This is an excellent history of the Internet Economy and as such highly recommended. Without no doubt one of the best history books available.

The book is somewhat difficult to evaluate because the topics covered are so broad. The book describes how things did happen. But it does not try to predict or construct the future. It must be compared to Moschella's Customer Driven IT which identifies the challenges of the innovation system and draws a different scenario.

The deregulation and disintegration of the hierarchical telecommunications industry to free market based structure is described in this book as in some others. When the e-commerce did not catch up to the degree originally expected, Internet is paradoxically heralded as a remarkable social success, with rapid global penetration, but largely a business failure (Kogut, page 438). But this claim - like a typical market research - focuses on revenue generation and reintermediation, and does not recognize the intermediate form between hierarchy and market, the networked process and related disintermediation. In The Global Internet Economy, this comes as some kind of an afterthought:

"A primary effect of the Internet has been to render the back-office operations, such as customer service, more efficiently. These activities were not captured in the definitions of B2B and B2C but may in fact constitute the bulk of the explanation for the increase in productivity observed in the 1990s" (Kogut, page 443).

From consumer perspective, Internet may substitute or streamline many key everyday processes, such as going to library, or to look at prices in the shops, or buying tickets or paying bills. It is this convenience value is undervalued in Internet productivity statistics (Kogut, page 459).

This is the third phase in the formation process of an industry. In the first, pre-commercial and early commercial phases government and universities played vital roles. In the second phase, venture capital (with the ease of exit provided by new technology-oriented stock exchanges) was the midwife for creation of the industry, and in the third phase large firms were able to integrate the techniques into their technological toolkit (Kenney, pages 69-70).

"The U.S. institution of venture capital played a central role in the rapid formation of new dedicated Internet firms that were established to define and occupy the new economic space" (Kenney, page 70). Almost 90 % of venture capital in the latter half of the 1990s vent to Internet-related companies (Kogut, page 446).

As a summary, this book is about history. Now when we are in that "third phase" we need scenarios and roadmaps for the future, but the book does not try to synthesize these.

I came upon this book a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. As an armchair reader of Patristic texts I often use some of Minge's works. I was delighted by the story behind the publishing of these and so many other books in such a short amount of time. Using rather questionable business practices, Minge put out both the Patrologia Latina and the Patrologia Graeca (almost 400 vols). Moreover, he published ten newspapers and over 1000 volumes in just 30 years.

I am not sure that the end justifies the means, but Minge's odd and entertaining saga is a good tale, esp is you are interestind in patristics.

You may also find A Tactful God interesting if you have an interest in liturgical studies. It is the story of Gregory Dom Dix, the litrugical scholar who published the massive Shape of the LIturgy. Enjoy!

Many readers--not just history buffs--will find The Golden Ghetto: The American Commercial Community at Canton and the Shaping of American China Policy, 1784-1844 fascinating and enlightening. Jacques M. Downs' comprehensive study of American merchants involved in the China trade during the first sixty years of U.S.-China relations, published in 1997 after a lifetime of exhaustive research, is now the definitive work on this topic. The Golden Ghetto is divided into three sections: (1)an account of the American community at Canton [or Guangzhou] under the restrictive Canton System established by Chinese officialdom to buffer the Central Kingdom from the potential harm of foreign activity and influence; (2) a detailed study of American firms and some 200 merchants involved in the China trade over six decades; and (3) an exploration of the path to the first Sino-American treaty--the 1844 Treaty of Wanghsia [Wangxia] negotiated by lawyer, politician, and diplomat Caleb Cushing after the Opium War (1839-42). Focusing on individual actions and attitudes--which Downs has culled from a wealth of sources including letters, diaries, and company histories--his presentation takes on a personal tone, occasionally reading more like a novel than a work of history. At the heart of his account is American trade in tea and silk, and increasingly in opium in the early 19th century. Downs does not mince words in condemning opium traders regardless of their nationality and the deleterious effects of the opium enterprise, but at the same time he explains how opium trade profits came to form the financial bedrock of the foreign community at Canton. He argues persuasively that American merchants with direct personal experience in China, and to a lesser extent missionaries, had a significant influence on official U.S. China policy. Readers familiar with U.S.-China relations in the 20th and early 21st centuries, and in particular with the proliferation of American business interests in China in the past two decades and with the political implications thereof, will find that Downs' study resonates with contemporary as well as historical relevance.

A must read for those interested in the history of the American Southwest or Northwest Mexico. Together with other recent books about this area there is developing understanding of the dramatic events in the southwest (Chaco, etc.) and their link to the original Aztlan.

