Qualitative analysis is a general and regular summary of the content of network retailing economy, which does not involve specific and quantitative calculations. The quantitative analysis method has definite quantitative content, and it establishes a certain economic mathematical model to determine the measurement value of the relevant quantity in the network retailing economy, which involves the specific quantity calculation. Qualitative analysis is the precondition of quantitative analysis, which can reduce the complexity and difficulty of quantitative analysis, deepen qualitative analysis, make qualitative analysis materialized, quantified, accurate and operable.

5, statistical analysis and comparative analysis of the combination of methods

The research of network retailing economics should use the method of statistical analysis, explore the law of the existence of network retailing, summarize the representative general Network retailing Law, and guide the development of network retailing. Because of different countries, different regions of the network retailing in different economic stages, different conditions, the development of the network retail performance of different forms, but also the use of comparative analysis methods, a large number of network retail data analysis, analysis of the network of retail and network retail relations between countries, and the country's resources, population, economic conditions, Cultural tradition and other related, comparative analysis, from which to draw relevant conclusions and experience, the development of national economies. Therefore, the study of network retailing needs to combine statistical analysis with comparative analysis.