The international handbook of electronic commerce /

Shim (accounting and finance, California State Univ., Long Beach) has updated his guide on e-commerce applications (1st ed., CH, Feb'01, 38-3419). Although his book is intended as a how-to guide, its coverage is too brief to fully sensitize would-be e-commerce merchants to the wide-ranging options available, and it should be read along with other resources. This handbook includes cutting-edge topics such as 3-D imaging, which enables visual inspection of products at any angle; mobile commerce (m-commerce); and digital wallets. Another interesting topic discussed is interactive Web sites, which garner customer information and preferences while providing information. Also covered are security concerns, banner ads, search engine optimization, legal issues in advertising and marketing, tracking Web traffic, and Web site organization. Shim discusses both business-to-consumer and business-to-business e-commerce. At times coverage veers from e-commerce, wandering into employee training, manufacturing, and intranets and extranets. A table on e-commerce business models such as reverse auctions is useful. In addition, Shim briefly considers the future of e-commerce, including declining Web development costs and the wider use of e-commerce by firms. Kenneth Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver's E-Commerce 2010 (6th ed., 2010) provides a much clearer and fuller overview of e-commerce. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of undergraduate students; practitioners. C. Wankel St. John's University, New York