The MIDIA_C framework: An exploration of the uses of the World Wide Web for business

This paper proposes and discusses a framework that identifies four major types of uses of the World Wide Web for business. The MIDIA_C framework is used here to explore the different business uses of the Web in the areas of Marketing (Web Presence, Sales, Customer Service), Information Dissemination (Training, Electronic Distribution, Electronic Publication), Information Acquisition (Industry Information, Social and Economic Information, Technical and Scientific Information) and Control (Resource Utilization, Coordination, Data for Planning and Decision-Making). The various types of uses within each of these four categories are illustrated through reference to 37 Web sites. Several directions for future research using the MIDIA_C framework are suggested.