As with most books about cities, this one presents the town in the most favorable light. However, the photos, art work, and interesting commentary makes this one a city portrait worth buying.

Thomas Boaz's "Guns for Cotton" is a short but highly recommended resource on how the Confederacy was able to arm its forces. Indeed, rather than being a ragtag army of myth, Boaz indicates that British supplies ensured the Confederacy was well-armed and well-stocked until nearly the end of the conflict. As late as October 1864 one Richmond bureaucrat believed his army was "the best clad in the world."

The book should raise questions in the minds of those who have romantized the Confederacy. They were not ill clad or armed; indeed they were sometimes better provisioned than their Northern opponents. And the entire strategy (if there was one) of Lee seems completely disconnected with the need to protect vital ports such as Wilmington, NC, where British materiel was offloaded.

The book contains valuable photographs, illustrations, and maps. It also contains endnotes, recommended readings, and a bibliography. The index could have been more comprehensive, but it is adequate.

The book is recommended to Civil War buffs (including re-enactors), individuals interested in international policy and foreign affairs history, and military logisticians.

This is an expensive book that will be a sound investment for the right audience and a disappointment to others. The right audience consists of high-level management in business process domains, IT executive management, marketing and strategic planners.

I'll start with what this book is not, which will help you determine if it's right for you. It is NOT:

- a technical book, although technology is discussed, compared and contrasted within the context of e-commerce
- a methodology, however the information provided is a straightforward examination of business issues and how e-commerce processes and associated technology can be leveraged for competitive advantage
- highly detailed, although there is sufficient information with which to develop business strategies around e-commerce.

What this book does provide is a high-level, succinct discussion of the major issues and factors that will be of interest to its target audience as I've defined it above. Although Jessica Keyes is credited as the author she is really the editor who has pulled together articles from experts and those in the trenches and one of then more frequent contributors. Ms. Keye's selection of content and her skills as an editor are showcased in this book, which consists of 6 sections (A through F), that address specific aspects of e-business as follows:

Section A: Introduction. Although one would think that all businesses have thought this through, most are still reacting to the phenomena of the web and its possibilities, with no realistic idea about the opportunities and pitfalls that are inherent. Highlights that I like are: selling and value propositions from a business perspective, learning from mistakes, partnering and alliances, implementation strategies, personalization, and a strategic framework for e-commerce.

Section B: E-Commerce. This section covers customer retention, e-commerce testing, driving revenue and customer satisfaction, e-merchandising, and strategic models.

Section C: E-Business. How to recast your thinking from bricks and mortar to e-business. Highlights include: integrated B2B, selling hard goods and info to businesses (business models and product development life cycles), ASPs, transforming your business into e-business-best practices, budgeting & reporting.

Section D: Financials. This is the most business-focused section, and one that is in line with Ms. Keye's extensive background in business and financial analysis. It includes: valuing an internet business, financial model for CFOs, e-procurement, taxation, e-service, infrastructure investment decisions, finance dept role in e-biz development, developing e-business plan, raising money for internet venture, web revenue models, measures for e-business, outsourcing and initial costs to build e-business, procurement savings,

Section E: Social Aspects, including legal issues, advertising, trust management, and e-culture and change.

Section F: Technology. This collection of articles is a high-level overview that is aimed at upper management and decision makers to reveal the technical issues. Included are: content as cornerstone, testing, underlying technology, security and the impact of e-business on IT organizations.

Each chapter is an easy read and is packed with only the essentials. In fact, I marveled at the way the information is condensed and presented because most chapters were less than 10 pages, yet captured everything a decision maker needs to know. In many respects this book is similar to a highly focused collection of Gartner or Meta Group reports, and therein lies the value - busy executives can quickly get the information they need to make strategic and tactical decisions without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.

Great short "Reads". You'd be surprised at the upstart of many Billion dollar companies.

Keep Playin.

One Love.

MB.

I could tell that the authors knew their stuff. Very informative

I had already purchased the Starting an eBay Business for Dummies book so I was very skeptical about purchasing this book. I decided to just read parts of it in the store. I ended up buying it because I liked the style of his writing, and chapter 4 on tips for serious sellers really hit home. He talks about not getting too wrapped up in each individual sale, that for a serious seller it is important to do a volume of business. He also puts importance on the professional design of your ads, a logo, business cards, etc. to let people know you are a serious professional. I haven't read the book cover to cover but a lot of his information is to the point, with great stories on established eBay sellers and their different approaches. This book is also more up to date than the Dummies book, and talks about PayPal and its pros and cons in detail. Overall, this is a very useful book with great information, and I might not have purchased the Dummies book if this had been out before.