This book introduces platform firms as unique business models. Leveraging on the early literature on network economics and strategy frameworks, this book explores how platform business firms evolve in the modern business world. Taking a strategic perspective, this book engages the reader with core concepts, case studies, and frameworks for analyzing platform business firms. This book differentiates platform business firms from traditional pipeline firms; explores engagement with different actors, value creation, and operations of platforms; elucidates resources and capabilities of platform firms that provide them sustained competitive advantage; analyzes performance levers in operating platform business models, including complementarities with other business models; and discusses the sustainability of platform business models, in the face of regulatory and societal challenges, among others. The book is designed as a primer for entrepreneurs setting up and operating platform business firms, senior managers in large corporations repurposing their resources to initiate network dynamics in their businesses, early career managers, and professionals engaging with myriad platform firms for their professional and personal needs. This book intends to provide a decision-maker with a portfolio of decisions to make to create, operate, sustain, and generate value out of a platform business firm. It is also useful for policy professionals to appreciate the economics and policy implications of regulating and governing platforms in a post-digital world.

In the world of digitization today, many services of government and industry are carried out in electronic mode in order to avoid the misuse of natural resources. The implementation of e-services also provides transparency and efficiency. However, these e-services are vulnerable to cyber threats and need special measures in place to provide safety and security as they are being used in the cyber space. This new volume provides an introduction to and overview of cybersecurity in e-services and e-governance systems. The volume presents and discusses the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns, as well as the practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of security and e-services. The editors bring together leading academics, scientists, researchers, and research scholars to share their experiences and research results on many aspects of e-services, e-governance, and cybersecurity. The chapters cover diverse topics, such as using digital education to curb gender violence, cybersecurity threats and technology in the banking industry, e-governance in the healthcare sector, cybersecurity in the natural gas and oil industry, developing information communication systems, and more. The chapters also include the uses and selection of encryption technology and software.

The internationalization of Chinese enterprises is one of the most notable aspects of economic globalization in the 21st century. Despite the 2008 financial crisis and weak global outbound investment, under the "go global" initiative, Chinese outbound investment has gone from strength to strength, while also diversifying in terms of investment modalities, destinations, and industries. However, growing anti-globalization sentiment in some countries has also created new challenges for Chinese firms expanding internationally. Drawing on nearly 3000 data samples, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this book presents unique insights into the features and patterns of Chinese enterprises' globalization. The analysis provides a useful reference for enterprises that have already gone global and those that plan to. In particular, this book investigates challenges confronted by Chinese companies when doing business in foreign countries. It summarizes research covering three angles, namely: the current situation, causation analysis and corresponding solutions, and recommendations for firms, government agencies and other institutions. This book provides a comprehensive overview to help readers to grasp the broad picture of the international expansion of Chinese enterprises. It has important reference value for enterprises to help devise foreign investment strategy, seize opportunities, and navigate challenges in the course of globalization.

This book explores the impact of design science and design thinking on tourism planning, gathering contributions from leading authorities in the field of tourism research and providing a comprehensive and interconnected panorama of cutting-edge results that influence the current and future design of tourist destinations. The book builds on recent findings in psychology, geography and urban and regional planning, as well as from economics, marketing and communications, and explores the opportunities arising from recent advances in the Internet and related technologies like memory, storage, RFID, GIS, mobile and social media in the context of collecting and analyzing traveler-related data. It presents a broad range of insights and cases on how modern design approaches can be used to develop new and better touristic experiences, and how they enable the tourism industry to track and communicate with visitors in a more meaningful way and more effectively manage visitor experiences.

This book addresses key topics related to organization design and knowledge management in the digital economy with organizational context, particularly in Asia. Asian nations are moving fast toward the digital economy, within which the role of organization design and knowledge management is crucial to support innovative and creative ideas for meeting huge market opportunities where customers are ready for digitalization. The book conceptualizes organization design into three dimensions, people, information, and technology, and offers readers a unique valued insight, bringing new perspectives to understanding emerging business opportunities and challenges in Asia. It presents a valuable collection of 14 chapters with empirical studies from leading researchers. The book addresses digital transformation in companies and organizations in Asia, analysing how disruptive technologies can help them have more efficient organization processes, create innovative products and services, be more resilient and achieve sustainable goals in the post-pandemic time. It fills a gap in the market offering a valuable collection of chapters that combines strategic topics for companies, organizations and nations today, such as digital economy, disruptive technologies, big data and knowledge management, with a specific focus on the Asian region, providing rich examples and studies focused in countries and regions within Asia. Written for scholars, researchers and other specialists in digitalization, this book offers a unique collection of insights into the current and future situation in Asia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a very strong reminder that the future economic development of any country is more than ever influenced by its ability to ramp-up digital competitiveness. Consequently, enterprises were pushed to assess and develop the possibilities offered by e-commerce and online marketing tools. In this book, experts outline the prerequisites for such online marketing competitiveness and compare the current level of digital marketing competitiveness in Europe by using publicly available macro and micro-level data. The authors present their analyses and recommendations including interviews with over 125 online marketers and e-commerce specialists and present the lessons from digitalization of over 600 SMEs.

