Evaluating the impact of government policies and regulation on M-Commerce in India: A system dynamics modelling approach

Abstract

Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce) is a subset of E-Commerce, which includes all E-Commerce transactions, carried out using mobile (handheld) device(s). With significant uncertainties and complexities due to evolving business and regulatory models, growth of M-Commerce is a function of appropriate and timely policy interventions from the government(s). M-Commerce business growth is further complicated by the involvement of several interrelated stake-holders and various regulatory agencies that are part of the M-Commerce eco-system, which comprises of mobile telecom service providers, banking/financial institutions, content facilitators, retailers, mobile terminal industry, and end users as the major stake-holders. To understand the M-Commerce growth facilitators in India, where M-Commerce is at its infancy, system dynamics simulation models are developed. The simulation models are used to analyze the impact of policy and regulatory interventions on the growth of M-Commerce in India. These models can help policy makers in understanding the inter-play between various independent regulatory/policy approaches and assessing their impact in a holistic manner on the business eco-system.