This is the fourth edition of a unique textbook that provides extensive coverage of the evolution, the current state, and the practice of e-business strategies. It provides a solid introduction to understanding e-business and e-commerce by combining fundamental concepts and application models with practice-based case studies. An ideal classroom companion for business schools, the authors use their extensive knowledge to show how corporate strategy can imbibe and thrive by adopting vibrant e-business frameworks with proper tools. Students will gain a thorough knowledge of developing electronic and mobile commerce strategies and the methods to deal with these issues and challenges.

Recent economic, political, and technological forces are changing the landscape of electronic business and electronic commerce. Although great strides have been made over the past in understanding, researching and advancing e-business, rarely have we witnessed its use so profound and yet its limitations so pronounced, than what has been on global public display for the past 18 months. As a result, new e-commerce strategies and techniques are emerging, collaborative value creation is essential and e-business models are being refined and developed, with special attention towards IS in financial markets, health care and related institutions. It is for these reasons (and many more) that we are so particularly excited and grateful for the collection of papers included in this Value Creation in e-Business Management LNBIP volume number 36. The papers selected in this volume address these emerging e-business issues and are organized into four research lines: Business Models for the Digital Economy, Electronic and Mobile Commerce Behavioral and Global Issues, IS in Financial M- kets and Institutions, Web 2. 0 and E-Commerce and Collaborative Value Creation. The first group, Business Models for the Digital Economy, provides a closer exami- tion of business models from a rich mixture of segments in the IT industry. They - clude Hoyer and Stanoevska-Slabeva’s business model types for enterprise mashup intermediaries, Riehle’s ‘commercial’ open source business model, Chen’s interesting comparison between i-Phone versus Kindles in electronic book sales, and Lyons and coauthors business models in emerging online services.

Collaboration plays an important role in the early development of com- nies. Among others, they provide opportunities to combine complementary resources, develop additional competencies, and generate valuable signals for investors. They are particularly important for biotechnology firms, whose resource base often is not sufficient to realize the market potential of their R&D findings. Strategic alliances thus are an integral part of the business model of most biotechnology companies, but their economic re- vance is not yet fully understood, since research has thus far neglected most industry-specific drivers of alliance value. Based on an event study, Hady Farag analyzes the capital-market re- tion to alliance-related news announcements and assesses their complex - fects on company value. In this regard, the present work represents the first comprehensive study of European biotechnology alliances. In addition to this unique database, the research approach and techniques in sample - lection, econometric and cross-sectional analyses are state-of-the-art. The author develops and empirically tests an integrative dynamic model of collaborative value drivers. These reflect the specific characteristics of biotechnology firms and biotechnology alliances. Moreover, the work - tends to so far entirely unresearched dynamic aspects of alliances, such as the value of contractual flexibilities, the impact of environmental unc- tainty, and the evolution of alliances over time. Overall, Hady Farag’s work underscores the need to consider pluralistic influences on the value of collaborative ventures.

This research handbook provides a comprehensive, integrative, and authoritative resource on the main strategic management issues for companies within the e-business context. It covers an extensive set of topics, dealing with the major issues which articulate the e-business framework from a business perspective. The handbook is divided into the following e-business related parts: background; evolved strategic framework for the management of companies; key business processes, areas and activities; and, finally, emerging issues, trends and opportunities, with special attention to diverse Social Web-related implications. The articles are varied, timely and present high-quality research; many of these unique contributions will be especially valued and influential for business scholars and professionals interested in e-business. Many of the contributors are outstanding business scholars who are or have been editors-in-chief of top-ranked management and business journals or have made significant contributions to the development of their respective fields.

"This book reviews recent advances in the e-collaboration discipline with a focus on virtual teams, firm performance, social capital formation, and Web-based communities"--Provided by publisher.

Interorganizational cooperation between partners, markets, and business leaders is an important facet of business and maintaining organizational competitiveness. Understanding how to effectively collaborate with partners in other organizations is an important skill for the success of all parties. Information Acquisitions and Sharing through Inter-Organizational Collaboration: Impacts of Business Performance in China discusses the effectiveness and impact of trust, e-business diffusion, and organizational processes on business performance in cooperative scenarios. Incorporating data from over 500 organizations in China’s manufacturing sector, this book is an essential reference for business leaders, CEOs, senior managers, and all other members of organizations seeking to better collaborate with their partners.

Written by supply chain researchers, consultants, and practitioners, this book explains the newly emerging techniques and practices for highly efficient supply chain management, made possible by the rapid progress in information and communication technologies.