Attract, engage, and delight customers online Inbound Marketing, Revised and Updated: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online is a comprehensive guide to increasing online visibility and engagement. Written by top marketing and startup bloggers, the book contains the latest information about customer behavior and preferred digital experiences. From the latest insights on lead nurturing and visual marketing to advice on producing remarkable content by building tools, readers will gain the information they need to transform their marketing online. With outbound marketing methods becoming less effective, the time to embrace inbound marketing is now. Cold calling, e-mail blasts, and direct mail are turning consumers off to an ever-greater extent, so consumers are increasingly doing research online to choose companies and products that meet their needs. Inbound Marketing recognizes these behavioral changes as opportunities, and explains how marketers can make the most of this shift online. This not only addresses turning strangers into website visitors, but explains how best to convert those visitors to leads, and to nurture those leads to the point of becoming delighted customers. Gain the insight that can increase marketing value with topics like: * Inbound marketing strategy, reputation, and tracking progress * Visibility getting found, and why content matters * Converting customers turning prospects into leads and leads into customers * Better decisions picking people, agencies, and campaigns The book also contains essential tools and resources that help build an effective marketing strategy, and tips for organizations of all sizes looking to build a reputation. When consumer behaviors change, marketing must change with them. The fully revised and updated edition of Inbound Marketing is a complete guide to attracting, engaging, and delighting customers online.

This book presents detailed case studies of the first commercial internet digital currency systems developed between 1996 and 2004. Transactions completed with the new technology circumvented all US financial regulations, an opening that transnational criminals exploited. Mullan explains how an entire industry of companies, agents, and participants turned a blind eye to crimes being committed in this unsupervised environment. He then tracks the subsequent changes made to US regulations that now prevent such unlicensed activity, illustrating the importance of supervising products and industries that arise from new disruptive technology. This book distills hundreds of hours of interviews with the creators and operators of early digital currency businesses to create detailed case studies of their practices.

This book highlights the essence of information technology in the modern digital world in relation to improvements and threats to organisations and e-business in the era of the digital economy. Rapid IT development has created modern business proposals such as digital and virtual currencies, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, mobile banking, online investing and new payment systems. This allows organisations and firms to increase competitiveness by using financial products and services, thus increasing their value. Information technology users receive significant timesaving and a choice of investment options. At the same time, there is a new challenge for regulators who must monitor how this or that technology affects the financial sector. The authors have collected and systematised information on the models of using information technology in e-business as well as issues of applying information technology in smart organisations and public institutions. The book addresses the issues of risk management in organizations and the problems of personal and social risks resulting from the use of information technology. In addition, the book presents a review of e-commerce sectors and models as well as e-commerce tools, international payment systems and modern money systems. Risks, threats and security rules for using banking services, e-commerce and payment systems are reviewed and systematised.

Product Information Management is the latest topic that companies across the world are deliberating upon. As companies sell online, they are confronted with the fact that not all information necessary to sell their products is available. Where marketing, sales and finance have been core processes of the corporate world for a long time, PIM is a new business process with its own unique implementation and management challenges. The book describes the core PIM processes; their strategic, tactical and operational benefits and implementation challenges. The book has been written for managers, business users as well as students, and illustrates the different concepts with practical cases from companies like Coca Cola, Nikon and Thomas Cook.

Cryptocurrency & Social Media Have Married and This is What It Looks Like Social media is a multi-billion-dollar industry where the platforms profit from user-generated content. Cryptocurrencies have arrived to end the exploitation. Cryptosocial: How Cryptocurrencies Are Changing Social Media surveys the history of social media and cryptocurrencies to show how these two unrelated technologies had a chance meeting that is changing the world. If you're one of the millions of people growing tired of legacy social media and how they take advantage of their own users, this book will open your eyes to the alternatives offering greater happiness, more freedom, and better personal and financial security. Read this book and you'll learn: What cryptosocial is all about. Which platforms and protocols you should pay attention to. Why cryptosocial media is the best alternative for Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. How to start using cryptosocial media. What you need to participate in decentralized social media platforms. And how you can profit from your own content, gain more control over your identity, and maintain security over your online data and personal assets.

