B2B

Outdated - even for Sculley and Woods - who also authored their own B2B book before this collection. The title is not correct. There is little "evolution" here - this is a great book if you just want to learn about public net market models; and not how they have evolved. To a few of us, these are now "past it" in that they are no longer "where it's at". Defining how to make public models work is reasonably simple and clear; what is missing here, and what most B2B leaders crave is knowledge concerning the real evolution - that from Public to Private and then to distributed P2P business models. That is where the game will be played out.

Good if you need stuff on public, centralizing models. Pretty poor if you want to read up on the evolution of e-markets.

While it appears that the stock market has lost faith with B2B pure-plays, this book highlights the power of new B2B business models. It's clear that there's more to come in B2B... even if Dot-coms don't capture all of the ultimate value.

I particulary enjoyed the section by Tempkin at Forrester Research. It provided a powerful look at how the Internet would ultimately impact businesses. While I'm not totaly convinced that the Internet will completely change how big, established businesses operate, his chapter was extremely thought provoking and should probably be read by any business executive thinking about what eBusiness will mean to them.

This book was a disappointment. I did enjoy the "resources" part at the end, however found "Understanding B2B" superficial and generalist. It does treat a number of subjects in the area, most of them however too much from a historical perspective, and without ever reaching satisfying substance.

The book has few examples and up-to-date information. If you're in a hurry looking to catch-up with the B2B world, if you would like to understand how it works, where it's heading in your industry, I doubt that this work will satisfy you.

I recommend E-markets by Dirk Schneider and Gerd Schnetkamp (Gabler Verlag).

Understanding B2B is a very useful book. Even after the time of the great ecommerce collapse of 2000 and the current economic conditions business will be conducted more and more over the Internet. In fact many companies are looking at the abilities of the Internet to improve their efficiency and control cost during these tough times.

Understanding B2B starts with an extremely useful primer on the roots on electronic commerce. This is useful because as Understanding B2B suggests there are huge investments in EDI (Electronic Document Interchange) standards. Large companies and financial instructions have been using EDI for years. EDI will continue to grow into the near future due to the large investment that corporations have made and the momentum that is creates. UnderStanding B2B also looks at the supply chain and logistics that have made ecommerce so important to businesses. The book aslo offers a practical look at some of the landscape surrounding ecommerce such as out sourcing, security, ecommerce and the law.

The book also looks into the future to see where ecommerce is heading. The future is heavily based on the standards that are developing around XML. The books points out that the web craze of the late 90's was really a user visiting a site and doing transactions on that site. This is person to application (P2A). XML is enabling application to application (A2A) that will allow automation of supply chains and logistics to middle market companies (rather then Global 1000 companies and their biggest suppliers). If you are in a middle market company ecommerce and XML are coming. This book will help you plan, prepare and succeed with your ecommerce initiatives.

Understanding B2B is really good for you if you know nothing about e-commerce. This book brings you to walk through the history of b2b e-commerce, the situation now and the future expectation. After reading the whole book, I have a thorough understanding of how to set-up a b2b e-commerce company and what aspects I should pay extra attention to. I especially love the technical issues included in the book to explain how e-commerce can actually be implemented. But if you know nothing about computer either, be prepared to find some information system books for reference as there are a lot of jargons (e.g. XML) in the book. Besides, I think the real-life b2b example is not adequate enough, it would be perfect if Matthew and Marlene can cite two to three examples in each chapter.

This book is full of holes and outdated. Should not be sold post-bubble.

He says e-Marketplaces are best when they are for commodity products (stocks and shares) so "hands up!" those suppliers that want to sell commodity products the same way, forever, as their competitors. Those that raised their hands, go buy this book before you run out of cash. Everyone else, that's the 99% of you, get real.

He says, "B2B exchanges have failed because they simply ran out of cash before they could...integrate with internal systems." They failed cause they did not respect normal competitive behavior. No amount of cash can help that.

