Marcia Robinson | Don Tapscott | Ravi Kalakota
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.
1 Lots of big words and no explanation of what they mean
After seeing all the glowing reviews of this book, I'm beginning to wonder if it's just me. I've only gotten through the first 3 chapters and already I've run into a multitude of terms that are not explained at all. My class uses this book for its text and I have to answer discussion questions about brand-intensive vs. capital intensive, disaggregation and reaggregation (Dictionary.com didn't even have 'reaggregation' in its database), etc. It sure would be nice to include a glossary of terms used. I'm really dreading the rest of this book.
2 Very insightful
This book still holds up rather well given all the changes that took place in the e-business space in the last couple of years.
The authors really seem to understand this space. I heard Ravi Kalakota speak at a seminar in Cincinati. He was fantastic. He is very articulate about the trends that are shaping the e-business and e-commerce landscape.
Highly recommend this book to those who want to understand the basics of e-business.
3 Techie vs. Business point of Review
I really liked this book. I am doing an MBA at the moment in the Michael Smurfit Business School and was trying to get an example for an eBusiness Model. The choice in the end came between Weil's Book 'Place and Space' and Kalakota's, but, there was no choice. Even though I have the greatest respect for Weil. Kalakota was pragmatic. At first as I staggered through the earlier chapters I thought, 'Hello' ... have you heard of dot.con ( we are talking about techie stuff...)and then it clicked , literally , this guy , or should I say lady and gent, have it all sussed. All eBusiness models should be based on sound business principles.
'e' has changed the principles but it is still the same message. Incorporate and get on with it. That's the message and do it as soon as possible. That's the reality! Business has not changed, just the tools, and the speed ...But beware once you do it, you have to keep on doing it, to come out on tops, it'a a reiterative cycle, OK babe...
4 A good text, a powerful understanding.
I read this for as a text for a course in ECommerce and I enjoyed the candid dialogue that the author used in this book. The examples and ideas are not outdated. Not a how to book, but more of a these are the main business concepts and opportunities you can benefit from, book.
Really enjoyed it.
5 Excellent overview of Enterprise Apps
This book presents an excellent executive overview of the enterprise applications landscape. The book has detailed chapters on the various building blocks of a modern digital enterprise. It systematically covers CRM, Web-based Sales, ERP, SCM, Business Intelligence, EAI, E-procurement and Financials. This is a must read for employees of companies adopting enterprise apps, new business analysts and MBA students.
6 I liked it.
I am a high school student participating in the DECA marketing competition e-business/e-commerce category. I found this book very usefull in preparing me for the competition. Definate five stars. Great beginners book... probably good for bigshots too :)
7 Integration of e-business components
A very insightful and lucid analysis of the components comprising an e-business strategy.
Although the book gives you an introduction to these, it does not say much on on how all these components will interact and coordinate ? What kind of information flow will be between these components?
It would have been great if a case study detailing these interactions, had been included in the book.
8 Good book... if you work in a company!
This book is useful for beginners if you work in a large company where buzzwords like CRM, ERP, SCM, e-procurement, business intelligence, EAI etc. are being thrown around constantly by consultants. Also, it is common that many managers use these terms without understanding what these mean. This book explains these terms in the context of business using a rather good integrated framework that seems to be referenced extensively by IBM Global Services. If you are an expert, this book is not for you.
9 Very nice book!
The book gives a lot of insight on how to conduct e-business. I liked the approach very much, although it seemed to be a bit academic from time to time.
10 Memo to the CEO ....
Dear CEO, "Don't waste your time on this contrived 2nd edition of an equally bad use of trees." Perhaps it was a re-write that was cranked out during the crash and burn of the author's e-commerce company. This is one of the worst "e" books. I feel sorry for the college students that must suffer it. Syrup and hype. It's no longer time to write "cute memos" to the CEO, it's time to get on with the serious work of using the Internet to transform business.
11 Good comprehensive book
I have read some of the reviews on this book and frankly some of the reviews are not deserved. If you look at the copyright date, this book was printed more than 3 years ago. So, it is safe to say that it was penned probably 4 years ago. Folks that was 1998. At that time, the author was actually prescient in laying out a landscape of what "e-business" was going to be and how it is different from E-commerce. Obviously, we have learned a lot more about e-business -- what works and what doesn't. Bashing authors for writing a forward looking book or starting a venture is probably not the right thing to do. Starting a business takes a lot more than knowledge. It takes a lot of luck, good decisions, and project management. Definitely ingredients which are beyond the subject matter of this book.
12 A theoretical "Roadmap for Success"
While the book may be an interesting read, Mr Kalakota launched a company called Hsupply.com which failed after one year and closed in November 2000 blaming lack of available funding. Afterwards Mr Kalakota stated "I thought I knew a lot". Enough said...
13 Don't bother...
I see a second edition has been published, and the author says that they reworked pretty much the whole thing. Considering that the business he started based on the principles in this book went bell-up, I'd say that's a good thing.