Grow your customer base with games! Gamification is the practice of adding elements of gameplay into marketing materials to better engage customers. In Gamification Marketing For Dummies, you'll learn to use this proven strategy to capture the attention of your target markets and boost your results using valuable gamification data. Games are fun! That's why gamification is so successful--customers will jump at the chance to play and win your custom-developed marketing game. You'll connect with your customers and create lasting memories. Whether or not you are digitally savvy, this book will teach you the basics of gamification, from choosing the right game to capturing the user behavior data that the game generates. Use games to increase customer engagement and marketing results Learn how to choose or commission the right games for your market Plan and execute a successful gamification strategy Learn from data generated inside your game for valuable market insights From simple strategies like customer loyalty programs to complex, branded, social game apps, this book will point in the direction of gamification that works for you.

The subject of wine marketing is widely treated by practitioners and marketing experts in many countries. But we are now entering a new era for marketers: peers trust peers. Top-down messaging is losing ground, while bottom-up buzz is gaining power. How can marketers and academics respond to this challenge in the wine industry? Every few months new technologies, new devices, and new practices require analysis, creative processes, and adaptation. E-marketing is a global strategy allowing the industry to reach niche markets. For the first time in history we are able to measure the consumption patterns of an entire market and adjust quickly to their behaviours. We are now leaving the Information Age and entering the Recommendation Age through opinion leaders and various trenders. This practical new book is written by a leading wine industry expert, in an easy and accessible style. Illustrated with many case studies from around the word, this book is an invaluable guide to anyone working in, or interested in the wine industry.

Digital Brand Romance is highly practical and offers tactical, helpful advice to apply in your business immediately.Tomorrow arrived, and all great relationships now begin online - including the ones between your future customer and your brand. Whether you are selling shoes, software or spaceship parts, the romance begins and evolves in a digital world. While over 80% of businesses think they provide excellent customer experiences - only 8% of customers agree. The reality is that the state of modern, digital brand relationships is quite dysfunctional: an average conversion rate of 3% means that 97% of engagements with your brand fail. Not only does this inefficiency chew up marketing budget, but it also taints future engagements with your brand. In Digital Brand Romance, you will learn the proprietary six-step ADORE Process that has helped brands worldwide consistently achieve conversion rates above 20%. The ADORE Process is used by some of the most innovative scale-ups, fast growth exporters and leading brands to consistently sell more, more often. Each step of the ADORE Process aligns with one of the key moments of influence in the digital relationship with your brand. Understanding the forces that drive each moment will allow you to identify signs of relationship breakdown; common causes of issues and how to resolve them; and which metrics to track to measure progress. You will also learn how to apply the process to conduct regular digital relationship audits, removing your reliance on luck in the future success of your brand. Digital Brand Romance is highly practical and offers tactical, helpful advice to apply in your business immediately.

The fast progress in computer networks and their wide availability is complemented with on one hand the "explosion" of mobile computing and on the other hand the trends in the direction of ubiquitous computing. The merger of these technologies acts as a powerful enabler for new forms of highly dynamic collaborative organizations and the emergence of new business practices. Early efforts in the area of virtual enterprises (VE) were strongly constrained by the need to design and develop horizontal infrastructures aimed at supporting the basic collaboration needs of consortia of enterprises. Current trends, however, are more and more directed to the development of new vertical business models and corresponding support tools. In parallel to these efforts, after the first euphoria of the E-commerce wave and the disappointments caused by some simplistic approaches then adopted, there is a shift towards Business-to-Business solutions, as a way to effectively enable E-commerce. This is therefore a time of convergence of the virtual enterprise and e-business developments. This book contains selected articles from PRO-VE 2000, the second working conference on Infrastructures for Virtual Enterprises, which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in FlorianA3polis, Brazil in December 2000. The included articles represent relevant examples of the current state of the art in virtual enterprises and support for electronic business. Together with a diversity of application domains, the emphasis is mostly on: the new forms of virtual organizations, support for agility, modeling and execution of distributed business processes, management of enterpriseclusters, distributed/federated information management, knowledge management, logistics for electronic commerce, and safe communication. In other words, the book is mainly focused on the management of business-to-business cooperation in virtual and smart organizations. The implantation of electronic business and the virtual enterprise area is not only a technological problem. Therefore, aspects such as socio-organizational transformations, training needs, legal and ethical issues, and intellectual property rights, are also addressed in the book. E-Business and Virtual Enterprises is essential reading for researchers, engineers, practitioners, and engineering students in production engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, organizational science, and industrial sociology.