He says, "the core service an exchange provides is a centralized marketplace" and yet to make his forecasts show growth, he includes all manner of B2B that has nothing to do with any centralized processes; he includes internet-based transactions flowing directly between partners; he includes private exchanges; though he so nicely excludes EDI - boo hoo.

There are several white papers out on the web that talk about this issue for real e-Marketplaces, and Gartner got it right though the selective Gartner notes included in his book are picked to justify his wrong position. This book is wrong.

This book explains exactly what went wrong last time, and how to avoid it in the future. A hugely successful exchange can be developed if based on the infomation in this book. It is excellent.

This is not so much a "how to" book, but rather a sophisticated analysis of B2B exchanges written by one of the world's experts on exchanges. The perspective, therefore, is not that of a techno-implementer (though Woods certainly has experience in this regard), but rather that of someone interested in creating successful B2B exchanges which become actual market makers and creators of increased market efficiencies.

Much has happenned in the last couple years, and much ground has been covered since Woods' first volume. Three years ago the world was one of hype, with many exciting experiences, but little proof of viability. Now everything has changed. Woods examines the many failures as well as the significant successes and draws many lessons which anyone interested in markets can benefit from.

I found several discussions particularly informative: building liquidity, significance of neutrality, and hybrid models, in particular. Woods' discussion of moving exchanges offshore is also very interesting, with a spin not often addressed in the B2B literature. Last, his seven secrets of success revisited is an essential action plan for most technology-centric businesses.

A must read for anyone serious about online exchanges and markets..

If you are new in B2B world and looking for demystification of terms used in this field, this is an ideal book. The best part about this book is simple and effective langauge that makes this book very easy to read and understand.

Another good aspect is relevant examples and pointers that are provided with each category (trading model, business model, ownership model).Using those examples I could visit the web sites and could understand what exactly a model means.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about this domain. This book is not about technologies that are used for building B2B exchanges. So do not expect details of how J2EE or XML can be used to build B2B exchange.

To say the area of B2B is white hot seems like an understatement. The authors, both involved in creating the fully-electronic Bermuda stock exchange, give a clear overview of this evolving field. This is not a technology book, as B2B is not really about IT (see Knowledge Management as a parallel example). As the authors submit, building successful B2B marketplaces depends on deep vertical knowledge, industry credibility, and growing liquidity. They are fundamentally business applications, not IT apps.

The authors start their book by discussing what B2B exchanges are, and how they differ (e.g., some are the post & browse type; some are actual dynamic auctions, etc.). What struck a chord with me is the idea of dynamic price setting v. static price setting. The former is a real-time manifestation of the free market at work, and a radical departure from the Industrial Age. In addition, both buyers and sellers can benefit in a B2B exchange.

As the authors outline, buyers have increased selection, more convenience, and the opportunity to pay less, while sellers have greater reach and the opportunity to charge more. Other defining areas the authors touch upon include: trading models (e.g., seller or buyer driven); revenue models (e.g., complementary and value-added services along with transaction and/or membership fees); and partnership models (e.g., getting buy-in from the gorillas).

Lastly, the authors end their book with seven secrets of success for B2B exchanges. The secrets revolve around targeting a vertical, maintaining neutrality, value-added services, and transaction integrity and complete price disclosure. All told, this book is written in a no-nonsense, straightforward manner. It provides a good framework in which to evaluate this rapidly growing area. The authors do linger of stock exchange examples (not surprising in light of their experiences), but not in a way that is diminishing to their cogent message or thesis.

B2B Exchanges is one of the BEST books ever written on the topic of B2B, this book is not a hype B2B book, the book offers real value and insight into the role, the future and the features of B2B exchanges on the Internet. The book covers a vital emerging industry, for those of you who are interested in business, business methods, exchanges, B2B models or simply the future of the business Internet I strongly recommend this book. It is an easy read, but fully packed with useful information, we have actually adapted some of the points in the book as the core of our business plan.
The authors background in the financial markets offers a rare combination and an excellent ability to link and apply proven financial market models to the growing B2B space, it is worth noting as well that B2B is not the only topic covered, but the whole concept of exchanges and their application on the internet is explained and analyzed. ...

