Electronic Services Networks: A Business and Public Policy Challenge

Electronic services networks - networks of terminals and computers linked by telecommunications and used to process transactions - have had an increasing influence on industry structures and commercial practices over the past decade. In this work, editors Margaret Guerin-Calvert and Steven Wildman have brought together a diverse group of essays that represent the best of current thinking on these electronic networks. Taken as a whole, the book provides the reader with the theoretical perspectives required to understand ESNs and their effect on business and finance, as well as offering a diverse set of case studies that apply these theoretical perspectives to understanding the issues raised by the networks. Unlike other books that have focused on ESNs as features of specific industries, this collection explores the networks themselves as economic phenomena. The contributions are grouped into two parts. The first presents general theoretical perspectives on the economics of various ESNs their effects on the industries and markets that employ them, and the policy issues they raise. Among the topics discussed are structural relationships among ESNs, their effect on organizational structures, compatibility between shared networks, and competitive search facilitation. In Part Two, the contributors offer a detailed look at the economic policy histories of ESNs in specific industries. Included are discussions of automatic teller machines, computer reservation systems, and multiple listing services. These studies demonstrate the incredible variety of applications of ESN technology, and make this book an indispensable resource for professionals in all types of businesses that use ESNs, and for students in a wide range of law, businesses, and public policy courses.