This study evaluates the impact of varying group size and social presence on small-group communication. It compares key communication factors-faceto-face (FtF) without computer-mediated communication (CMC) support, FtF with CMC support, and virtual with CMC support-on two different small group sizes (3 and 6). Results indicate that smaller groups establish and maintain higher levels of communication quality, and FtF with CMC support groups have higher levels of communication quality than virtual with CMC support groups; however, no significant difference between traditional FtF groups and virtual groups with CMC support was found. Also, CMC minimized the impact of increased group size. Process losses that a larger FtF group might ordinarily experience can be reduced through the use of CMC. These results should help project managers plan for and deal with the difficulty of communication between project group members in virtual environments.

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The status and maturity of electronic commerce customer relationship management (ECCRM), an emerging subfield of management information systems (MIS), are investigated through an exhaustive literature review of 369 articles, from the first published article in 1984 through conference papers given in 2001 and 2002. The results indicate some trends that should be of interest and concern to researchers in this area and in MIS as a whole. First, exploratory surveys dominate the research literature, which in itself may be problematic. More troubling, most of the survey instruments were not validated, and the authors did not mention validation procedures. Second, there has been little theoretical development, and few empirical studies use hypothesis testing. Third, cumulative tradition has hardly emerged, with each study developing a new conceptual model, new constructs, and new instruments. On the positive side, ECCRM researchers have employed a wide range of methods and studied a broad range of topics. The subfield of ECCRM is young, but is growing rapidly, and professional activity in the MIS research community illustrates its importance. Specific recommendations for further development are provided.KEY WORDS AND PHRASES: Electronic commerce customer relationship management, epistemology in MIS research, introspective study, MIS journals and conferences.Since 1984 more than 300 papers concerning electronic commerce customer relationship management (ECCRM) have been published in the literature on information systems (IS) or by IS researchers in referent discipline publications. The rapid increase in the volume of research in this context over the past several years suggests that a new subdiscipline of management information systems (MIS ) is emerging. ECCRM is now and will continue to be an important subfield of MIS research, as well as of relevant reference disciplines such as marketing, computer science, library science, and psychology. As an emerging subfield, it is an object of interest and worthy of study in and of itself [15]. With this in mind, the present paper investigates the development and maturity of ECCRM to gain an understanding of its evolution and current status, and to provide insights as to directions for future research. The analysis paints a picture of the ECCRM subfield of MIS through an objective representation of the growing body of literature from multiple perspectives: published journal and conference articles, epistemology and research approach, authors and institutions, research areas, and keyword topics.

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