Extensions of the Value Chain and Transaction-Stream Electronic Markets

So far, we have concentrated on a linear information value-chain scenario mainly centred on the Internet and on media content. In this chapter we would like to give a broader perspective of what sources of information are available that may be subject to an information value-chain analysis. We also would like to show some of the limitations of the value chain by illustrating a particular type of electronic market, transaction stream markets, that require generalizing the concepts provided above to include situations in which multiple transactions occur simultaneously and in a non-linear form (i.e. in a network).