It is very hard to find valuable B2B literature around. Because of media hype and market valuations it seems (until last year) everything written in eCommerce was about B2C models. However, times have changed and now we are looking more into B2B as the saviour model of eCommerce.

I bought this book convinced it was a B2B book but it isn't. At least 50% of the chapters and 50% of the "examples" shown correspond clearly to a B2C text. Maybe the worst part is that they are so mixed you start to loose focus on what you wanted to read the book in the first place !

It is a nice "general eCommerce book" but will never be a classic on B2B. If you want insights on B2B look elsewhere....

This can be an invaluable book for any company which is determined to cash in on what the subtitle refers to as "the business-to-business e-commerce bonanza." (I found it interesting to note that the same principles which O'Connell advocates are also relevant to B2B2C.) In the Introduction, he asks "So who are the new power brokers in the corporate e-commerce market? How are they using online business-to-business applications to turn their annual ledgers from red to black? What do their award-winning Web sites look like? And what's in store for the commercial online industry in years to come?" To answer these basic (and imperative) questions, O'Connell draws upon a wealth of information which includes new ideas germinating in small cubicles, and on corporate drawing boards nationwide, feedback from online discount suppliers and dozens of online experts, revelations within real-life case studies, and what he calls "infoboxes, sidebars, and colorful industry profiles." Lots of good stuff.

In the final chapter, O'Connell shares some especially interesting forecasts. For example:

• According to the Gartner Group, in the run up to 2003, almost 75% of European companies will under budget e-business transformation costs.

• According to Forrester Research, one-third of all Europeans will use the Net via mobile phones in 2004.

• According to a research study conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 1999, 67% of Asian CEOs stated that they believe that e-business will have a significant impact on competition in their industries, while 47% stated they believe financial services will be the sector most significantly impacted by the Internet in the next two years.

This book will be especially valuable to small-to-midsize companies with relatively limited resources. O'Connell suggests all manner of strategies and tactics to assist them when setting up (or improving) an e-business Web site; where to locate and what to learn from the hottest B2B sites; how to market e-business; and how to use e-business to create value-added benefits for suppliers, partners, customers, employees, etc. If any of this is of immediate and urgent importance to you and to your own company, obtain and read a copy ASAP. Better yet, have the other key people in your organization also read it, then conduct an off-site 2-3 day workshop with the book setting the agenda for group discussion. By the workshop's conclusion, the group should have formulated a game plan which must then be implemented with passion as well as precision. Good luck!

Of all the technical books I've read this one qualifies as the worst. It's out of date, but even when it was new it would justify my opinion.

It attempts to cover too wide an area of subjects, and manages to either state the obvious (as in the first chapters that make a sophmoric attempt to define e-commenrce), to display questionable knowledge on the part of contributing authors, as in the section that lamely attempts to discuss architecture. The section on architecture should have been written by someone who could write and who understood architecture. Unfortunately I got the impression that the authors had neither qualifications.

The case studies were interesting, but were not sufficiently insightful to warrant buying this book that those alone.

There are positives to this book though. It weighs nearly 6 pounds, making it suitable as a doorstop. Having photos of all of the authors who contributed on the front cover is helpful if you conduct interviews since it helps in the screen process in case one of them shows up for an interview or tries to come in as a consultant.

My advice is to avoid this book. There are much better ones that cover the subjects in it.

There are a few good sections in this book (mainly the chapters that deal with WebLogic and the appendices of primers and reference material that comprise Section 6). However, considering that this book weighs in at over 1000 pages, its mainly fluff or glib (but not helpful), with too much material that states the obvious.

Much of the fluff is found in Section 1 (The E-Commerce Landscape), and Section 2 (Architecting Java-Based E-Commerce Systems) was, in my opinion, a glossed over, high-level overview that was used as filler.