I haven't read the second edition, so I can't speak to it.The examples in this edition are weak. It's a very dry and boring read. There were no startling revelations in this book - nor was there a "roadmap" to success.
While I give this book a poor rating - I must say that haven't found any good books out there for piloting the ebusiness world. It's still probably too early in the game to nail down a true framework to go by. If you absolutely *must* have a book to sit on your shelf and gather dust on this subject - this book is as good as any other.
14 The best book to explain e-business transformation
e-business transformation (eBT) is going on at an ever accelerating pace. eBT is "making money the old fashioned way, earning it".
No books, ezines or magazines I have read cover this subject better than the authors. I use this book in my class at UCLA called "e-business, transform your company now".
I used the authors previous book and find this updated one "just in time publishing". My classes anxiously await the authors next publications.
Fred Held Adjunct Professor UCLA Extension.
15 You will regreat if u miss it.
Actually i read this book simply just to find the answer for my assignment coz' it's the core textbook recommended by my university. i have no idea about e-business & e-commerce. But once i read it, i found that it's very interesting and i love to read it till the end and not just for answering my assignment anymore. The author used easy and simple understanding English besides straight forward. There's a lot of examples given which i don't know before. So after reading it, i know more about e-economy.
16 Excellent Overview
I found this book to be an excellent overview of E-business. This book really gets into the business problems facing large frims and talks about how the enterprise frameworks can help structure these problems. Like all "e" books there is some hype. But this is to be expected given the time period this edition was written. Hindsight is pure and clear. But, the book holds up pretty well.
17 Inadequate, messy, and hype
I have read many e-commerce books, this one is part of my school recommended text and that is why I need to read it from cover to cover, else I would have threw it out few chapters later.
It's a badly organised book that throw a bunch of IT-driven business concepts that has been around for many years, slap an 'e-' in front of it, and call it a 'e-business' book. It tries to depict 'e-business' to be everything, and teach nothing, tells you what you should do, but doesn't tell you how you could possibly do it, it tells you whats wrong in many business process, but does not tell you what is the solution. Most of the time, the answer will lead back to vaguely say 'you need integrated enterprise application' or 'you need to change'.
I would prefer more focus and realistic books that does not pretend to be everything like those by Patricia B. Seybold, etc..
18 Forward thinking & insightful. VERY Highly recommended
An excellent book is one that makes you think, wonder, and question your assumptions. This is precisely that book when it comes to E-business. This book's focus on strategy AND technology makes it stand out of the crowd. It was in this author's work in 1995 that we first began to hear about electronic commerce. This pioneering, insighful, and forward thinking characteristic is clarly visible in this revision. Although I owned the previous edition, the additions since the last edition made it a worthy acquisition for my personal collection. The power to think beyond the immediate---an obsession that led to the burst of the dot-com bubble--is emphasized here. In applying the author's frameworks, the collaboration between Napster and Batrlesmaan was quite predictable. The chapter on trading digital goods alone is worth the price of this book. This book takes a remarkably cautionary approach that suggests that strategies of "examples" are still examples, not strategies by themselves. Don Tapscott emphasizes this in the introduction to this book. This book helps you think in terms of carving your own roadmap. Having built your own roadmap translates to the inability of competitors to "copy" your approach. This is certainly a book that is ahead of our times, and worth every penny of the 30ish bucks that is costs. Everytime I read a certain section, I can immediately relate to the latest issue of Business Week and its e-biz sectioin reports on terrible failures and envied successes. Read it, reread it, dog ear it, and put it under your pillow for a goodnight's sleep. Very, very, very highly recommended.
19 Good managerial overview
This book is an excellent overview of issues that CIOs and line of business managers are wrestling with as they implement large scale (and very expensive) e-business frameworks. The recent Nike/I2 400 million supply chain implementation fiasco illustrates the complexity of making and implementing complex next generation application choices. Many more failed implementations like this are to follow if managers don't have a clear paradigm -- like the one shown in this book -- that frames their thinking. The book is not for the detail oriented or is definitely not a how-to Java book. If you are looking for such as book it is best to look elsewhere.
20 Inadequate
This is one of the worst IT books I have ever read (and I have read many). It's full of flowery concepts and hype. It's not for the practitioner. The language is patronizing. Go elsewhere!
21 The foundation reference book for understanding e-business
The central idea of this book is that ebusiness exists on top of a foundation of other software technologies. These technologies are Enterprise Resource Planning software, Supply Chain Management, Selling Chain Management, e-Procurement and Customer Relationship Management software. These foundation software techologies need to be implemented in a company before making the decision to implement an e-business infrastructure ( in a way the core techologies are the e-business infrastructure ). The book focuses each chapter on a core techology and also includes chapters on e-business strategy and tactics. Another central theme of the book is that business strategy and the core business ideas of revenue ,cost and profit should drive the development of e-business in a company. Technology implementation for the sake of techology and without specific business objectives (ie run by the IT department) is strongly opposed in the book. This second edition of E-business extends on the ideas of the first and provides more up to date examples. However, one thing that is missing is more detailed information on the wide variety of software packages that make up the ebusiness infrastructure and then examples of companies using them. For anybody interested in e-business required reading.
