Digital Capital: Harnessing the Power of Business Webs

Rating:
Summary: A must for Directors
Review: Digital Capital: Harnessing the Power of Business Webs, by Don Tapscott, David Ticcoll and Alex Lowy, Nicholas Brealey (2000), 272 pp., £19.99 UK. ISBN 1-85788-209-1

At last. An e-business book that really gets to the heart of the matter. Not too journalistically general, or too academically obscure. A book that is relevant and readable. A book that all Directors of major corporations (and smaller ones with major aspirations) need to read urgently. If these Directors conclude that, either they don't understand the contents and /or they believe the ideas don't apply to them, they should be retired early or sacked. A key question for shareholders to consider asking the Chairman at their next AGM: "Have you read Digital Capital? And Why not?"

Dr Bruce Lloyd, Principal Lecturer in Strategy, South Bank University

Rating:
Summary: The future of Web commerce
Review: Disregard any negative comments towards this book. Digital Capital is not an easy read for the newbie. However, anyone interested in understanding the future of Web commerce should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant relief from e-babble
Review: Don Tapscott deserves a tremendous amount of respect for trying to tie his ideas about the New Economy to specific examples, and for putting a stake in the ground with falsifiable assertions about what does and what doesn't work in e-business. In his latest book, he argues that the horizontal linkages made possible by the Internet (which allows for much tighter integration of different firms at much lower costs) will allow category killers to arise in both New and Old Economy niches. This is a serious idea, and one that deserves the detailed attention he gives it.

I am not entirely sure he's right. Companies like Webvan, which he cites in a case study, will succeed or fail based on how well they handle the old-fashioned problem of distribution. Only companies with NO physical product unambiguously meet his definition of taking full advantage of the "b-web."

Still, Tapscott has an interesting idea, and he has argued it well. Whether or not you agree, reading this book will force you to reconsider your own position, and that in itself is valuable.

Rating:
Summary: Explains the emerging business web phenomenon
Review: Ebay, Schwab and others have created revolutionary offerings which have stolen customers from more traditional venues, working with transaction partners which enabled them to move quickly in the changing Internet environment. Digital Capital describes and explains the emerging business web phenomenon and its influences, using key players and detailed information to expose the untold stories behind big successes and offering a strategy for competitive action. Essential for any who would conduct or build a web business.

Rating:
Summary: At Last
Review: Finally, a book with real substance about the emerging world of business. Based on solid research and thoughtful analysis this book carefully unravels the complex dynamics of business webs. Even though the authors focus on the new essentials for e-business, their insights can help government agencies and non-profits redefine success as well. Important for anyone trying to understand the new world of the internet and how e-business will impact all of us

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guideline for understanding internet businesses
Review: For those who would like to understand internet businesses and their capabilities, this book is probably one of the best. This book points out critical success factors for five different types of internet business models. The classification is interesting for anyone who are interested in internet businesses. It also sharpens the understanding of core capabilities of internet businesses.

Rating:
Summary: great examples
Review: good discussion of business strategies on using information technology to leverage the power of a network and to create value within a network.

Rating:
Summary: e-business rendered transparent
Review: Great book. I particularly liked the chapters on human resources and marketing: too many e-business books get all worked up about technology and ignore these very real and very human elements of doing business. Over the past thirty years I've worked in many fields and many countries, and I've always found that success or failure depends in large part on the strength of your communications infrastructure. This book's quite elegant model of the "business web," in which producers, suppliers, and customers build transparent and flexible relationships with one another, convinces me that there's more to e-business than the usual hype and hysterics. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Clarity ... at last.
Review: I have read many books on the new economy and this is the best. This book dares to gives a practical step-by-step description of how to "weave a business web."

The authors describe a set of Digital Business Models where you can classify virtually any commercial activity. The book begins to clear up some of the mass confusion surrounding the new economy. It will make you think about where you fit in (or not). It would be interesting to read this book several years from now to see how well time validates the ideas.

Rating:
Summary: This is the book for all startups
Review: I rated this book 5 stars for these reasons: 1)Excellent book for startups - it will not tell you how to do it but will certainly tell you where you are in the big complex b-web called the new economy - great for start ups who are always struggling with their business models 2)Was thinking of doing an MBA to understand business models but decided not to do it till I chew and digest this book completely - the 'old business models' may have to be thrown away 3)Helped me tremendously in changing my current mindset - that mind that was shaped under the old 'brick and mortar', linear model way of thinking.