Customer Reviews

e-Enterprise: Business Models, Architecture, and Components (Breakthroughs in Application Development)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Aimed at senior managers, `e-Enterprise' offers an entertaining, opinionated and superficial review of business models, architectures and components supporting e-commerce.

The anecdotal, sometimes attractively illustrated chapters span:

++ section 1: e-enterprise- recent history from brochureware onwards.

++ section 2: e-Application models (inter-organizational business processes, models, convergence of B-to-C and B-to-B); B-to-C e-Application models (e-tailing/ portals, auctions, consumer care, electronic bill payment, and critical success factors); B-to-B e-Application Models (marketplaces, procurement/resource management, value chain, CRM, critical success factors, e-Organization).

++ section 3: e-Enterprise Methodology and Architecture- Building e-Enterprises (transformation, methodology, ROI, asset repository, org models, real-time); e-Enterprise Architecture (business, technology, components).

++ section 4: Enabling Components- Business Components (security, user profiling, search, content management, payment, workflow, event, collaboration, reporting, data/message integration); Technology Components (technology components and standards).

Strengths include: the structure and scope of content; sometimes good use of titles & bulleted lists (just read these & look at figures for quickest transfer of content!); and some good diagrams and tables.

Negatively: the style is `thick' with many nonsensical jargonistic error-ful sentences (!!); manufacturing and sector-application errors; technological errors and omissions; sweeping predictions without support or differentiation from other texts; relative lack of case study evidence; a limited US-bias; inconsistency in use of terms (Net, Internet, Web etc. etc.. for same & different things etc..); repetition and sometimes rambling text (perhaps a 35% reduction of words for same content, and better use of sidebars would improve); and sometimes patronizing tone.

Some alternative texts include: the similar quality inspiring `Futurize Your Enterprise' by Siegel; the similar quality draft `Exploring E-commerce' by Fellenstein/Wood; and May's superior `Business of E-Commerce' which covers very similar content in a more rigorous manner (to this reviewer).

Sadly, the content and presentation is relatively strong, let down by too much repetition, error, and `jargonism' without support, and generalizations, to be considered worthwhile. To this reviewer, `e-Enterprise' just read like a summary of parts of an MBA - strategy, e-commerce, change management, introductory technology etc..- without evidence of a deeper understanding of global business & technology issues. As such a good starting point, which I wouldn't trust to base a corporate transformation/ e-business upon.

I read two-third of the book and I feel less intelligent for it. Mr. Hoque used the letter "e" in front of every big word and never illustrated how "e" or internet would actually change the business environment. The Internet allows information to flow to almost anyone, and in a business environment, this can add tremendous value, yet, Mr. Hoque never explained or showed how this would occur. Also, his analysis on the supplier value chain was so superficial, that no value could be gained from reading that section.

It's tough to pick up a magazine or turn on the television these days without someone telling you that you must turn your company into an e-company in order to survive. But once you get past these exhortations to "embrace change," it's surprisingly hard to find any practical advice on how to integrate e-commerce into your company's business plan. Therein lies the value of Faisal Hoque's e-Enterprise, which disposes of generalities and plunges headlong into an explanation of online business models, applications, architecture and tools. For the technologically challenged, this book will go down like castor oil. But if you are running a business - any business - Hoque's exhaustive blueprint to creating a true e-business will be exactly the right medicine. For that reason, we at getAbstract.com implore executives and managers to bite the techie bullet and read this book, which also will satisfy even the hardest-core geeks with its encyclopedic guide to the components that constitute the building blocks of the e-Enterprise.

The book provides excellent guidelines for e-business professionals and consultants. It is usefull to structure or enhance an e-business methodology framework. Meanwhile, the technology components section is only a list of techniques and characteristics without focus on integration purpose - Christian Bruneau - Siemens Business Services - France

This book provides a clear methodology and framework for integrating technology into core business practices. It is well written and thought provoking. As an executive level technologist, I found this book to contain a great deal of insight into the planning and activities needed to bridge the gap between IT and business.

Looking for some support to help you catch up with the needs, demands, and technology of the mission critical app in an Internet-saavy company? This book provides a great resource to help put your company on the right track. Not too much depth on the technologies, but if you've heard the buzzwords, just weren't sure what they mean / do, you'll get a nice overview of things like DCOM/EJB/MTS/etc. A good read for a higher level exec.

As great as the Harry Potter books are, you wouldn't base a business on the theory of Hogwarts.

This book is a silly e-HogWarts-like fantasy that leads one to believe software is a land of wishin' and hopin' and where simple minded split em up into lil' boxes mentality makes big problems easy.

Even in today's world of web services and OOD, serious software is hard work, requires risk, investment and skilled talent in many facets from business to technology. This author over simplifies to the point of e-absurdity. You just plug a hip-bone into the thigh-bone, or is it authentication + framework + function1 + function2 yields application. What garbage, if software were that easy, no more books would be needed.

Once I realised the silliness, (it takes about 10 minutes to read the whole book) I scanned the author's background: A failed e-company (ec cube) to his credit and it appears to me he is just about done with his latest debacle, something called enamics, based on yet another apparently mindless book.

Please do yourself a favor, avoid this book, this author, and, why, oh, why, did Cambridge publish this? A great conspiracy must be behind this...

Being an MBA/MSE student, I primarily picked this book to supplement concepts learned in my E-commerce class. My hope was to gain a more detailed insight into e-commerce strategy. I was not disappointed.

This book is jam packed with valuable models, insight and very useful advice. Hoque provides a structured, informative outline of fundamental B2B and B2C business concepts that you need to consider and understand in order to accomplish a successful transition to clicks-and-mortar. He presents a well-defined blueprint from "Brochureware" all the way to E-enterprise and explains the benefits of integrating the extended value chain model into your business model. The book is easy to read and Hoque makes excellent use of relevant examples from companies such as GE, Ariba and Cisco to name a few. He makes good use of tables and figures, although I do feel they could have been made more comprehensive in certain involved chapters. E-Enterprise has the advantage of being a recent publication and most of the information presented in the book is still very applicable, unlike other books that are barely a year old and are close to being obsolete. This book is an excellent resource for all-level management, entrepreneurs and generally all who are interested in the dynamics of a true, sustainable strategy for transformation and "re-transformation".

Read it. It's well worth your time!

If you are looking for an "e-business technology reference", this is not the right choice. If you are interested in valuable insight of the E-Business world, you couldn't find a better buy. You'll find many helpful real case studies and a very comprehensive description of this new technologies.

This is silly and simplistic. If only the world were like this. Moving sidewalks, free electricity, teleportation, hallucinogens for breakfast.

I really cant believe cambridge publishes stuff like this. I wouldnt even espect this from que at there worst.

The author should stick to nursury rhymes. This is nothing but a hoax.