Net Profit : How to Invest and Compete in the Real World of Internet Business

by Peter S. Cohan (Marlborough, Massachusetts)

• ISBN13: 9780787953195
• ISBN10: 0787953199
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

The astounding growth of Internet commerce presents investors and businesses alike with unbridled opportunity. But the hype surrounding many publicly traded Internet companies often makes the objective evaluation of their performance difficult. In Net Profit, author Peter Cohan breaks down the complexity of the Internet market by answering two basic questions: Who makes money on Internet related business? And how do they do it? His incisive analyses of leading Internet companies, their competitors, and their chances for continued growth pinpoint the factors that investors in and managers of Internet business must examine to ensure future success.

Author Biography

Peter S. Cohan is a leading expert on technology and business and runs his own consulting practice. He is a commentator on CNBC's "Today's Business" and "The Money Wheel" He lives in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
The Author	p. xix
Net Profit	p. 1
Would You Like to Buy the Brooklyn Bridge?
Is the Internet a Web of Illusions?
Frameworks for Assessing Internet Businesses
Nine Internet Business Segments
Principles of Net Profit
Overview of the Book
Net Infrastructure: The Levi's of the 1990s	p. 20
Gold in the Hills
Overview of the Network Infrastructure Market
Profit Drivers in the Central Control Device Product Category
Profit Drivers in the Edge Connector Product Category
Cases: Cisco Systems and Nexabit
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Network Infrastructure Segment
Web Consulting: It's All About Commitment	p. 42
Overview of the Web Consulting Market
Profit Drivers
Case: Sapient
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Web Consulting Segment
Internet Venture Capital: Money Dictates	p. 63
Overview of a Cyclical Industry
Profit Drivers
Countervailing Forces
Cases: Kleiner Perkins and Sculley Brothers
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Internet Venture Capital Segment
Internet Security: Barbarians at the Gates	p. 85
Overview of the Internet Security Market
Sources of Future Profitability
Factors Holding Profits Back
Spotting Future Profits
Cases: CheckPoint Software Technologies and Network Associates
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Internet Security Segment
Web Portals: Walking Through Virtual Doors	p. 106
What Drives the Current High Valuation of Web Portal Companies?
Search Engines, Portals, and Making Money
Sources of Future Profitability
Forces Against Profitability
Four Ideas for Future Profits
Cases: Yahoo and Excite
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Web Portal Segment
Electronic Commerce: Profitless Prosperity?	p. 132
Overview of the E-Commerce Market
Two Channels: Business-to-Consumer and Business-to-Business
Five Structural Principles
Cases: E-Trade Group and Cisco Connection Online
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the E-Commerce Segment
Web Content: Let's Talk About Us	p. 156
Overview of the Web Content Industry
Profitability of Web Content Subsegments
Internet-Only Media Firms
General Technology Media Firms
General Technology Consultants
Cases: CNET and Mecklermedia; CMP Media and International Data Group; and Gartner Group
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Web Content Segment
Internet Service Providers: Oceans of Red Ink	p. 179
Reasons for Current Unprofitability
Reasons for Future Unprofitability
Cases: America Online, MindSpring, and EarthLink
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the ISP Segment
Web Commerce Tools: Virtual Plumbing	p. 202
Capitalization and the Microsoft Falcon
Browsers
Search Engines
Web Advertising Management
E-Commerce Enabling Software
Cases: Open Market and Macromedia
Implications
The Net Profit Retriever's Assessment of the Web Commerce Tools Segment
What Have We Learned? Lessons for Present and Future Profits	p. 229
Which Segments and Models Are Most Profitable? Why?
Which Segments Are Least Profitable? Why?
Criteria for Screening Internet Business Opportunities
Unmet Societal Needs: The Internet's Potential for Matching
Success in Matching
Managers: Can the Web Improve Your Business?	p. 247
Web Myths and Realities
Lessons from Experience with the Web
Should Your Company Use the Web?
A Ten-Step Managerial Change Agenda
Case: U.S. Cavalry
Overcoming the Challenges of Implementing the Web
Implications
From Lossware to Powerware: Advice for Internet Management and Investment	p. 270
Lossware, Brandware, and Powerware: Rising Up the Net Profit Pyramid
Formulating Web Business Strategy: A Manager's Guide
Six Current Rules for Web Investing
Tips for Private Equity Investment
Screening a Public Equity Investment
References	p. 295
Subject Index	p. 301
Company Name Index	p. 309
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.