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Jimmy Lai launched adM@rt, a home-delivery shopping service, in June 1999. The concept, a virtual shopping store on a Web site that allowed customers to browse through competitively priced merchandise, select foods, and complete transactions on-line, was a first in Asia. Lai's vision was to build a virtual shopping mall, rent out virtual store space to niche marketers, and deliver their goods and its own within a few hours of receiving an order.

Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) vendors have enjoyed an indispensable role in the travel industry--75% to 80% of all airline bookings are made by travel agents using CRSs. But by mid-1998, their solid position in the industry is being threatened by two forces: the Web Sites run by airlines that are capable of accepting bookings directly from customers, and a new CRS, supported by travel agencies around the world, called Genesis. It is scheduled to go on trial in fourth quarter of 1998 and for launch in 1999.

Law, by definition, was jurisdictional, yet in cyberspace, it had become increasingly questionable whether laws regulating the physical marketplace were able to be superimposed onto this new marketspace or were altogether redundant. The collapsing of time and space that Internet-based commerce enabled had huge implications for international trade. This case outlines the international implications of "doing business" on the Internet. While the issues of "multi-jurisdictional compliance" are wide ranging, an example in the case draws attention to the protection of intellectual property rights. In particular, issues related to the use of trademarks on Web sites, in hyperlinks or as metatags are raised, as are the implications for registered trademark owners in cyberspace.

One of the first companies to practice the highly touted business-to-consumer Internet business model, Dell entered the PC market with force and shook up the industry with its revolutionary, customer-oriented, streamlined distribution style. Selling PCs online was a natural progression to Dell's existing strategy; Dell realized this synergy early and was the first market entrant. This case tracks Dells' evolving business and industry and highlights its entry strategy for China.

Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand merged in July 1998, creating one of the world's largest full-service professional organizations. This case provides a study of how two major organizations are putting together a global knowledge base that would facilitate communication and coordination within the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) practice. Eventually, this knowledge base would be made available to PwC clients. Discusses the changes, issues, and challenges at PwC in building its Intranet, called KnowledgeCurve, a knowledge management system that incorporates all the assets (knowledge, people, skills) of the company to be utilized by the firm. In order for the organization to be successful, it is crucial for PwC to encourage the users to fully utilize the available resources and to contribute information to the KnowledgeCurve. At the time this case was written, PwC is in its initial stages of setting up its Global Knowledge Curve, which would ultimately serve the entire practice. The limitations in using the Global Knowledge Curve led to the creation of Knowledge Curve at each office level, which incorporates the knowledge base and information important to the local level.

Set in 2000, the case provides a comprehensive analysis of transportation logistics and FedEx's internal integrated logistics applications. FedEx demonstrates the shift from "physical" to "information and value-added services" in an e-commerce environment. An excellent scenario to discuss whether companies should focus on core competencies or seek vertical and forward integration to provide integrated services. Also addresses issues that companies face when they wish to transform themselves from a conventional to an e-business model.

Not content with nine million customers per day, Toshifumi Suzuki, the chairman and CEO of Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd., was looking for ways to attract more customers and more sales. Fascinated by the optimistic outlook on the growth of business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce in Japan, he contacted several prominent Japanese companies to explore the possibility of working together to launch the biggest B2C e-commerce web site in Japan. Suzuki knew that successfully launching and operating a B2C e-commerce business in Japan, known for its citizens' hesitancy to buy on-line, could be a big coup for him. His challenge now was to convince his would-be partners that he had a potentially successful and lucrative business model. Set in December 1999, this case is primarily about the aspiration of Suzuki to establish a business-to-consumer e-commerce venture targeted at Japanese consumers. Depicts the obstacles that he faces and the methods planned to overcome these obstacles.

Cold Storage, which operated a chain of 31 supermarkets located across the city-state of Singapore, was a well-established retail operation renowned for the quality of its fresh food. In June 1998, the company launched its supermarket services on the Internet in an effort to better serve its customers. Now in June 2000, Lester Quah, operations director at Cold Storage, had to evaluate the factors that helped its on-line shoppers to establish trust in its virtual store and the value of being a member of CaseTrust, a third-party trust accreditation scheme, for promoting its online e-tailing business.

In 1997, retail sales begain to slump for the Dairy Farm Group of Companies (DFG), a major food retailer based in Hong Kong with operations in many major cities in Asia Pacific. The Asian economic crisis of 1997 was one cause. However, another major cause was increasing competition from aggressive European and U.S. retail chains that were preparing to gain a foothold in the growing Asian market. DFG realized that to combat competition and retain its dominant position in Asia Pacific, it had to change its business strategy from that of "buying and selling" to "sensing and responding." The case investigates DFG's existing business systems and processes and looks at the possibilities of gaining competitive advantage, either by acquiring state of the art systems and technical infrastructure or through radical redesign of its critical business processes supported by technology.

Mercantile Bank of Australia, together with six other Australian banks, acquired a license to issue Smartex, a smart-card-based electronic cash system, in Australia. Australia had been a popular country for conducting smart-card trials because it possessed a sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure and a highly urbanized population that had demonstrated keenness toward adopting new technologies. The case examines the process used by Smartex licensees to develop and launch Smartex in Australia. Also, the second-generation Smartex chip, which has a multifunctional capability, will soon be available. How should the Smartex licensees promote this new chip to make use of its enhanced capability without confusing consumers?

In 1993, China's version of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) was launched, an "informatization" policy office was initiated, and actual implementation of the "information superhighway" begun. These actions distinguished China from much of the rest of the world, both developed and developing. The initiative was to be developed in three stages with the first stage to be completed by the year 2000, at which time the basics of the NII would be in place. By that time, the government expected to have established a high-speed communications platform covering the entire country. The platform would primarily support the "Golden series," a national economic information network, which included a variety of specific information service systems. Why and how was China able to develop and coordinate an NII initiative? Where would it encounter problems?

In May 1998, China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) launched its online market gateway, www.chinamarket.com. One month later, the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) announced a strategic venture with IBM to develop the central e-commerce platform for the country. With the central government promoting e-commerce as a means around domestic infrastructural bottlenecks such as transportation and distribution, the two initiatives were racing to become the gateway through which international e-commerce was "funnelled" into China. Given the open standards and the open access, which are a defining aspect of the growth of e-commerce, could China seriously expect to control the flow of e-commerce to such an extent?

Cathay Pacific's Data Centre, located in Hong Kong, had experienced an explosion and fire that disrupted normal business for 13 hours. In the search for a more secure location, the problems with finding suitable offices in Hong Kong were highlighted, while the benefits and advantages offered by other countries presented the company with the option of relocating the data center offshore.

In the 1980s, Australian Capital Territory Banking Corp. Ltd. (later known as "ACTDirect") identified the need to develop information systems to enhance the provision and delivery of its products and services. "ACTonline," an electronic banking system, was the bank's solution to meeting the challenges of continual technological change. By the latter part of the 1990s, however, fast and complex advances in technology changed the banking landscape. The new electronic marketplace presented a challenge to management--how best to market ACTonline in the electronic commerce environment?