e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Ravi Kalakota (Author), Marcia Robinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201721651 | ISBN-13: 978-0201721652 | Publication Date: December 11, 2000 | Edition: 2

In the best-selling first edition of this book, Ravi Kalakota and Marcia Robinson offered breakthrough guidance for establishing successful e-Business infrastructures. Now, less than two years later, they've thoroughly revamped it to reflect the massive changes that have taken place in the rapidly changing e-Business marketplace -- and to give executives an invaluable roadmap to the next stage of their e-Business transformations. Discover why some companies are achieving extraordinary success with e-Business, while others' e-Business initiatives are collapsing -- and master powerful new techniques for executing on e-Business strategy. Like the best-selling first edition, e-Business: Roadmap for Success is grounded in detailed case studies, and in the authors' extensive experience in implementing enterprise e-business initiatives.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In e-Business 2.0, Ravi Kalakota and Marcia Robinson present a survey of how the processes of business have changed as a result of computer-assisted communications, data storage, and data analysis. They explain recent technological advances--and those that may take place in the near and middle future--and explain how companies that sell products and services might put them to profitable use. With an emphasis on companies that sell things to large numbers of consumers, the authors argue convincingly that information technology isn't an end in itself, but a tool that can facilitate valuable changes in business processes.

This is a book for managers and organizational planners, but it commits none of the sins typical of such books. It neither oversimplifies technical matters nor serves as a mere platform for catchy phrases and obtuse illustrations. e-Business 2.0 is properly focused on the big technologies on which successful companies will capitalize. Kalakota and Robinson argue that it's a good idea to supplement live salespeople with self-service sales facilities, such as those on a Web site. They call this a part of selling-chain management.

The authors also explain how inefficiencies in the selling chain can make it prohibitively expensive to provide built-to-order products, which consumers increasingly want. They then present solutions: Internet and customer relationship management (IRM and CRM) software, sales automation systems, and proposal-automation tools. In each case, they cite specific examples (usually companies and products), enabling readers to dig deeper into specifics if they want. Similar attention goes to enterprise resource planning (ERP), trend-spotting tools, and half a dozen other technologies. Read this guide as you think about how to make strategic changes in your company's operating practices. --David Wall

Topics covered: Recent developments in technology that change the way companies do business, particularly in terms of determining and fulfilling customers' needs and interacting smoothly with vendors. More broadly, this book deals with sharing information efficiently among all relevant parties inside and outside an organization. Technologies covered: Internet sales infrastructures, customer relationship management (CRM) suites, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, knowledge management tools, and data warehousing and analysis products.

Review

"This book is a must-read for any company who has not completely re-invented itself since the Internet exploded onto the business world a few years ago." -- Alan Taetle, Former Executive Vice President of MindSpring and General Partner of the Venture Capital Firm, Noro-Moseley Partners

"This is the best book on e-Business for the decision-maker. It provides a great overview of the e-Business landscape." -- Andrew B. Whinston, Hugh Cullen Chair Professor of Information Systems, Economics and Computer Science, Graduate School of Business, University of Texas

"This is the book for creating a serious e-Business strategy. A must-read for managers who are creating tomorrow's e-business companies today." -- Dr. Frances Frei, Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School

"This is the first book on e-Business to combine a clarity of vision that will help you to appreciate the true significance of e-Business, with a rigorous roadmap for reinventing your business design. If you want to avoid being blindsided by your competition, you must make this book required reading in your organization." -- Mohanbir Sawhney, Tribune Professor of Electronic Commerce and Technology, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University

"e-Business is the first book I have read which captures in any depth the full spectrum of business processes that are being re-defined and improved by leveraging the Internet and its associated technologies. Equally important, it relates these re-defined processes to underlying business objectives and benefits. This book is going stimulate a lot of thinking in corporate boardrooms and executive suites." -- David M. Alschuler, Vice President, e-Business and Enterprise Applications, Aberdeen Group, Inc.

"e-Business: Roadmap for Success provides unique insight into the emerging electronic business place. Economies around the world are undergoing a wholesale rejuvenation; businesses are re-inventing themselves. In this new economy, the Internet and technologies like the Java platform have helped businesses streamline business processes, have helped companies compete in new ways and have engendered all together new types of business opportunities. It's clear we're on the cusp of a new era. e-Business: Roadmap for Success serves as a guidebook to the new electronic business place where the rules of engagement are changing and where only one thing is certain: the status quo will not be maintained." -- Dr. Alan Baratz, President, Java Software, Sun Microsystems, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 2 edition (December 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201721651
• ISBN-13: 978-0201721652
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on e-biz app infrastructure, February 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: E-Business: Roadmap for Success (Addison-Wesley Information Technology Series) (Paperback)

Most e-business books don't get into the IT implementation side. They often gloss over the details and difficulties associated with what it takes to get it done. E-Business is not all about strategies and business models, it is about implementation and careful execution - one project at a time. This is more true in Fortune 2000 companies, which are just coming off large ERP implementations. They are all worried about how to leverage the ERP investment. The new-age gurus and consultants are telling them to junk everything in the race to e-business. This advice may work for some but for most it will lead to disaster.

This book really asks and answers fundamental questions, how do you systematically invest in building an integrated e-business infrastructure. What pieces do you invest in and how do you sequence your decisions when each framework (CRM, supply-chain etc.) take 3 years to implement. The key point that I got out of this book is that e-business is a journey that requires tremendous commitment especially in a large firm. Managers who are after e-business better understand what it takes to build rock-solid applications.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A big SAP commercial!, December 6, 1999

By 

Grant Bynum (Dallas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: E-Business: Roadmap for Success (Addison-Wesley Information Technology Series) (Paperback)

This book has a main thesis: ERP-type software is the answer to E-commerce problems!

This book has a secondary thesis: SAP IS the ERP of choice. The abundant amount of references to SAP border on the shameful...SAP could not have paid for a better advertisement.

Ravi is a good writer. He weaves good points all throughout the book. However, he just talks about SAP so often that it is difficult to see him as objective.

The best audience for this book is a beginning consultant at a Big 5 (or other) Consulting firm.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creating the App. Infrastructure is the core problem...., December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: E-Business: Roadmap for Success (Addison-Wesley Information Technology Series) (Paperback)

This book makes excellent points about the importance of thinking about application frameworks, not isolated apps. The thing that I learned from this book was that large companies need to make their investments in app. frameworks -- integrated set of interlocking applications -- very carefully. This is especially true for companies moving to e-business.

The book does have its flaws. But, all in all as a first book on e-business application infrastructure it is an excellent one. It tells the story extremely well and is a handy reference.

I hope that the authors are going to put out a second edition soon. A lot has changed in the last year since the book has been published. It would be good if the authors updated the book and added more chapters like Application Service Providers (ASP) and also a chapter on implementation issues/challenges. They can title the next edition "e-business 2.0" :-)