22 Draws upon the author's extensive personal experience
In e-Business 2.0, Ravi Kalakota and Marcia Robinson successfully collaborate to show how business managers at all levels are rewiring their online enterprises to take maximum advantage of today's technology to build cutting-edge web-based businesses to recruit, serve, and retain customers, manage suppliers, and integrate selling chains. e-Business 2.0 draws upon the author's extensive personal experience working with leading businesses to provide a clear "how to" manual for identifying fundamental design principles for building a commercially successful e-business incorporating the latest strategies and techniques regardless of the product or service involved. e-Business 2.0 is essential and very highly recommended reading for anyone charged with a management responsibility for the success of an online business enterprise.
23 Thought leadership...
Ravi gets it's exactly right. One of the few people thinking about the New Business with a fully-functioning brain. If you need to create value in the corporate world in 2001 and beyond, buy this book and learn it off by heart. R.
24 The eBusiness Manual
I found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding the critical success factors in migrating current applications to the Internet Economy. Working for a large company, I am continually searching for better business processes to manage aggressive fulfillment deadlines and provide better customer care. The book challenges the reader to look beyond technology as the answer to improve efficiencies and focus on identifying the application framework to E-enabling your business.
Killer platforms not killer apps. For a non-techie business manager, E-business 2.0 is a great reference for how to think about application platforms as the basis for constructing corporate infrastructure. The in-depth analysis of different app platfroms highlights the true business benefits that can be achieved across functional areas of a company. The author's have taken their extensive Internet consulting expertise and married that with real-life implementation experience to deliver the premier Internet business transformation reference guide!
25 The challenge is "click and mortar" infrastructure
This book aimed at brick and mortar transformation into click and mortar is definitely going to survive the dot.com carnage. The book really is addressed at consultants, managers and "C" level executives who are trying to transform their internal application infrastructure to the next generation platforms. The roadmap for doing this transformation presented in the book is clear and cogent.
As a 'practicing' CIO of a large company I would definitely recommend this book to all those who are grappling with issues like how do we make investments in next-generation click and mortar apps? how do we tackle inter-enterprise integration issues? what does customer relationship management and e-sales really mean?
The Internet mania is dying. Now the real work of transforming brick and mortar companies begins. We need books like this that are less hype and more practical. Most practicing managers understand the challenges posed by going digital. They are looking for solutions that work long-term and make economic sense.
26 This is real e-Business
e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success by Ravi Kalakota, Marcia Robinson is not the kind of book you want to read when you're sleepy. It's small print and sparse graphics had initially turned me away from reading this book. However, as I began to go over the various chapters of e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success I realized that Kalakota and Robinson have put together a literal blue print for e-Business success. Not, it's not 1.0, but "2.0"! As more and more "real" or "brick 'n mortar" businesses put their businesses online, there needs to be a clear deliniation of what is hype and fiction. What's a fly by night Internet start up and what turly is a distince "e-Business" e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success leads the way. This book is really NOT for a "mom and pop" hardware store, but for companies that want to completely embrace all the Internet has to offer and ensure that their business leverages the opportunities it can provide. "To compete effectively in the e-commerce world, a company must structurally transform its internal foundation. This structural change requires a company to develop an innovative e-business strategy, focussing on speed to makret and breakthrough excercises" e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success "What sets the truly great organizations apart is their ability to use state-of-the-art e-commerce processes to transform themselves. They do the following three things well. 1. They redefine value for their cusotmers 2. They build powerful e-business designs that outperform the competition 3. They understand customer priorities and consistently raise customer expectations to new heights." e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success is more than a book, but a busines manual for strategically using the tool of the Internet to radically transform how you do business. In "Constructing the e-Business Architecture: Enterprise Apps", Chatper 5 of e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success, the authors talk about applications and integration - the technology bedrock of e-Business. By using case studies and examples, e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success will give you a birds eye view of how to acquire e-Business applications and tools for your specific business. If your a CEO, Presdient or some other upper management, and are serious about exploring how e-Busienss can be for your business, then e-Business 2.0: Roadmap for Success is a must read.
27 Good 2nd Outing
I had read Dr. Kalakota's first edition and he and Marcia Robinson did an insighful and thorough view of e-Business and the intergration of company systems into the e-Commerce infastructure. I was wondering, "Well, it's obviously changed with the downfall of the dot coms, so is this new book going to address that as well?" It does and more. I found this edition and its changes from e-Business well worth the changes. Way to go Dr. Kalakota!
28 Excellent Overview of e-business Transformation
I have used this book as a text in three classes at UCLA. The class is e-business, Transform Your Compay Now. The students found it an excellent overview of the total picture. No other book I have seen does such a good job of explaining the basics of e-business.
