Effective web presence solutions for small businesses : strategies for successful implementation

Over the past several years, a great deal of research has been devoted to the use of information technology by small businesses. One technological tool now used to boost company success is Web presence enhancement in alignment with business strategy. ""Effective Web Presence Solutions for Small Businesses: Strategies for Successful Implementation"" is the first book to provide small businesses with a holistic approach to implementing their Web presence through identification of Web site content that matches their business strategy. A valuable read for small business owners as well as academicians and researchers, this book connects the various issues involved in the planning and execution of successful Web sites for small businesses.

• Foreword p. ix
• Preface p. xiii
• Section I Setting the Scene
• Chapter I Introduction p. 1
• Preamble p. 1
• This Book p. 2
• Small Business Web Presence p. 3
• Other Tools for Small Business p. 9
• Our Previous Studies p. 18
• Other International Studies p. 23
• Conclusion p. 23
• References p. 23
• Chapter II Web Presence Lessons for Small Businesses p. 27
• Introduction p. 27
• At the Start: Web Presence Readiness p. 28
• Business Strategy and Planning p. 31
• Web Presence Strategy and Content p. 34
• Web Presence Hosting p. 36
• Website Design p. 39
• Web Presence Promotion p. 42
• Web Presence Governance p. 44
• Evaluating Web Presence Success p. 47
• Conclusion p. 49
• References p. 49
• Section II Readiness, Business Aims and Planning
• Chapter III Readiness for a Web Presence p. 52
• Introduction p. 52
• Small Business Web Presence p. 53
• Identifying Factors for Readiness p. 56
• Organisational Readiness p. 60
• Our Previous Studies p. 68
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 74
• Conclusion p. 74
• References p. 76
• Chapter IV Business Strategy and Planning p. 78
• Introduction p. 78
• Competitive Forces p. 79
• Business Strategy p. 81
• ICT Investment Appraisal p. 87
• Determining Business Strategy p. 89
• Knowing How the Business is Placed p. 91
• Our Previous Studies p. 98
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 107
• Conclusion p. 107
• References p. 109
• Section III Web Presence Implementation and Evaluation
• Chapter V Web Presence Strategy and Content p. 113
• Introduction p. 113
• Web Presence Strategy p. 114
• Determining Website Content p. 116
• Maintaining Web Presence Content p. 120
• Our Previous Studies p. 122
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 132
• Conclusion p. 132
• References p. 132
• Appendix: More on Website Features p. 134
• Chapter VI Web Presence Hosting p. 141
• Introduction p. 141
• Web Presence Options p. 142
• Hosting, Building, and Maintaining a Website p. 145
• The 'Extended' Web p. 152
• Our Previous Studies p. 156
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 160
• Conclusion p. 161
• References p. 161
• Appendix: Different Types of Internet Connections p. 164
• Chapter VII Website Design p. 168
• Introduction p. 168
• Background p. 169
• Other Studies p. 185
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 188
• Conclusion p. 188
• References p. 190
• Appendix A Features of XHTML p. 194
• Appendix B Web Content Accessibility Guidelines p. 194
• Appendix C Dublin Core Metadata Elements p. 195
• Chapter VIII Web Presence Promotion p. 197
• Introduction p. 197
• Approaches to Web Presence Promotion p. 198
• A Case in Hand: The E-Newsletter p. 208
• Summary thus Far p. 213
• Our Previous Studies p. 214
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 221
• Conclusion p. 221
• References p. 221
• Chapter IX Web Presence Governance p. 223
• Introduction p. 223
• Corporate Governance p. 224
• Cultural Diversity and Web Presence p. 226
• Business Continuity Management p. 229
• Security and Control p. 234
• Balancing the Risks p. 242
• Privacy p. 243
• Our Previous Studies p. 245
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 249
• Conclusion p. 249
• References p. 251
• Chapter X Evaluating Web Presence Success p. 253
• Introduction p. 253
• Think about Web Presence Success Early p. 254
• ICT Evaluation p. 254
• Measuring Web Presence Success p. 263
• Our Previous Studies p. 266
• Tenets - Lessons from the Chapter p. 271
• Conclusion p. 271
• References p. 272
• Section IV Epilogue
• Chapter XI A Look at the Future p. 275
• Introduction p. 275
• Web 2.0 p. 277
• Virtual Worlds p. 281
• Web Services p. 283
• Mobile Devices and the Web p. 286
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) p. 289
• The Semantic Web p. 291
• Small Business Collaboration and Web Presence p. 293
• People Issues When Considering Emerging Web Presence in Future p. 294
• Tenets - Future Lessons from the Chapter p. 296
• Conclusion p. 296
• References p. 298
• Appendix What Led us Here? p. 302
• Introduction p. 302
• Our PHDs p. 302
• Conclusion p. 320
• References p. 320
• About the Authors p. 322
• Index p. 324