並列摘要
In recent years, the Internet has generated tremendous level of excitement. Business magazines are filled with articles describing how life will be different in a digital age. High-technology stocks have soared on investors' expectations of the creation of new wealth and the transformation of existing businesses. Some of the most sensational predictions have been made with regard to electronic commerce. Even though the Internet popularity is growing rapidly among businesses, there is still a great deal of confusion about the Internet and what it has to offer the chain restaurant world. The Internet is, physically, a network of computer networks. It is made up well over two-ann-a-half million host computers and is growing at the rate of over 2 million new users each month (Eager 1994, Verity and Hof 1994). The purpose of this article is threefold. First, I briefly explain what the Internet is. Second, I explore the unique characteristics of the Internet, and what it has to offer the chain restaurant community. Third, I introduce the current uses of the Internet of chain restaurants.