I am also a full time e-business consultant for a major company. The book is out of date and needs an update. The basics are there but e-markets are taking off as is wireless e-business. I believe these writers could do an excellent sequel if one is not already in the works.
29 Excellent Book
This book gives good insights about future of ecommerce.
30 For dummies and middle-range executives.
This is an excellent opportunity for people that want to be introduced in the new concepts and paradigms in the new economies. It`s also well focused on all the posibilities new technologies are offering. If you don`t know anything about this posibilities, or want to explore new ones, this is your book. If you are already an IT manager, or an expert in this field, don`t even bother to read it.
31 highly conceptual
The book gives a great insight into the ins and outs of ebusiness and what the future is likely to be like. However, I feel that it stops there. The text is highly conceptual - I feel like I'm simply skimming the surface of ebusiness as a whole.
32 not what it purports to be
This book is supposed to address implementation of e-business. Instead, it goes over the standard concepts and ideas. Most people are getting beyond this book. I have purchased three books that claim to focus on implementation. This is the worse. There are no specific guidelines. There are only the normal examples that have been hashed over for years. The best book is dynamic e-bus implementation management. It at least has specific ideas and deals with many real life issues.
33 High-level; Good Synopsis
Kalakota's book provides a crisp, high-level overview of the e-business landscape. This book is written to the CEO and other executives. It is not designed for the technical specialist as it provides little detail on how to set up certain systems/platforms. What is does offer is an overarching panorama of the important areas to be aware of in migrating to an e-business framework. These include, e-procurement, supply chain management, selling chain management, CRM, ERP, and other functional and/or enterprise-wide applications. Each chapter is brimming with terms, acronyms, charts, and information. It would be hard to assimilate all this material in a one-day read for example. I would take each chapter in small bites.
One of the things I liked about the book was all the good questions scattered throughout. These are the types of questions every company needs to be asking and wrestling with. They are fundamental strategy questions with an e-business bent. For example, if you don't know how to define the interrelationships in your supply chain, or how your infrastructure can allow the creation of new value propositions, then you might want to start asking these questions. It is quite apparent, as illustrated in this book and others, that there is too much money to be saved, too many markets to penetrate, and too many methods of leveraging competencies, to not be taken by an e-business model that makes information transparent, inventory visible, and collaboration the status quo.
Kalakota ends the book with some strategies for implementing an e-business blueprint. Similar to most major projects, issues of scope, scale, politics, etc. come into play. The last two chapters provide a relatively good consolidation and closure of the material. Overall, I think this a valuable book for the executive and manager to have on their bookshelf.
34 Good managerial text
More for the manager than the casual reader this is a detailed book with many useful ideas. It can be contradictory and some areas, such as the Rules for e-Business in chapter one, do not always stand up to scrutiny.
35 General overview on back-end systems
Although it provides a good overview on back-end systems, it does not cover the full range of e-business. A bit disappointing.
36 Good Overview of E-Biz Applications
This book was very useful in educating me about the different types of applications that make up e-business. Prior to this book, I read a lot of books on e-biz strategy -- Net Ready, Blown to Bits -- but none of them ever got into any detail of how to implement, or issues in implementation. I think most of us know that 'e' is here to stay - the strategists don't have to preach from their pulpit. Most of us are struggling with how to implement the bloody thing quickly with lousy tools and management that changes their mind every month.
37 If it was only that simple
Kalakota and Robinson have written a worthwhile text, however it is really at a very strategically broad level. The picture painted is very rosy indeed. The problem is that the real world does not allow the sort of product integration assumed, nor can implementation be achieved at the speed necessary to meet with the authors expectations. Overall an interesting view from the top. Not a book for those looking to actually achieve an end result in the e-business systems implementation arena.
38 Helpful to me.Thank to the author!
I have not very much to say.I haven't look this book,but I read the details at Amazon.com.Just like scanning and skipping the book.I am a beginner for study E-Business.In our country,most of this kind of books are made of "clipper and glue".I am very appreciate contacting the original ideas of E-Business.
39 a waste of paper, the trees could have been put to a better
We were FORCED to buy this book as part of our e-commerce paper at university. I found it full of dumb buzzwords eg. "e-supply chain fusion" which I'm sure will help me get a job when I go for an interview with companies like SAP or PWC, but where's the meat ? Having worked for companies who implement B2B and supply chain management solutions (always on-time & UNDER budget) I wonder if Dr Ravi Kalakota has actually worked in the REAL world ? It's sad that upper management read these books then go out and spend millions of dollars on solutions which always end up being buggy, behind schedule and so complex that they need to hire in other consultants just to come in and fix things.
