The Digital Economy: Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence

by Don Tapscott

Book Overview

Multimedia, Internet, Datenautobahn - die digitale Welt stellt ver?nderte Anforderungen an Unternehmen und Individuen, sie hat ihre eigene Dynamik und besondere Spielregeln. Im Zentrum dieses... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0070633428
• ISBN13: 9780070633421
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The acid test for all prophecy is whether it comes true . ..

This is one of the books that I keep with me as a continual source of inspiration. Although some criticize it as now being somewhat dated, I do not see that as a valid objection. After all, Mr Tapscott set out to predict the near future, and many of the things he has predicted has come true - in spades! These valid predictions merely add credence to the power of his other yet-to-be-fulfilled predictions, many of which one can see being realised as we speak. Of course a book like this will be soon dated - it goes with the territory.The value in this book is in its radicalism, in its shattering trumpet sounds that anticipate the crumbling of the Jericho-like walls of status quo business practices. It is an inspiration to those of us who believe, and are acting upon the belief, that the digital economy undermines everything - some for the better, some for the worse. But either way, it is best to get your head out of the sand and to get prepared. Standing still is not an option. Thanks, Don, for a GREAT book that will soon be widely regarded as a classic.

Insightful book about the digital revolution.

I have never considered myself an information "technocrat", but I realize that technology, or more accurately, the effective use of technology is critical to success in business. Books written on technology usually intimidate me with technical details that might as well be written in a foreign language. So, when Don Tapscott's book, The Digital Economy, was recommended to me, I purchased the book thinking it would not hold my interest for more than two chapters. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by a book that grabbed my attention and would not let go. With a balance of case studies, statistical information, and his own model of the new digital economy, Mr. Tapscott wrote a book that describes the opportunities and pitfalls of the new networked economy. For business leaders grappling with the globally networked economy, this book helps put it all in perspective.As a sequel to his earlier bestseller, Paradigm Shift, Mr. Tapscott takes a strategic look at the technological advances society is making, focusing on how they change the way we interact, communicate, conduct business transactions, learn and play. Mr. Tapscott explains that we are on the brink of a revolution as networked intelligence, coupled with human intelligence, create new economic and societal possibilities. Like the agricultural and industrial age before it, the digital revolution will change the rules of business and the structures that support human interactions. Speed of innovation and flexibility on a grand scale will become critical to success in a digital economy. Product life cycles will be measured in weeks or days, and disintermediation will be a continuing trend that could lead to systemic unemployment. Through this revolutionary period, there will be a blurring of the line between producers and consumers. Tapscott coins the term "prosumers" to describe how we will interact with technology.With the requirements for success changing, the current best business practices such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) will not be enough to ensure survival in the future. Theses efforts focus on improving current business processes rather than inventing new processes, markets, and products. Tapscott urges his readers to focus on ways to add value in a new and rapidly changing economy. Because the digital economy makes information inexpensive, Tapscott speaks of the movement from an economy based on mass production to an economy based on mass customization. Already, Levi's will "build" you a customized pair of jeans. Those who success in this new digital economy must be willing to challenge their own thinking, make their own products obsolete, and continuously look for ways to add value to those they serve.Mr. Tapscott took great care to provide a balanced view of the networked revolution. As digital interchange allows people separated by great distances to share creative ideas, it

Great Case E*commerce Studies!!!

I'm going to be starting up some training classes in E*commerce soon, and I'm finding this book to be a wealth of great references, expecially with case studies of successful E*commerce implementations. I find that the step-by-step treatment of 1. personal empowerment via multimedia-> 2. workgroup collaboration-> 3. intraorganizational collaboration-> 4. interorganizational collaboration-> 5. internetwork collboration in all the case studies very useful. Thanks Tapscott for a GREAT book! Any tips for a would-be trainer in E*commerce?

Excellent insight into the future digital economy

The book provides a realistic insight into the incredible future that will become increasingly digital in nature. It gives practical aspects of our multimedia services and applications unlike some other books that focuses on longer-term trends. I have often made references to it in my many speaking engagements at telecommunication seminars and conferences. It is truly the "reference" book for people interested in understanding and "riding the wave" of the information superhighway. Well done, Don Tapscott.

A "normal" person's guide to the Web and related technology.

Finally - a book on the Internet and Information Technology written for "normal" people! In his "The Digital Economy", author and industry expert Don Tapscott avoids addressing his readers in geek-speak or treating them as techno-idiots. He provides an informative and useful tour of how the new digital world is impacting our lives today, even as it re-defines our tomorrow. The style is narrative and often amusing, and one hardly notices just how much dynamite information and solid research is being presented. Burned out on the hype of the "Web" or not; this is the one book which is a must read for confused students, concerned workers, and nervous business people who have been trying to figure out the Information Super-Highway. Don Tapscott has opened a "ramp" - and now there's no excuse not to "drive" on.