Place to Space: Migrating to Ebusiness Models

Place to Space, by Peter Weill and Michael Vitale, is an accessible entry point for old-economy senior managers who know e-business is in their future but are not quite sure how to best tackle this brave new world. Weill, director of the Center for Information Systems Research at the MIT Sloan School, and Vitale, dean and director of the Australian Graduate School of Management, identify and examine eight "atomic e-business models" (looking into everything from strategic objectives and IT requirements to how money is made) and propose ways these can be adapted to create individualized e-business initiatives in all types of existing firms. "This book," write Weill and Vitale, "focuses on the key challenges facing leaders of successful, established businesses migrating from their traditional marketplace business models to a combination of place and space"--a tag they've adopted for operations both offline and on. Their purpose is to "provide a structured approach to understanding and implementing e-business models" that mix new Net-based strategies including electronic auctions and virtual communities with traditional approaches like direct-to-customer connections and full-service relationships. Incorporating informative case studies, they present a solid primer on ways business can be conducted electronically and clear direction to help in choosing among the proper solutions to various situations. --Howard Rothman