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Separated by continents, Boeing aircraft
engineers and prospective clients electronically collaborate
on the paperless design of the 777... using automated training
systems and network-based teams, Federal Express transforms
itself from a courier company into a logistics and networking
provider for its customers... browsing through Levi's interactive
home page on the Internet, home shoppers order custom-designed
clothing delivered within days to their doorstep.
Welcome to the fundamentally new digital
economy -- where the paper trail ends and essential information
is instead sent racing at the speed of light across networks,
and where economic advantage accrues to those individuals
and organizations who are able to leverage the capabilities
of today's new information technologies to transform business
and invent new business practices, not merely rearrange
old ones.
In this eagerly awaited follow-up to his
best-selling Paradigm Shift, global IT expert Don
Tapscott answers the one question that burns on the mind
of every forward-looking executive and manager: What does
the new technology mean to me and my business?
In clear, jargon-free English, using actual
examples of leading-edge organizations who are successfully
riding the new IT wave, Don Tapscott reveals how the new
technology and business strategies are transforming not
only business processes but also the way products and services
are created and marketed, the structure and goals of the
enterprise, the dynamics of competition, and all the rules
for business success.
But the remarkable journey doesn't end there.
The Digital Economy also takes you to the epicenter
of a new convergence of computing, telecommunications, and
entertainment. From Wal-Mart's electronically linked purchasing
systems to Sun Microsystem's desktop university to Chase
Manhattan Bank's consumer video kiosks, and beyond, it discloses
how results-hungry organizations are moving past simple
reengineering to the complete It-enabled transformation
of the corporation.
The Digital Economy also tackles
the dark side of the information highway -- the first frank,
balanced, and comprehensive look at the perils of the revolution
underway for every business, society, and individual. With
this book Tapscott opens an international debate on the
role of business in the transition to the new economy and
a new society based on fairness, justice, and democracy.
At once a practical handbook and vision
for the future, The Digital Economy belongs on the
desk and in the briefcase of every executive and manager
grappling to make sense of, and profit from, the vast opportunities
generated by the new media.
Don Tapscott is Chair of the Alliance
for Converging Technologies which is currently conducting
a multimillion dollar investigation into the information
highway and its impact on business. An internationally sought
consultant, speaker, and writer on the topic of information
technology, he has written five widely read books including
the recent Paradigm Shift. He is president of New
Paradigm Learning Corporation, a consulting firm which specializes
in helping organizations manage the transition to the digital
economy.
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