Net Benefit: Guaranteed Electronic Markets - The Ultimate Potential of Online Trade

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 14
Introduction: The final frontier for electronic trade......Page 16
Open markets: a second tier of electronic trade......Page 17
Secure electronic marketplaces open to any seller?......Page 19
Could electronic commerce ever deliver this theoretical potential?......Page 21
Government's role as initiator of new technology......Page 24
Competition between governments: a coming force in electronic trade?......Page 27
Notes......Page 31
Section one: The ultimate potential of e-trade: how open public markets might work......Page 32
1 Demonstration: booking overnight accommodation in a GEM......Page 34
Market entry......Page 35
Complaints procedures......Page 40
Market overviews......Page 42
A market in everything......Page 43
3 The system's relationship with users......Page 45
4 Demonstration: connected transactions – hiring a van and driver in GEMs......Page 48
A new world of work......Page 50
5 Contractual chains......Page 54
More complex packages......Page 55
6 Easy access to capital......Page 58
A flexible money market......Page 60
7 Would populations start to use a GEMs system?......Page 62
Would sellers enter such a competitive marketplace?......Page 65
Notes to section one......Page 68
Section two: A new democratic capitalism: the impact of public electronic markets......Page 70
8 The effect of GEMs on business: a decline in big institutions......Page 72
9 GEMs and employment: the rise of portfolio working......Page 78
A new market in local services......Page 85
The rise of sole traders......Page 86
Starting work in public electronic markets......Page 88
Training: out of the classroom into the community......Page 92
What impact would GEMs have on overall levels of work?......Page 94
A national parallel economy......Page 96
Community organization......Page 100
Grass roots initiatives to replace government provision......Page 101
Social networks: using computers to increase human contact......Page 109
Universal legal services......Page 110
Electronic voting: 'participative democracy'......Page 111
User boycotts: forcing the supply chain......Page 115
11 GEMs' impact on parliament: technologically literate politicians and small government......Page 117
Government control of a GEMs economy: precision and imagination required......Page 120
Tax and social policy......Page 121
Environmental policy......Page 124
People on benefits......Page 126
12 A country with GEMs in a global economy: international advantage......Page 129
Notes to section two......Page 133
Section three: The battle for public markets: electronic trade becomes politicized......Page 136
The disproportionate benefits of online trade for large sellers......Page 140
Market force: the black arts available to online marketeers......Page 144
The potential impact of uncoordinated electronic commerce on society......Page 148
Government's response to maturing e-trade......Page 154
14 How a government could instigate GEMs......Page 157
What do governments have to offer a winning consortium?......Page 158
What concessions might politicians extract from a winning consortium?......Page 160
15 Opposition to public markets......Page 164
Points of opposition......Page 165
Likely tactics of the opposition......Page 171
16 Which countries would have most to gain from a GEMs launch?......Page 175
Notes to section three......Page 180
Section four: How might businesses respond to the rise of public electronic markets?......Page 184
Constantly experiment with product range......Page 188
Service industry innovation might acquire a new importance......Page 194
'Customer owning' would be an option, but would probably not be worthwhile......Page 196
Expect a rise in ideological customers......Page 197
Reassess the importance of a fixed supply chain......Page 198
Start rostering employees and assets on the system......Page 199
Be prepared for the business to erode to a core activity......Page 200
Notes to section four......Page 202
Conclusion: Electronic markets as a public utility......Page 204
Appendix one: Principles governing GEMs......Page 207
Appendix two: A business model for initiating GEMs......Page 224
E......Page 252
M......Page 253
T......Page 254
Y......Page 255