e-Economy: Rhetoric or Business Reality?

As dot.com became dot.bomb, the hype that surrounded the meteoric growth of the network economy has given way to realism, or even scepticism, about the potential of ICT as a source of new business models. It is now appropriate to reflect critically on the e-economy hype, and to use this as a way of looking forward to new, more realistic possibilities. Using a business and socio-economic framework, this book investigates a range of challenges for restructuring the e-economy. This framework includes operations management, human resource management, e-learning, e-retailing, e-marketing, e-government, enterprise culture and digital divide. Divided into four themes (the changing business environment, knowledge management, learning in the public domain and e-business practices within and between organizations), each chapter considers the international context and critically explores a key aspect of the e-economy. Rigorous yet still retaining the accessible format which distinguishes all the volumes in this series, this book provides a thorough critique of the prospects facing businesses in the new economy and will be of interest to anyone studying e-business/commerce.