Over the past two decades, businesses in virtually every sector of the world economy have benefited from the technologies of electronic commerce-the automation of commercial transactions using computer and communications technologies. Electronic commerce has spurred far-reaching changes in business, on multiple fronts, using many technologies. This book provides a deep, practical understanding of these technologies and their use in e-commerce. Unlike other books on e-commerce, it does not concentrate solely on the Internet. Instead, it suggests that the Internet is only a bridge technology-attractive because of its low cost and global reach, but unattractive because of its slow speed and poor user interface.Each of the twelve chapters contains an overview of a current theory or practice followed by one or more business case studies. A combination of academic theory and case studies provides a comprehensive picture of how businesspeople use computers to revolutionize the selling and delivery of their products and services.

Over the past two decades, businesses in virtually every sector of the world economy have benefited from the technologies of electronic commerce-the automation of commercial transactions using computer and communications technologies. Electronic commerce has spurred far-reaching changes in business, on multiple fronts, using many technologies. This book provides a deep, practical understanding of these technologies and their use in e-commerce. Unlike other books on e-commerce, it does not concentrate solely on the Internet. Instead, it suggests that the Internet is only a bridge technology-attractive because of its low cost and global reach, but unattractive because of its slow speed and poor user interface.Each of the twelve chapters contains an overview of a current theory or practice followed by one or more business case studies. A combination of academic theory and case studies provides a comprehensive picture of how businesspeople use computers to revolutionize the selling and delivery of their products and services.