40 Excellent reading material
This is a very good book and gives you a picture of what's going to be the areas in which we will see great strides in the next couple of years. The authors have presented their analysis in a clear and easily understandable format - for example like explaining why it's 'E-business' and not 'E-commerce'. They have also taken care to speak about products being used. I picked up the book thinking I would read it on and off, but was so absorbed in it that I read it cover to cover in one stretch. All said, an excellent read for the 'New Economy' areas.
41 Skip other 500 e-Biz titles and get this one
If you're looking for the meat of e-Biz and not just another tired old cut and paste of whatever a la customers.com then this is the book for you.
I recommend this book to all our e-Strategists and BA's.
If you want to know where CRM meets BI meets ERP meets e-Biz here's the place with ORM and TBD thrown in.
I've had the misfortune of reading 10's of trashy sell-me-quick-airport-specials high on glossy cover and low on useful content.
42 Great e-Business, CRM, SCM, & ERP Read
Having read a number of e-com & e-biz books, this one is one of my favorite (Kalakota's sequel to E-Commerce '96) with the case studies and roadmaps for the players getting serious about new economy ERP/e-Biz implementation. This is not a light read for a CEO/luddite but, it is a good read for someone frustrated with the archaic biz transactions looking for clarification or is looking for ammo to persuade execs that transformation is mission critical to avoid becoming "road kill" on the corporate America landscape. Read the other reviews from other readers--I agree with their thoughtful comments. At least, you will get a great ERP/e-biz conceptual framework and understand the common acronyms (CRM, SCM, et al).
43 What is in it for Software Developers?
The book is recommended for managers, CEOs, and system analysts. So you, as a developer, might think: "What is in it for me?"
-As a developer you have to understand the driving forces of the new economy.
-It will help you understand where your clients want to go and how your software can help them get there.
-It will help you take initiative at work and propose those small changes that will make your software a lot more useful to clients.
-This book is a book to be read by the whole company. From CEO to junior computer operator.
-Have you ever felt embarassed for not knowing a term like: ERP, ORM, CRM, in a meeting?
-Have you ever felt more embarassed for not knowing the concepts behind these terms: costumer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, etc. Many of these take full chapters in the roadmap book.
-Its your change to catch up with the latest happenings and strategies of companies like: Cisco, Yahoo, Barnes and Noble, Ford, Amazon.
-Its your change to know some of the key players in the software market and what is their place: SAP, Microsoft, Ariba, Oracle, etc.
-If you have been in Mars during the last decade and didn't take your eyes out of the technology class of readings, this is the book that you have to read now.
-Understand the risk behind projects like migrations, ERP implementations, etc.
44 Presenting the Obvious in Business Babble
About half-way through I gave up reading and started scanning. I should have stopped reading earlier and saved myself the time. The authors present several important (though obvious) notions about integrating both new and traditional enterprise applications, and providing simple, consistent, fast, and desireable experiences to retain customers. I personally felt that in a great many cases the authors drew dubious or just plain wrong conclusions from their real-world examples.
Most of the text seems to belabor a few obvious conclusions with rampant business-process-consultant jargon. If you need to be told, "Composite a comprehensive view of the customer to maximize his or her relationship with the company through up-selling and cross-selling. Enhance profitability by identifying, attracting, and retaining the best customers." to understand that even in e-business reselling to your best customers is a good idea, then this is the book for you. If not, well, don't say I didn't warn you with this direct quote from the book.
45 From an ERP & implementation view..
If you're trying to get through the hype from magazine articles, and want to see detailed layouts ( that can be used as templates ) of what needs to be done in what order - you'll be glad you bought this book. I dog eared at least 15 pages the first time, and another 20, the second time. Go into this with an open mind. If you're an executive - you've got a lot of stripes to repaint ! If you're a consultant - you'll be saying - right on! If you're the PM at the customer site trying to make it happen , it's oh darn.
46 Too basic for the knowledged CRM or Internet Dude.
This book provided an ebusiness bend on things that many traditional business consultants already know (CRM, Supply Chain, ERP, Fulfillment, etc.) It contained a lot of detail information to the point of nausea. I would not recommend this to the well read or well educated executive. It would be a good introduction if you are just trying to get a broad view of how big ecommerce projects can get.
47 A great "how-to" for e-business strategy and applications
This is one of the best books on e-business strategy and design that I have read. It is must reading for contemporary managers and e-business consultants alike! I especially liked the seamless interface between the sections on strategy, applications, and implementation. Also the book was based on reality and not hype, and I appreciated that orientation. Enjoy!
48 Explaining the backend and the infrastructure
Very good book putting the backend and the infrastructure in context. A more general view of the Internet would be great.
49 Excellent book on e-biz app infrastructure
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.
50 e-bussines Roadmap for success
This book is "la neta del planeta" on electronic bussiness. If you are a bussiness man you have to read this book
51 Old Hat on the New World
After a promising first few chapters on gearing your business to the e-commerce, the roadmap for success becomes a maze of disaster. It strikes me as similar to early maps of the earth - when the world was flat.
