Internet Business Models and Strategies: Text and Cases Review

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(More customer reviews)In June I requested an Advanced copy of Internet Business Models and Strategies by Afuah and Tucci (McGraw-Hill) in order to review it for my E-Commerce and Entrepreneurship class. After having read many books on the subject matter, I was delighted to find this book and have decided to adopt it for my course. The book provides models and frameworks for understanding e-commerce and e-commerce strategies. It incorporates many concepts from basic marketing and management classes as well as one chapter on financing a start-up. This text is particularly appropriate for my class because it not only provides an overview of e-commerce, it also provides information for entrepreneurs on some of the important matters that need to be taken into consideration when starting a company on-line. The authors discuss the problems, opportunities and strategies that can be used for a clicks-and-mortar firm as well as for a strictly dot.com firm. The text provides the reader with basic information on the infrastructure of e-commerce and its associated technology. The text is written in understandable language which will make it easier for readers who have no knowledge of e-commerce technology to grasp the concepts. In addition to providing multiple models in the text to give readers the "big picture", the text also provides multiple cases on some of the major players in e-commerce including: Red Hat, eBay, Netscape, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Hotmail and more. Additionally, the authors provide thought-provoking discussion questions at the end of each chapter. There are many things about this book that I like, but I'll highlight two that I find most interesting and/or relevant. First, the book takes a broad perspective on e-commerce. It does not just focus on a marketing or financial perspective. While there are many good books thatconsumers/businesses can get their hands on at Barnes and Noble andBorders that are very good at telling individuals "how to", this text gives the reader the big picture for staying competitive in e-commerce in the long run. The second highlight for me (which I'm sure is impacted by the fact that I teach Marketing and Management classes) is the authors inclusion of the 5-Cs (coordination, commerce, community, content and communication) throughout the text. I was at an e-business expo in Minneapolis June 7 and 8 and listened to many speakers. Onecomment about e-commerce from Tom Kieffer, President and CEO of Agiliti, stood out to me, "it's about communications, not computing". Iam not a tech-head, and I was thrilled to hear the president of an ASPemphasize the importance of communication in e-commerce. Technology gives us the foundation for e-commerce, but people must manage the information that is being presented. Afuah and Tucci affirm this idea throughout their book.

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Afuah and Tucci's Internet Business Models and Strategies: Text and Cases, 2e draws on research to develop and integrate a framework to help students understand factors that surround a firms performance and the central role that business models play in the face of the Internet.In the first part of the text, Afuah and Tucci explore the concepts on which Internet models rest.The second part offers cases of both Internet firms and Brick and Mortar companies that must formulate and execute successful business models and strategies.


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