E-Profit: High Payoff Strategies for Capturing the E-Commerce Edge

David Cohan's book is too useful to read in linear progression. Each chapter is a self-contained unit composed of an e-commerce problem, a case study analyzing how one company attempted to solve the problem, and a series of principles for effective problem solving. The book presents all aspects of e-commerce in useful detail, from motivating the reluctant CEO to managing the implementation of an e-commerce project. This book is for senior executives and change leaders, but it is useful to anyone who wants to learn more about the process of designing, developing, and implementing an e-commerce project. Project managers and consultants also will find the book useful because it presents the e-commerce buyer's perspective in straightforward detail. We[...] recommend this book to senior executives, change agents, business managers and students.

All I can say is: "It's the best I've read when one is setting up E-Business Model".

e-ProfitCohan wastes no time introducing and then explaining a number of "high payoff strategies for capturing the e-commerce edge." He wrote this book to suggest how to remove the "blocks" that inhibit the progress of e-commerce. The material is organized as follows:Part I: Winning the Economic Case for E-Commerce (eg How to Avoid Low-Payoff E-Commerce Applications)Part II: Managing the Transition to E-Commerce (eg Principles of Managing E-Commerce-Induced Change)Part III: Building the E-Commerce Infrastructure (eg Principles of Successful E-Commerce Management)Throughout the book, Cohan includes a number of "Case Lessons" derived from corporate initiatives which include those of Cisco Connection Online, the Ames Research Center, Charles Schwab, W.W. Grainger, Chase Manhattan, Microsoft E-Procurement, Merrill Lynch, HP Inkjet Printers, Weyerhaeuser, Eastman Chemical, eBay, Horizon Healthcare, Allied Signal, and American International Group (AIG). I rate this book so highly for three main reasons: It is especially well-organized; most of the content (to the best of my knowledge) has not as yet been provided elsewhere in a single source; and finally, Cohan's brilliant analysis of the material enables virtually any organization (regardless of its size or nature) to avoid or overcome the aforementioned "blocks" that inhibit the progress of e-commerce.All of his advice seems to be anchored in a wealth of real-world experience. Better yet, each of the many clusters of specific recommendations is provided within a directly relevant frame-of-reference. For example, in the final chapter, "Managing the Implementation", Cohan prepares his reader for an immensely difficult process before offering these suggestions: Identify the capabilities needed to make the e-commerce project successful; analyze the company's capability gap [or gaps]; if necessary, hire an outside consultant with a compelling track record and experienced people; anticipate the effort of integrating back- and front-end systems; fix the time and cost of the e-commerce development process; and finally, be prepared to modify the e-commerce system after it goes into operation. Of course, how easy it is for Cohan (or anyone else, for that matter) merely to stockpile all manner of suggestions. As noted, Cohan anchors all of his suggestions within a context. Moreover, the clusters are arranged in a logical sequence.If your organization is about to become significantly involved in e-commerce or if its involvement in e-commerce (thus far) has been unsatisfactory, and you need the best single source of information and advice to guide your initiatives, look no further.