Making Markets

Markets are transitioning from place to space-but as the collapse of the initial B2B boom demonstrated, the journey won't be easy. Pioneering market makers from eBay and British Petroleum to the Dutch Flower Auctions and ChemConnect are leading the way to create new value through markets. Their experiences make two things increasingly clear: Success in the marketspace will require new ways of operating, and participation won't be optional.

Ajit Kambil and Eric van Heck-respected authorities on electronic markets-argue that online auctions and exchanges will soon be an essential part of business practice. They explain why companies must adopt electronic markets now if they hope to compete in the future. And they prove that success lies not in achieving "first-mover" advantage in new markets, but in creating winning strategies to design and use markets to manage the supply chain, connect with customers, increase efficiency, and make decisions.

Based on the authors' decade-long study of nearly one hundred successful and failed electronic markets in the United States, Europe, and Asia, the book reveals how market makers are rewriting the rules of commerce. They offer a strategic blueprint for designing, implementing, and profiting from electronic markets.

Contents

1. Seizing the value of markets
2. From place to space
3. Making markets works
4. Auctions : the devil is in the details
5. Using B2B markets in the supply chain
6. Using markets creatively
7. Market tactics
8. Dynamic market strategy