How can e-commerce be applied to a traditional, noncommercial environment such as a university?

E-commerce is becoming increasingly important in all sectors of society. Yet, although educational institutions have been early adopters of information and telecommunications technology, few have taken on e-commerce as a secure way of doing business transactions. Most institutions see e-commerce only for business environments. Thus they miss noting that even nonbusiness entities can benefit from e-commerce, as they also produce goods and deal with buyers and suppliers. We investigate how e-commerce may be used in a traditional, noncommercial environment such as a university, and we investigate the benefits of adopting this technology. The use of e-commerce in universities is a logical extension to the broader issue of the use of IT in educational institutions. In this sense, it includes both "traditional" IT functions and goes beyond it.