Blockchain is the popular name given to the exciting, evolving world of distributed ledger technology (DLT). Blockchains offer equitable and secure access to data, as well as transparency and immutability. Organisations can decide to use blockchain to upgrade whatever ledgers they are currently deploying (for example, relational databases, spreadsheets and cumbersome operating models) for their data and technology stack in terms of books and records, transactions, storage, production services and in many other areas. This book describes the applied use of blockchain technology in the enterprise world. Written by two expert practitioners in the field, the book is in two main parts: (1) an introduction to the history of, and a critical context explainer about, the emergence of blockchain written in natural language and providing a tour of the features, functionality and challenges of blockchain and DLT; and (2) a series of six applied organisational use cases in (i) trade finance, (ii) healthcare, (iii) retail savings & investments, (iv) real estate, (v) central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and (vi) fund management that offer the reader a straightforward, easy-to-read comparison between 'old world' technology (such as platforms, people and processes) versus what blockchain ledgers offer to enterprises and organisations in terms of improved efficiency, performance, security and access to business data. Blockchain is sometimes tainted by association to Bitcoin, Onecoin and others. But as cryptocurrencies and stock markets continue to rise and fall with volatility and the world economy emerges changed by coronavirus, working from home and the threat of inflation, many enterprises, organisations and governments are looking again at the powerful features of blockchain and wondering how DLT may help them adapt. This book is an ideal introduction to the practical and applied nature of blockchain and DLT solutions for business executives, business students, managers, C-suite senior leaders, software architects and policy makers and sets out, clearly and professionally, the benefits and challenges of the actual business applications of blockchain.

Incorporating currencies, payment methods, and protocols that computers use to talk to each other, digital currencies are poised to grow in use and importance. The Handbook of Digital Currency gives readers a way to learn about subjects outside their specialties and provides authoritative background and tools for those whose primary source of information is journal articles. Taking a cross-country perspective, its comprehensive view of the field includes history, technicality, IT, finance, economics, legal, tax and regulatory environment. For those who come from different backgrounds with different questions in mind, The Handbook of Digital Currency is an essential starting point.

It has taken platforms only twenty years to become digital economy hubs. They have changed markets, enterprises, and society. They have expedited communication, collaboration, and trade for consumers, winning their attention and collecting their data. In doing so, they have made processes, products, and industries obsolete, and disrupted the expectations and behaviours of market players. This raises the question, are digital platforms global innovators or disruptive monopolists? Are they a solution to problems of the past or emissaries of a problematic future? This book provides a multi-faceted approach to platforms and their profound impact on markets and ecosystems. Economic, managerial, social, and political aspects are analysed, and the differentiation of platforms and their disruptive potential is reviewed. The book also examines the mechanism of achieving a monopolistic position, including in the international supply chain, and the greater influence of platforms on political activity and contemporary democracy. With examples from Poland, USA, and China, the contributions offer an international evaluation of disruptive platforms across a multitude of industries. The edited collection, prepared by scholars from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, will be valuable to researchers and academics across the fields of strategic management, marketing, innovations, international business, and the digital economy.

In this volume, the authors apply insights from a variety of perspectives to explore the alignment among strategy, organization design, process and human resource management, and e-business practices on developing successful social networking programs-with particular regard to applying such initiatives against the backdrop of the global financial crisis and challenges to traditional business models. Showcasing in-depth case studies, the authors present emerging approaches to analyze the impact of investment in social networking sites, aligning internal resources, and measuring effects on positioning, branding, and new business creation. The fact that a growing proportion of the world population has a relationship with social networking sites could prove very valuable for companies. The question is whether this represents a business opportunity, whether companies know how to make the most of it and if they will make the necessary efforts to adapt to these new platforms. In the modern world, social networking sites have enormous potential for large as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); most companies are aware of the need for a presence on social networking sites, but at present their e-business strategies are part of their medium and long-term strategic planning and only a small percentage have been put into practice. In short, this book attempts to answer the following questions: Is there a business opportunity for companies on social networking sites? Do they know how to make the most of it? Are they willing to make the necessary effort to adapt? Can e-business strategies contribute to company creation and the success of already existing businesses? And if so, how?

Many people believe that Amazon s success is the direct result of a strong user shopping experience. This however is only part of the reason shy Amazon is the number one ecommerce company on the world for almost two decades. The real reason behind Amazon s success is that they have mastered the art of getting other people to market and sell for them. From affiliate partners that drive traffic, to online reviews and ratings where customers tell other customers why they should buy a product, to getting free publicity from shows like Oprah or 60 Minutes, Amazon is the online company to emulate. Amazon s Dirty Little Secrets" will show you how you can accomplish this for your company.