The book loses its vision and becomes bogged down in process and planning. Such a subjective approach not only fails to deliver a clear map for planning but also fails to allow for further change in an ever-changing environment.
Publications on e are becoming common as muck. Whilst starting well, this falls somewhere between vision and process without reconciling the two. A must for second-rate managers. Enjoy!
52 Enthusiastic Treatment of an Exciting Subject
e-Business: Roadmap for Success is a strategists approach to a whole new business concept. The authors take the approach that although many want to see this as a threat to business as we know it, the reality is there is a whole new world of opportunity out there waiting to be exploited.
The subject matter builds from turning the traditional business paradigm on its head and now really making the customer king.
E-Commerce is put into its true context, trend spotting is highlighted, design, architecture, Customer Relationship Management, Selling Chain Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management and e-Procurement are all covered. The text builds on the different approaches to highlight the need to identify a company's main e-business approach.
This book is enthusiastic. Beware you will need to put this into action.
53 One great book cannot be answer for all
Number of reviews this book received is an indicator, e-Business is one biggest challange all sorts of companies are facing now. I enjoyed reading the book, agreed with most, disagreed some, and definetely learned lot. It may not be perfect but definetely the best e-Business book in market. My investment in time and money paid of as good as Nasdaq. Authors covered all ERP modules in detail, a great tutorial for a novice. Also, they carefully reviewed integration problems, and pitfalls of home grown software, but they left the interface of the packaged software to the owner. In my opinion this book is a good reading for all, beginner and expert. It state clear definitions of e-Commerce, e-Business, CRM, etc. I also enjoyed reading the book reviews here. It is interesting to see diversity which is good. I don't know if authors could reply to reviews? I promise you that big-dumb companies (as one reviewer attributes) did not grow big by being dumb, and they will not all become big.dot companies. Although they are investigating into e-Business, there will be t- businesses here years to come. At least until "Jetson's" life style become a reality. SAP is given as an example throughout the book possibly because SAP has largest market share in ERP, and is actively working towards bringing e-Business solutions. And may be because authors have experience in using the SAP, just like most consultants are. And yes, there is an area (or module) the authors did not cover is PP-PI which is production planning. PP will be the most difficult part of business to integrate into e-business. I gave this book five star and anxiously waiting for a new addition. BTW, wouldn't be great to hire that 5th grader who can write a five star books?
54 Excellent E-Business overview
If you are looking for an excellent overview of E-business, this is the book for you. It is only superficially about e-commerce. If you are not familiar with the acronyms of E-Business, CRM, ERP, SCM, etc... This book will explain those in detail and how they effect your company in terms of business and the new realm of doing business electronically.
Extensive lists of questions and review points are an added bonus to get you thinking about what E-Business means to you and your company.
55 good book
I have read this one very quickly. It contains a lot of information, but unfortunately, not everything I was looking for. If you are a back office person than this book is for you! I was looking more for an overview on e-business in general.
56 Boring book on integration of legacy systems
This is not E-Business, this is just "how to make money fast with companies who are not ready for the Internet".
57 Creating the App. Infrastructure is the core problem....
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" :-)
58 A big SAP commercial!
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.
59 An excellent book by any standards
An excellent guide for managers who wish to take their companies into the new millennium on a winning note. It's a pity most companies have not realized the importance e-business into the 21st century. Dr. Kalakota has done a magnificent job outlining the nuances of e-business and how companies can use the technologies available today to stay ahead in the game.
60 The E-Compendium for all types of business
The book is providing hands-on information on almost every aspect of e-anything. I actually can't see any area, which was left out. I would have appreciated a larger part on e-banking, but the amount of information is more than satisfying to me. The only reason this book has 4 out of 5 is the quality of the cover, which is not the fault of the author, but of the publisher. But this shouldn't stop anyone from buying the book.
61 Good Book for Large Companies
This book is not for entrepreneurs who are racing to build new companies. The authors are mostly talking about how to take "big dumb companies" and turn them into "big dot com" companies. The issues that large companies have to deal with are often very different from the small startups who have no baggage to carry. The authors do a good job of identifying the challenges in the creation of an Integrated Back-Office, a critical requirement for e-commerce.
62 A plug for ERP
The book really only make one real point. Companies need to integrate their computer systems seamlessly and completely into their business to be able to succeed in the new economy. Thats all it says. The rest is a summary of ERP, CRM and other conventional solutions (such as system integration with your business partners) with constant plugs for SAP. It is a useful guide for large, lumbering giants who have a million different and incompatible computer systems.
63 Roadmap hmm...
If you like diagrams and number this is the book for you. If you like stories and examples this book pales to Roy H. Williams new book Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads
64 Good Book
This book is very comprehensive and covers a lot of ground. It is easy to read and is among the first books that gets into the back-office applications side of e-business. Definite MUST READ for consultants.
65 ONLY ONE Chart useful, while worth 3 stars ALONE
The chart illustrate enterprise e-business functional building-block is extremly useful. While other part is just so so.
