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Article: Protectionism in cyberspace. (Competing Interests).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Chief Executive (U.S.)
- Article date:
- July 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Chief Executive Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For most companies, the Internet offers a huge opportunity to reach new customers. But for others, it's a threatening place filled with invisible competitors intent on stealing their customers and shrinking their margins.
Robert D. Atkinson of the Progressive Policy Institute think tank in Washington calls this latter group "the disintermediated." As consumers use travelocity.com rather than travel agents or shop at Amazon.com instead of the corner bookstore, the owners of bricks-and-mortar operations understandably worry. Moreover, Atkinson says, these businesses "are using all the judicial, regulatory and legislative means at their disposal to thwart ...