e-Economy Rhetoric or Business Reality [Hardcover]

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.

1. Death of the 'New'? Re-Materialising the Economy 2. Entrepreneurial Chaos, Entrepreneurial Order and the Dotcom Bubble 3. Social Shaping of Government: What Can be Learned from the Adoption of Mobile-Mediated Communications? 4. e-Leadership: Challenges of New Governance Models 5. e-Management and Workforce Diversity 6. ICT and Institutional Change at the British Library 7. Coerced Evolution: A Study of the Integration of e-Mediated Learning into a Traditional University 8. e-Government: From Utopian Rhetoric to Practical Realism 9. e-Retail: Paradoxes for Suppliers and Consumers and 10. e-Business Processes: Information and Operations for Competitive Advantage 11. Building Trust in Stakeholder Relationships: Are Call Centres Sweat Shops or MassalÓs