Doing Business on the Internet

This is an outstanding book. Indeed it is a landmark book which may excede the 200,000 copy sales racked up by Ed Kroll's The Whole Internet Guide during its first year in print. Consequently we have tried to drive that point home by presenting to our readers as much of the size and scope of the book as possible.

Herewith a few of our boxed quotes:

Early corporate adoption of the network was generally driven by "innovative departments latching on to a useful new resource to meet an immediate need." Consequently in most companies we have not yet seen a clear understanding on the part of top management of the ability of the network to improve corporate performance and profits. Internet advocates within corporations need to understand the network's sources of competitive advantage. Cronin positions her book as a guide to achieving this understanding.

Cronin sums up very succinctly the strategic focus of the events and individuals she has described. The percentage of workers in economy that produces goods rather than services is continuing to decline. The importance of communication increases in direct proportion to the growth of the service economy. In this environment "new business strategies like partnerships, collaborative research and development, and virtual teams all place a premium on information being transmitted received and clearly understood by all participants. Managing communications across time zones, language and cultural differences and uneven technical development make the process even more complex. In this environment new management tools [like the Internet] are essential."

A librarian at a company with a long history of Internet involvement, includes as a part of her definition of basic library services, scanning the network and passing on strategic information to interested individuals and departments.

She finds that the Internet is changing the very foundation of what it means to be a librarian. Librarians are becoming teachers as well as information specialists.

She notes that a point of potential danger may occur when, as the Internet becomes easier to use, researchers may think that it provides all the data they need. Librarians know that, because of its distributed sources and organization, data found on the Internet varies a lot in quality and comprehensivness. As a result researchers who venture just a little outside their field can be misled. We must help our clients to use the Internet, and to understand how it fits in with other resources.

A manager with Advantis, the IBM-Sears network outsourcing joint venture told the author that if the Internet was the customers preferred means of communication, it was obligatory for Advantis to met them there because failure to do so would be equivalent to abandoning the market.

While many companies start by connecting just one department to the Internet, unless "management also looks at the Internet in the context of overall corporate goals, requests for connectivity within the company are likely to be addressed on the 'squeaky wheel' basis. Once the network is in place many ideas about applications will begin to surface, and more areas will request connectivity. Developing a whole company strategy at the outset will be helpful to prevent delays, frustrations, and end runs or short term solutions. Part of the overall plan can be an assessment off the costs and benefits associated with various network applications to estimate which efforts are likely to yield the most positive results. The process for expanding connections or undertaking new applications can then be staged in a flexible way. . . . Participation by top management and a broad understanding of the workings and scope of the Internet are also important factors for developing an effective whole-company strategy." (pp. 250-251)

Cronin is a library director and professor in the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Her book is expected to be available at the Internet World show at the Javits Convention center in New York City on December 7th and in book stores shortly thereafter.

Other Topics

Also included are 3 articles on ANS's Joining the CIX, an article on the use of cooperative agreements by NSF, and Jamie Love's article on Juris.

Part 3 of Computer Networks and Health Care appears. The 4th and final part will be published in January.

Finally, publication of the Editor's draft OTA NREN policy recommendations as Internet RFC 1527 is mentioned.