66 This is what you need to know to succeed in e-business today
This book defines how large global corporations are struggling to define e-business, how it will effect their company and why they will need to change to compete. I recommend E-Business Roadmap for Success for the following reasons:
> It gives you the strategy, reasoning and goals to get you through the global corporate maze.
> This book utilizes case studies of global organizations that are well on their way to resolving their e-business issues.
> It will help you grasp the e-business big picture and set priorities to move ahead in "internet time".
> It details how you will manage the challenges of moving your organization to an e-business firm.
I recommend that any one (managers/directors/CEO's) interested in how e-business is effecting large corporations read this book.
67 Structural Migration is important for large firms
This book is useful if you are in a large company worrying about how to migrate your applications infrastructure to tackle e-commerce.
The authors make a clear distinction between Value Migration (how the business model is changing) and Structural Migration (how the IT/App infrastructure is changing). Most folks are talking about the former when they are talking about e-business, but most large companies are doing the latter. Large companies like Boeing, Allied Signal, GE, Ford, Delta Airlines are not going to throw away existing investments in applications like SAP and start new. It may be seem logical given the pressure to become "e" but it would result in chaos if followed.
A more logical challenge is how to migrate existing architecture (multi-million dollars of sunk cost) into an e-world.
68 This book is more like a "Roadmap for E-failure"
Yes, I read this book and want to tell you to save your time and save some agony on the road to e-success. This book is more like a "Roadmap for E-Failure" and here's 5 reasons why:
1. If you are at the CEO/C level or VP level of a Fortune 2000 company and apply what you read in this book, you are bound to FAIL because of several reasons which are best summarized by reading Gary Hamel's 9/99 Harvard Business Review Article "Bringing Silicon Valley Inside."
2. If you are a budding entrepreneur wanting to do an e-startup or some mid level t-manager (traditional business manager) wanting your company to implement some new e-business plans my advice is JUST DO IT and go straight to the top and tell your Chairman or CEO why it's so great and why you need $250K to $5million of seed money to make it happen. As an alternative, contact an e-coach/e-mentor to show you how to innovate and be an entrepreneur in 30 days or less (Yes, that's fast INTERNET TIME.) If your company does not want to do it I would suggest you have an e-mentor take your plan to a company you consider as a top competior in your industry.
3. These authors are primarily academics / consultants and this book is not based on "Real Life" examples ... but rather it is based more from secondary research. The old example applies here: "Those that can - DO, those that can't - TEACH or CONSULT" If you need a e-coach or e-mentor, then select the right one.
4. This book has at the end of each chapter a cute like section called: "Memo to CEO" Are they joking, most CEO people I know are more concerned about "preserving" their old business model and hefty bonuses vs. "destroying" their models and putting in a new e-business model. Yes, their are exceptions like at the GAP ... but these authors did not point them out.
5. If I were writing a more serious review of this book I would suggest they retitle page xvii to: "Who Shouldn't Read This Book" ... my answer would be those people who have faith in their e-abilities and don't need some poor advice like this.
GEJ
69 Excellent synthesis
In world of fads, acronyms and new buzz-words, IT managers don't have the time to dig through the hype to figure out what is real and what isn't. As a result, they are often confused (sometimes intentionally by vendors/consultants). Confusion is a serious problem when you are making multi-million dollar investment decisions that can either make or break your enterprise.
e-Business is not about throwing up a good looking website. e-Business is about architecting a mission-critical back-office to support the end-to-end transactions and providing an integrated customer experience. Creating a 24x7 integrated back-office isn't easy. Most e-business projects fail here.
This book helped me get a clearer picture of the issues that I am dealing with every day as a CIO. The book systematically builds the e-business investment landscape and then delves into each major application framework. This book is certainly something every e-biz implementation person should read.
70 Strategic and practical
This is a REAL ebusiness book for people who are actually involved in trying to make the new economy organisation happen. The case for change is made powerfully and the frameworks provided are useful. An outstanding contribution.
71 Finally, a well written, step by step roadmap to e-business
I first heard of Ravi Kalalota from his students at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University in Atlanta. I have been anxiously awaiting this book and actually got a copy as it was being unboxed. I wasn't disappointed and am shaping my business from the information I get chapter to chapter - thank you Mr. Kalakota.
72 A MUST READ
This book is a MUST READ before move to on-line. The opinion inside is market oriented, business oriented. The author cares about how to help you satisfy your customer and expand market instead of implementing the so-called e-biz solution. Strong recommended!
73 e-Business is different from e-commerce
This is the first book that clearly states how e-business is different from e-commerce. Most "e" writers don't seem to understand the difference. e-Business is the transition from a traditional IT infrastructure into a complex set of integrated "inter-locking" application frameworks such as ERP, SCM, CRM, ORM, EAI, e-Sales etc. Most companies are making their investments in these frameworks. e-Commerce may be the cause, but investments in integrated apps is clearly where the action is, at least for the next two years.
