Digital Business and Electronic Commerce: Strategy, Business Models and Technology

This textbook introduces readers to digital business from a management standpoint. It provides an overview of the foundations of digital business with basics, activities and success factors, and an analytical view on user behavior. Dedicated chapters on mobile and social media present fundamental aspects, discuss applications and address key success factors. The Internet of Things (IoT) is subsequently introduced in the context of big data, cloud computing and connecting technologies, with a focus on industry 4.0 and the industrial metaverse. In addition, areas such as smart business services, smart homes and digital consumer applications as well as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and automation based on artificial intelligence will be analysed. The book then turns to digital business models in the B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) sectors.

Building on the business model concepts, the book addresses digital business strategy, discussingthe strategic digital business environment and digital business value activity systems (dVASs), as well as strategy development in the context of digital business. Special chapters explore the implications of strategy for digital marketing and digital procurement. Lastly, the book discusses the fundamentals of digital business technologies and security, and provides an outline of digital business implementation. A comprehensive case study on Google/Alphabet, explaining Google’s organizational history, its integrated business model and its market environment, rounds out the book.

Bernd W. Wirtz holds the Chair of Information and Communication Management at the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer.