Opening Digital Markets: Battle Plans and Business Strategies for Internet Commerce (CommerceNet) (Hardcover)

by Walid Mougayar (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A lot of writing about electronic commerce has been problematic: many authors describe a cutting-edge infrastructure they've created, but ignore larger strategic issues. Others stick to generalities to such an extent that their books provide no real technical advice for someone trying to architect an Internet commerce business. Opening Digital Markets: Battle Plans and Business Strategies for Internet Commerce, Second Edition, manages a reasonable compromise between these extremes. It provides a basis for evaluating electronic commerce technologies in the context of an organization's larger issues--technological, organizational, legal, and cultural.

The book presents a strategic outline for an e-commerce architecture rather than specific recommendations about which payment system, rapid application development environment, or server back-end to adopt. It talks generally about providing the level of systems integration necessary to give customers a persuasive electronic buying experience, along with some general case-study information. As such, it tells a persuasive story and provides some firm business sense for the planner, manager, strategist, and even the developer, despite the fact that, in many areas, the guide raises more questions than it answers.

Review
"If you're trying to discern trends and build corporate strategies for Web commerce, then Opening Digital Markets is important reading." -- Web Marketing Today

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2nd edition (December 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070435421
• ISBN-13: 978-0070435421
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,080,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on E-commerce, October 28, 1998

By A Customer

This book is by far one of the finest book I have ever read on E-commerce. Lots of concepts were discussed and reading it will give you a very good background and basics on E-commerce. Comments on sections are as follows:

1) Introduction to Internet Commerce - very good summary, with comparison on traditional and e-commerce market.

2) Business Catalysts & 3) Technology Drivers and Trends - How e-commerce came into being. There are lessons here to be learned.

4) Challenges and Solutions to Internet Commerce - What to look out for if you wish to move into E-commerce. The different challenges, the different pitfalls and its various solutions. A must know if you want to move into E-commerce.

5) Embarking on Internet Commerce - How to do it. Different models were discussed. Do not go into E-commerce without it.

6) Strategy Actions - the 10 steps to cybermaturity. A must read. The next lap.

7) Uncovering New Opportunities - Where and how e-commerce can be applied. Good stuff which could be used for presentation to CEOs.

8) The Wired Consumer - the various needs of the consumer who is likely to buy via the Internet. Great stuff.

9) IT strategies for E-Commerce - technical stuff on how to do it.

10) In Pursuit of Value-Added Distribution: Marshall Industries Experience - How to maintain the E-commerce viability through the experience of one company.

11) Managing Successful Internet Commerce - topics discuss here is more general such as "Top 10 reasons for not embracing Internet Commerce", "Business Value of E-commerce", "From Digital Value to Digital Markets", "The Rise of Digital Markets", etc.

Appendix - Topics touch on include Digital Cash, Smart Cards, Encrypted Credit Cards, Electronic Checks, EDI, Criteria for Choosing Internet Instruments, etc.

I mentioned each chapters in detail for readers to judge for themselves on what is available in the book and its worth and also what I thought of it. If you only one to buy one and only one book on E-commerce and the topics covered should range from basic to advanced, this is the book.

After reading this book, I went on to look for more books by Walid Mougayar and visited the website which has more stuff.

Strongly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A 'blueprint for leading businesses through the Digital Era', November 19, 1998

By	Dr Jim Hamill ([e-mail]) (Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews

This book offers a 'blueprint for leading businesses through the perils of the Digital Age'. The four main sections of the book cover 'Evaluating and Understanding the Internet'; 'Internet Strategy Formulation'; 'Technology Implementation'; and 'Internet Business Management' . Each section provides a very thought provoking coverage of the relevant issues and the book in total provides a very comprehesive coverage of the critical issues in Internet commerce written from a business strategy and management perspective rather than from a web design or technical perspective.

Chapter 6, in particular, is extremely useful providing a very practical step-by-step guide to the actions required to implement a successful internet marketing strategy. The main steps suggested are: conduct necessary education; review current distribution and supply chains to see how they are impacted by the Net; understand what customers and partners want from the Net; re-evaluate the nature of your products and services; give a new role to your human resource department; extend your current systems to the outside i.e. extranets; track new competitors and market shares in the digital marketspace; develop a Web centric marketing strategy; participate in the creation and development of virtual marketplaces and intermediaries; instill electronic marketing managemnt styles.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely excellent, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

If this book does not give you internet anxiety, you may not be realizing it's full potential.