"Amazon s Dirty Little Secret" is getting others to do their marketing and sales for them. This is so powerful that Greg created an acronym using the word POWER+.

P Plenty of traffic

O Offer something for free

W Win their trust

E Engaging experience

R Request an action

+ additional tips & secrets

Anyone engaged in Internet sales and marketing will benefit from the specific examples in this book."

The concepts of innovation and export are traditionally considered in isolation, both within companies and within the support organizations dedicated to them. As a result, within this broad research field, very little academic work has focused on how to implement their relationship at an operational level. This book proposes a joint diagnostic tool for SMEs, highlighting good practices to be mastered in order to simultaneously improve innovation and export performance, in the form of a virtuous circle. Innovation and Export focuses on the integration of innovation and export into the strategic management of SMEs, for which the use of synergies is a powerful lever to overcome any difficulties in mobilizing significant resources.

Preface Social media marking has been heralded as a sea change in the market- consumer relationship, but its rapid growth and rabid following among m- keters has also produced a sea of confusion. Lacking any durable framework for understanding how, why, and on what terms the consumer relationship has changed under social media, marketers pursue new venues for their newness alone - with decidedly mixed results. This book finds a theoretical framework for social media marketing in the science of game theory, with its focus on adversarial but mutually dependent relationships. Originally developed to guide nuclear brinksmanship policy during the Cold War, game theory provides the foundation for an evoluti- ary view of social media marketing. Through fascinating game theory c- cepts like the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Stag Hunt, Self-Command, and Job Market Signaling, this study uncovers the cooperative trends that brought marketing to its present state and points the way toward marketing's future course. I. Der Drehbuchautor und seine Rechte VII VII Vorwort Contents Chapter 1: Surviving the Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 1 The Origins of Game Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. 2 Game Theory, the New Media, and the NEW New Media . . . . . . . . . 7 1. 3 The Payoff Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Chapter 2: Zero-Sum Games in Traditional Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2. 1 Zero-Sum Games and the Problem of Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2. 2 The Zero-Sum of Pricing Strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2. 3 The Wisdom of Randomization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2. 4 Randomization and A/B Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2. 5 The Hazards of Entrenchment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This book explores a wide range of emerging cultural, heritage, and other tourism issues that will shape the future of hospitality and tourism research and practice in the digital and innovation era. It offers stimulating new perspectives in the fields of tourism, travel, hospitality, culture and heritage, leisure, and sports within the context of a knowledge society and smart economy. A central theme is the need to adopt a more holistic approach to tourism development that is aligned with principles of sustainability; at the same time, the book critically reassesses the common emphasis on innovation as a tool for growth-led and market-oriented development. In turn, fresh approaches to innovation practices underpinned by ethics and sustainability are encouraged, and opportunities for the exploration of new research avenues and projects on innovation in tourism are highlighted. Based on the proceedings of the Sixth International Conference of the International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism (IACuDiT) and edited in collaboration with IACuDiT, the book will appeal to a broad readership encompassing academia, industry, government, and other organizations.

How does a dyslexic college dropout become an Internet marketing guru, living a life of wealth and freedom many people only dream of? Answer: by seeing a need and filling it. When his dad purchased a shiny new Apple 2E in 1983, it didn't take long for Brian G. Johnson to discover video games. He was hooked. However, what really blew him away was what he discovered several years later-the Internet. Brian knew it would completely change how and where people spent their money. Most of all, it would level the playing field for average folks, allowing them to cash in as it reached the masses. Trust Funnel is one part memoir, three parts "how-to" manual for anyone seeking the freedom to work when and where they want as they build an Internet marketing business on a shoestring budget. Inspired by Zig Ziglar, it examines how the Web and online success revolve around trust and the acts of: listening liking trusting buying Trust can be found in many places online. It can be found among site visitors who decide to "like" a page or post. It can be found in another selfie that appears on someone's Facebook newsfeed. And it can be found in the complex algorithms that power Google rankings, Facebook, and the various other social sites. Gone are the days of links, Google page rankings, and Facebook's EdgeRank. Today's online currency that powers the Web and online success is trust. With Trust Funnel, Brian provides detailed formulas and rituals that enable anyone to leverage the exact same strategies, tactics, and philosophies that have allowed him to drive traffic, build trust, and earn a very comfortable living. Trust Funnel tells the story of his mind-boggling success and can be the springboard to yours.