I must praise the authors for seeing this trend years ago, for it takes at least two years from concept to publication. Only today is the mainstream market getting this key idea: e-commerce is just the tip of iceberg (10%), e-business is the hidden portion of the iceberg (90%). Dr. Kalakota does seem to have a knack for spotting key trends quickly. His 1995 Frontiers book was way ahead of its time.
74 Great book for baselining the language of eBusiness
In an age where concepts are flashing by so fast, its easy to forget that the basics need to be documented. If you manage any internet related business unit....it helps if your team has the right vocabulary when dreaming up the next killer app. A must read for the silicon valley or ".com" hopeful.
Also, this is a great 5-hour-plane-ride alternative to e-mail.
75 A real cracker on eBusiness which helps map the future
eBusiness is full of hype, but most managers are trying to figure out what impact will the Internet economy have on my business? and what do I do about it? Ravi and Marcia have come up with a cracker which explains what the components of eBusiness are and how to map a route. In particular I think chapter 11 on Developing the eBusiness design is most helpful in clearing this fog. A great Investment!
76 Absolutely excellent
If this book does not give you e-business anxiety about the magnitude of transformation task, you may not be understanding it's full potential.
77 An outstanding contribution
A great book with real life examples. The first book on Ecommerce which provides a integrated perspective and how CRM, Supply chain, ERP etc are slowly merging towards Ecommerce and how they fit together. I have read more than 15 Ecommerce books and nothing comes closer to this. A MUST MUST READ.
78 Good book
For a manager of a large company who is just getting into e-business, this book has been very useful in organizing the landspace.
For 32 dollars I got the knowledge/insight into what is going on that I would have to spend at least 100,000 consulting dollars to get.
79 My 5th grader could have done this
Did we really need another book that says the same old thing? The authors get points for bringing a lot of issues & concerns with eBusiness together. They lose more points in originality, continuity, and foresight which all seem to be non-existent. The book is a decent primer for eBusiness if you lack general knowledge, but fails to provide any indepth knowledge or principles for true value.
80 Good book
This book is good for managers who are making the transition from e-business strategy to an e-business blueprint. The blueprint discussed in this book is quite interesting and thought provoking. Even good for creating an investment portfolio. Chapter 9 on e-procurement was quite educational about why Ariba and CommerceOne quickly became multibillion dollar firms.
81 Absolutely Right On!
I am a CIO of a large company and this is the first book on the "e" subject that has any depth. The authors present a systematic roadmap to building out the "e" infrastructure. They seem to understand the business aligment problem -- that established companies have IT and business assets that they cannot discard as advocated by some "so-called" gurus.
If you are part of a large company developing an e-business strategy, this book is for you. It forces you to think about large scale application investments systematically.
82 Great book
This book picks up on where the Innovator's Dilemma ended. Great companies will go under in the next five years because not enough management attention has been paid to the most important thing in modern day corporations: efficient and integrated application infrastructure. One only needs to look at companies like Cisco, Charles Schwab, Amazon.com to see how a sophisticated app. infrastructure can leave competition in the dust.
The "e" in e-business is not about vision. The "e" stands for execution. Execution today means designing and implementing an app infrastructure than can accelerate the business goals. Contrary to all the e-hype, this is not easy. Especially in a large corporation with conflicting agendas. This book clearly shows how the existing app infrastructure like SAP can be a noose around the company's neck if not properly built upon in the race to become an e-corporation.
A must read for every senior and line of business manager tasked with E-commerce responsibilities. Should be made mandatory reading for all executives, many of whom in my humble opinion, are driving blind in the e-space.
83 Excellent Book on EC Strategy
An excellent read worth it. The emphasis on strategy makes this book standout among the "me-too"s that seem to flood the market. This book takes a remarkably cautionary approach that suggests that strategies of "examples" are still examples, not strategies by themselves. This is unlike many consultants who would suggest that your company "copy" another competitor's approach. This book helps you think in terms of developing your own roadmap. Having built your own roadmap translates to the inability of competitors to "copy" your approach.
Heck, sometimes I wish that this book existed before startups like eBay became worth $22 billion and even "unheard of" newbies like eFax command market worths ranging in "just" a few hundred million.
This book is a laudable effort and DEFINITELY worth the forty bucks. A *MUST* read.
84 Excellent Primer on E-Business Application Frameworks
This book provides a great blueprint to e-business. The hard part of e-business is not the 100,000 ft level strategy that most 'pundits' provide. The hard part is the translation of that 100,000 ft strategy into actionable decisions that can be implemented.
This book provides that critical translation. Also, the book provides insight into a widely-faced problem: how to move a Fortune 1000 company that has to make the transition from a SAP type infrastructure to an e-business infrastructure. Definitely worth the money
85 e-Business as a structural migration/business model problem
If you're looking for a book that spells out a roadmap for e-Business success with a satisfying theoretical framework and real world examples then you've found it.
