Every time you watch TV, listen to the radio, work on the computer, travel on a bus, or buy something in a shop, you are taking part in the world of commerce.
Hundreds of years ago families worked for themselves: they looked after animals and grew food. But as people started to live together in towns and cities, they began to do different jobs. For example, one person made and sold bread, another person made and sold clothes, and so on. Today there are hundreds of different kinds of jobs. People work, earn money and spend money.
In the modern world, large companies do business in every country, and the y make a lot of money. Some of the largest companies are oil companies like BP and Exxon Mobil, and car companies like Ford. These companies can make more than 100 billion dollars a year. They have a lot of power. Some people are worried that large companies have become more powerful than governments.
The value of world trade is growing fast. Information technology and the Internet have changed the world of commerce. These changes are still happening, and nobody is sure where they will take us. But one thing is clear the world of commerce will grow.
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Text 7.
E-commerce in Russia
As more and more retailers enter the world of on-line shopping, consumer demand for more innovative business structures are growing.
Russias e-commerce sector is fairly young compared to other markets, largely due to poor infrastructure and delivery services and a distrust of modern payment methods.
But now that some 40 percent of the countrys adult population is regularly using the Internet, on-line shopping is becoming a lifestyle for an increasing number of people.
Russias e-commerce market is steadily developing due to higher broadband Internet penetration and an underdeveloped retail market in the regions, said Peter Prabhu, an independent consultant for e-commerce ventures in Russia.
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On-line food shopping is becoming increasingly popular in big Russian cities. For example, Eco Food Moscow links customers through its Facebook site to farms in the Moscow region, from which they can order food boxes of fresh meat, milk, cheese and vegetables from local farms. Goods can be pre-ordered in advance online or purchased on the spot.
Some companies offer free pick-ups of deliveries from their stores across the city, or deliveries straight to the home for a small fee.
Research conducted by Citibank and Google suggests that Russias e-commerce industry is booming. Russians spent about 600 billion rubles ($20billion) on on-line shopping in 2011 and the figure is forecast to increase by 200-300 billion rubles every next year.
The main barriers to growth in the e-commerce market are delivery inefficiencies and the unpopularity of on-line payment methods, said e-commerce consultant Prabhu. Once these barriers are broken down, we will see higher growth.
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