Sections 3 (B2C E-Commerce Solutions) and 4 (B2B E-Commerce Solutions) have a few interesting chapters in each. My main complaint here is that Section 3 is a mix of solutions and techniques, while Section 4 is purely solution-focused. Section 5 (M-Commerce) is too light to be useful, and most of the material is already woefully out of date.

My recommendation is to pass this book up and, instead, seek out single-topic books that address the subjects in which you're interested.

This is the only book that covers such a wide range of issues relating to the application of Java to e-commerce. Although there are subjects that experienced users would certainly prefered to see treated in more depth this is an invaluable resource to those that need to get the big picture to a level that is practical and useful for understanding application and designing solutions. Well done.

Steve Minett's book offers a valuable perspective on marketing in the world of business-to-business.

The first few chapters of the book focus on the nuances of the B-to-B sale. Minett's evaluation of the motivations and considerations behind B-to-B purchases -- as compared with consumer purchases -- is intriguing. In short, Minett outlines why the kind of flashy ad campaigns that sell the latest nail polish will not help a business sell machine tools. The audiences' needs are different.

For me, the book went downhill once it got into the specifics of how to conduct a B-to-B marketing campaign. I've been in the business a while, so Minett's information on how to write and publish a case study (I believe he calls them "case stories") was a little too elementary for me. Nonetheless, it might be useful for someone brand new to the B-to-B side of marketing or public relations.

My other complaints about this book were:

- The case stories often didn't seem to support any particular point being made in the text. I wasn't sure why they were in the book other than to boast about the success of Minett's marketing company and its clients.

- Very poor editing. I found many typographical and grammatical errors throughout this book. As a writer, I find it difficult to take someone's expertise in communications seriously when he doesn't know the proper usage of "its" versus "it's." But I admit to being a grammar snob, and I strongly suspect most readers won't notice or won't care about these errors.

Overall, I think the book would be extremely useful for someone who has just moved from a consumer-based business into a B-to-B marketing environment. For those with more experience, the theory is interesting but the practical advice offers nothing new.

For someone new to .NET, with a background in visual studio and perhaps MFC C++, the first half of the book is mildly helpful in introducing concepts of the .NET Framework. Some good code examples, but not enough explanation of key pieces of code. If Robison stopped here, this book would be rated fair instead of mediocre. My problem was that I found the second half of the book lacking depth and focus. Robison putatively leads the reader in developing a B2B app, but it morphs into an advertising brochure for the company he partners with in his consulting practice, Webridge. Robison does discuss the complexity of the infrastructure needed to deploy B2B: caching, context, authentication, document retrieval, but instead of elaborating on them, he plugs Webridge as the solution. This is where I feel [discouraged]. The quality and depth begins to fade here, just around the mid-point of the book. The illustrations begin to disappear. Whereas he shows Visual Studio .NET screen shots step by step, there a no corresponding screen shots for BizTalk or Webridge. He also gives up on trying to make Visio elements proportionate in his illustrations, and the effect is sophomoric. In terms of focus, the latter half of the book seems to be a collection of management/project tomes we have all seen and heard before, and appear disjointed from the very technically oriented first half of the book. His attempted metaphorical humor becomes wearing here with phrases like: "To make an omelet, the eggs can't be isolated", as one cliché is piled on top of another. Although I agree with the author that managers are doomed to extinction if they have no technical skills, I'm a not sure even managers would get much out of this book, since it does not seem to know what it really wants to be. Although my knowledge of .NET and B2B development is enriched, it would have been better if the first 100 pages were in a PDF document, because as a book, it doesn't work.

This is the first of what promises to be a slew of new books coming out on "B2B Commerce with .NET".

Unfortunately, I found this book to be a very BIG disappointment. It is extremely general, has (at best) mediocre technical content, and its information is nearly useless. It offers no real information about B2B or .NET

The majority of the time I found the content poorly researched, superficial, or focused only on insignificant points. Clearly written in haste to catch the .NET bandwagon.