The E-Business Book: A Step-By-Step Guide to E-Commerce and Beyond

by Smith, Dayle M.

• ISBN13: 9781576600481
• ISBN10: 1576600483
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Summary

Provides guidelines on entering or improving an e- business enterprise, suggesting strategies to analyze the competition, advertise and protect products and services, staff and maintain an e-business, and increase profits.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xvii
Introduction	1	(10)
Learn What It Means to Join the E-Business Revolution	11	(20)
Look before you leap by surveying the successes and failures of companies in your industry or market sector.
Examining Our Internet Assumptions	14	(5)
A Crowded Playing Field	19	(2)
Five Great Reasons for Developing a Real E-Business for Real People	21	(8)
Summing Up Step 1	29	(2)
Find Your Unique Place in the E-Business Crowd	31	(16)
Understand and build on your competitive advantage as you position your e-business on the Web.
Do You Need to Be Unique?	33	(1)
Finding What's Special	34	(1)
Your Unique Pricing: Can They Get It for Less Elsewhere?	35	(1)
An Open Market Where Knowledge Is King	36	(4)
Visiting the Mall	40	(2)
When Banners Go Bust	42	(2)
Summing Up Step 2	44	(3)
Shape Your E-Business Idea	47	(16)
Think through the architecture of your e-business from the point of view of the owner/manager as well as that of the customer.
The Small E-Business Project: A Mom-and-Pop Shop	50	(3)
The Medium-Sized E-Business Project: An ``Infomediary'' Niche	53	(3)
The Large-Scale E-Business Project: A Manufacturing Operation	56	(2)
Thinking through the Basic Purposes of Your E-Business Concept	58	(2)
Summing Up Step 3	60	(3)
Investigate Your E-Business Competition	63	(10)
Learn from your competition to augment your strategies for success.
Ten Ways to Get to Know Your Competitors	64	(5)
Watching for Special Situations and Turmoil in Your Competition	69	(2)
Summing Up Step 4	71	(2)
Formalize and Conceptually Test Your Business Idea	73	(16)
Develop a clear, succinct business plan that communicates your e-business idea to employees and investors.
Example of a Working Plan	75	(1)
Using Your Working Plan	75	(7)
From Working Plan to Business Plan	82	(4)
Summing Up Step 5	86	(3)
Protect Your E-Business Concept	89	(22)
Discover ways to protect the trademarks, copyright, and other intellectual property of your e-business.
The Flap over E-Business Patents	90	(3)
Evaluating Your Need for Patents and Copyrights	93	(2)
A Controversial Case Involving Intellectual Property	95	(1)
Obtaining a Trademark	96	(1)
Protecting Your Business and Your Customers: E-Business Security	97	(8)
Internet Scams	105	(2)
Insuring Yourself against Disaster and Fraud	107	(1)
Summing Up Step 6	108	(3)
Build a Fast, Functional Web Site	111	(18)
Make wise decisions about what portion of Web site development you undertake yourself and what portion you outsource to experts.
You're Not Late to the Game	113	(1)
The Components of a Great E-Business Web Site	114	(6)
The Big Decision: To Outsource Site Development or Do It Yourself	120	(2)
The Other Side of the Street: Hiring a Professional Web Site Designer	122	(3)
Finding the Right Host for Your Web Site	125	(1)
Summing Up Step 7	126	(3)
Market Your E-Business	129	(18)
Create a marketing plan geared to the needs and shopping habits of your target audience.
Looking beyond Banner Ads	131	(2)
Ten Marketing Techniques beyond Banner Advertising	133	(10)
Thinking outside the Box	143	(1)
Keeping Your Chin up	144	(1)
Summing Up Step 8	144	(3)
Find a Trading Community to Support Your E-Business	147	(16)
Consider joining an e-business community, including business-to-consumer malls and business-to-business trading groups to increase traffic to your Web site and benefit from mutually helpful alliances.
What the Landlord Does	150	(1)
Business-to-Business Communities	150	(3)
An Example of B2B E-Business up Close	153	(7)
Summing Up Step 9	160	(3)
Build Your E-Business Team	163	(22)
Learn how to recruit, hire, train, and retain the right employees for your e-business.
Consumer Management Pitfalls	165	(3)
Recruiting and Hiring the Right People---in the Right Way	168	(7)
Melding a Diversity of Talents into a Single Team	175	(3)
The Hiring Scene	178	(4)
How to Position Your Company for Later Sale	182	(1)
Summing Up Step 10	183	(2)
Manage Your E-Business Team	185	(22)
Practice proven ways to motivate your team and monitor customer satisfaction.
The Shrinking Power of Money as a Motivator	187	(6)
Managing the Integrity of Your E-Business Staff	193	(8)
Managing the Security and Growth of Knowledge in Your E-Business	201	(3)
Summing Up Step 11	204	(3)
Evaluate and Enhance Your Business Model and Web Site Design	207	(12)
Commit to continuous improvement in all aspects of your e-business.
Evaluating Your Web Site	208	(3)
Evaluating Your People	211	(1)
Setting Ambitious but Attainable Targets---Then Celebrating Your Success	212	(1)
Tracking Customer Satisfaction and Responding to Customer Problems	213	(3)
Keeping Your Site Fresh	216	(1)
Stepping On	216	(3)
Appendix A Entrepreneur Magazine's Best Web Sites for Your Business	219	(10)
Appendix B E-Mail Contacts to Help You Reach Global Markets	229	(3)
U.S. Embassies Abroad	232	(4)
Appendix C Emerging Guidelines for Web Site Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)	236	(3)
Index	239