Digital Capital: Harnessing the Power of Business Webs

Who should read this book? Those who need answers to the following questions:* What are the driving forces of the digital economy?* How can my organization manage those forces to its maximum advantage?* What are the new models of wealth creation? Which is most appropriate for my organization? Why?* What are the most effective strategies for establishing and then developing value chains, alliances, and distributive networks?* What are the most important human and relationship elements of digital capital? * What are the various steps to "weaving" a Business Web?* What are the best strategies for "harvesting" digital capital? Given the importance of harnessing the power of Business Webs, if you and others in your organization are struggling to answer questions such as these or if you and they don't even know which questions to ask, I strongly recommend this book. To derive greatest value from it, make it required reading for all key people and then go off-site for 3-5 days and discuss it. Stay wherever you are until you have a game plan...then come back and make it work!

This is one of the few business books that dare address the central issue for most companies today: How to establish competitively-advantaged business models for serving customers that capture the power of the Internet to work with others. Anyone who doesn't know what they want to do for an Internet-based business model or doesn't like the one they have will get great benefit from this book.Like Blown to Bits, Digital Capital looks squarely at the economic impact of the Internet on existing business models. But Digital Capital goes further in laying out the necessary steps to build on five business models that have been working that involve creating business networks that are Internet enabled (b-webs in the parlance of this book). You will instantly recognize the five business model types, because the authors provide lots of examples (at least some of which will be familiar to you) and lists of characteristics of each type. You will also know how to go from where you are to reaching one of these archetypes by the strategy directions the authors provide. The only drawback of this section is that the language gets a little b-schoolish (and full of very long words). The conceptual basis of the work is sound. The only two points that were not discussed were (1) how these models might evolve into more powerful models in the future, and (2) how they might merge with each other.Where the book is at its best is in helping you think through how to add other companies into a related web of interests to get more done -- thinking that goes well beyond the well-known outsourcing mindset. Good luck with improving your Internet-based business model! Keep in mind that technology will evolve rapidly and enable some new business models that can only be dreamed about today in just 3-5 years. So be sure to look at the irresistible forces of technology development in thinking ahead.

Over the past three or four years I've probably read a dozen books and countless articles on the 'dot.com' world. Almost without exception, these books and articles are exciting while you read them and unsatisfying afterwards: they tend to be full of heady prognostications and promises (we're all going to be instant millionaires if we just "get online") but they don't deliver any concrete advice or action. So I was very pleasantly surprised by Digital Capital. These guys get it: doing business on the Internet means rethinking your business model and throwing out your old assumptions about relationships with competitors, suppliers, and customers. Best of all, they include sections on "key success factors" and "leader's guides" for each of their business models. This book is definitely smarter AND more practical than most others in the field.

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.

Many books I've read on how the internet will change business consist of musings and mumblings about the trend of the day or compiling a years worth of news clippings and calling it a book. This book is different because the authors have clearly rolled up their sleeves and done some actual first-hand research on what is really happening at the cutting edge of business and the internet. The result of this old fashion, gum-shoe effort shows forth clearly as they rise above the haze of the internet and the trough of dotcom Wall Street and shows the reader what the next generation of e business is all about. Some companies like Cisco have already figured it out and they explain why. The rest of us have our work cut out for us, but at least this book give one a solid idea of where all of this e-business stuff is going. Bravo!