Maf 635 E Commerce
PART
1
CHAPTER 1
The Revolution Is Just Beginning
CHAPTER 2
E-commerce Business Models and Concepts
Introduction to E-commerce
C H A P T E R
1
The Revolution Is Just Beginning
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Define e-commerce and describe how it differs from e-business. Identify and describe the unique features of e-commerce technology and discuss their business significance. Describe the major types of e-commerce. Discuss the origins and growth of e-commerce. Understand the vision and forces operating during the first five years of e-commerce, and assess its successes, surprises, and failures. Identify several factors that will define the next five years of e-commerce. Describe the major themes underlying the study of e-commerce. Identify the major academic disciplines contributing to e-commerce research.
A m a z o n
a t
1 0 :
Profitable At Last
A
mazon.com is one of the Web’s most exciting and instructive stories. Started in a garage by Jeff Bezos in 1995, it has since grown to become the largest Internet retailer, with the highest levels of customer satisfaction, the fastest revenue growth rates, and finally, after nine years, profitable. One of the Internet “Big Four” companies, along with Yahoo, eBay and Google, few would have thought it possible when Amazon first opened for business that an online bookstore would become one of the premiere general retailers in the world. But Amazon’s ability to maintain operations at a sufficiently profitable level is a fact that continues to worry investors in 2005. Critics are of two minds: either Amazon will become the online Wal-Mart (and suffer from its huge size just as WalMart does) or it will fail to deliver superior growth and profits because it has spread itself too thin, taken on too many product lines, and given away too much revenue to customers by offering free shipping and superior service. Supporters, and
1
CHAPTER 1
The Revolution Is Just Beginning
CHAPTER 2
E-commerce Business Models and Concepts
Introduction to E-commerce
C H A P T E R
1
The Revolution Is Just Beginning
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Define e-commerce and describe how it differs from e-business. Identify and describe the unique features of e-commerce technology and discuss their business significance. Describe the major types of e-commerce. Discuss the origins and growth of e-commerce. Understand the vision and forces operating during the first five years of e-commerce, and assess its successes, surprises, and failures. Identify several factors that will define the next five years of e-commerce. Describe the major themes underlying the study of e-commerce. Identify the major academic disciplines contributing to e-commerce research.
A m a z o n
a t
1 0 :
Profitable At Last
A
mazon.com is one of the Web’s most exciting and instructive stories. Started in a garage by Jeff Bezos in 1995, it has since grown to become the largest Internet retailer, with the highest levels of customer satisfaction, the fastest revenue growth rates, and finally, after nine years, profitable. One of the Internet “Big Four” companies, along with Yahoo, eBay and Google, few would have thought it possible when Amazon first opened for business that an online bookstore would become one of the premiere general retailers in the world. But Amazon’s ability to maintain operations at a sufficiently profitable level is a fact that continues to worry investors in 2005. Critics are of two minds: either Amazon will become the online Wal-Mart (and suffer from its huge size just as WalMart does) or it will fail to deliver superior growth and profits because it has spread itself too thin, taken on too many product lines, and given away too much revenue to customers by offering free shipping and superior service. Supporters, and