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. "Making Markets" shows how companies can: creatively use markets in procurement, resale, and clearance, and in more novel applications such as prediction, risk management, and decision making; design, deploy, and stimulate the successful adoption of online auctions and exchanges; utilize technology to support - not replace - human interaction; leverage information to become more profitable buyers and sellers; innovate in trade processes from pricing, payment, and authentication to logistics and product representation; and, grow markets through partnerships, alliances, and mergers.This highly practical guide will help companies create the ultimate market: one that captures the feel and trust of a physical community but leverages the power and efficiency of technology to benefit all participants. Ajit Kambil is Associate Partner and Senior Research Fellow at Accenture's Institute for Strategic Change. Eric van Heck is a Professor at Erasmus University's Rotterdam School of Management, The Netherlands.