CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION:PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS 1
The Revolution in Process 2
Telecommunications as a Core Business Competency 3
Questions of Interest to Managers and Strategists 5
Staying Abreast of Current Developments 6
Reach and Range 6
Three Key Perspectives on Telecommunications 9
Further Reading 10
Questions for Review and Discussion 10
Summary 10
CHAPTER 2 TELECOMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS IN BUSINESS 12
Core Business Processes 13
Profile:Wal-Mart 14
Typical Second-Generation Applications 17
Profile:Integrating Project Management with Microsoft Applications 25
Profile:Contemporary Human Resources Departments 27
Enterprise Management 28
Further Reading 33
Summary 33
Questions for Review and Discussion 33
CASE STUDY:BOEING S USE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS TO DEVELOP THE 777 34
Analytic Tools:Value Chain Worksheet,Supply Chain Worksheet,and Three Cs Analysis 37
CHAPTER 3 THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUSINESS 41
The Core Industries 43
Convergence 50
Profile:Sprint-France Telecom-Deutsche Telekom 58
The Emerging Global Telecommunications Industry 59
Profile:The @Home Network 61
Summary 63
Questions for Review and Discussion 64
Further Reading 64
CASE STUDY:THE ORLANDO FULL SERVICE NETWORK 65
Analytic Tools:Driving Forces Analysis;Competitive Advantage in an Era of Hypercompetition 69
CHAPTER 4 GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS 73
Standard Setting and Regulation 74
The Interests of Regulators 76
Forms of Regulation 77
Profile:Telecommunications in Hong Kong 79
Profile:The Federal Communications Commission 81
The Dynamics of Deregulation 82
Profile:World Trade Organization Global Information Infrastructure Initiative 83
Effects of Deregulation in the United States 84
Profile:United Telecom(Sprint) 86
Summary 92
CASE STUDY:THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 93
Further Reading 93
Questions for Review and Discussion 93
Analytic Tools:Stakeholder Analysis;The Skopec Three-Phase Model 99
CHAPTER 5 NETWORK FUNDAMENTALS 102
Transportation Analogy 103
General Network Features 104
Applications and Signals 105
Terminals 107
Transmission Media 109
Profile:The Network PC 110
Efficient Use of Transmission Media 114
Switching and Routing 116
Architecture 117
Protocols 119
Summary 120
Questions for Review and Discussion 122
Further Reading 122
CHAPTER 6 THE PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK 123
Structure of the PSTN 124
Country Profiles 124
Specialized Business Services 128
New Uses for Old Wires 132
Profile:Competing ADSL Standards 134
Profile:Enhanced Telephones 135
Emerging Terminals 136
Summary 137
Questions for Review and Discussion 137
Further Reading 138
CASE STUDY:ISDN DEPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 138
Analytic Tools:Customer Segmentation;Price-Performance Analysis;Increasing Returns 141
CHAPTER 7 LOCAL AREA NETWORKS 145
LAN Generations 145
Logical Structure and Operation 147
Specialized LAN Devices 149
Profile:Cisco Systems 152
Ethernet 153
Current Developments 155
Profile:Alberta Energy Company 156
Summary 158
Questions for Review and Discussion 159
Further Reading 159
CASE STUDY:ROCKFORD CORPORATION 159
Analytic Tools:Network Demand Analysis;Justifying Network Improvements 162
CHAPTER 8 WIRELESS NETWORKS 165
Applications 167
Profile:T.G.I.Friday s 169
Profile:Bell Atlantic s Wireless Cable Operations 172
Profile:The Teledesic Vision 173
Architectures 174
Transmission Schemes 178
Summary 181
Questions for Review and Discussion 181
Further Reading 181
CASE STUDY:THE DEPLOYMENT OF PCS IN THE UNITED STATES 182
CHAPTER 9 THE INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE 185
Evolution of the Internet 187
Internet Services 190
Commercialization of the Internet 193
Profile:Electronic Data Gathering and Retrieval(EDGAR) 194
Profile:Internet Users 196
Profile:Personal Computer Financial Network(PCFN) 198
Profile:The Total Entertainment Network(TEN) 200
Concerns about Uses of the Internet 201
Summary 202
Questions for Review and Discussion 202
Further Reading 202
CASE STUDY:THE BLACKSBURG ELECTRONIC VILLAGE 203
Analytic Tool:Real Options 212
CHAPTER 10 EMERGING BUSINESS APPLICATIONS 215
Porter s Value Chain and New Applications 217
Telecommuting and Virtual Organizations 218
Profile:The Smart Valley Consortium 221
Promising New Business Telecommunications Applications 222
Profile:PictureTel 223
Audio and Video on the Internet 225
Profile:RealNetworks 226
Virtual Reality 228
Profile:The University of Washington Human Interface Technology(HIT)Lab 229
The Informedia Project 231
Summary 233
Questions for Review and Discussion 234
CASE STUDY:TELECOMMUTING AFTER THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY EARTHQUAKE 234
CHAPTER 11 CAPITALIZING ON NEW REALITIES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS 236
Business Process Reengineering 237
Business Process Reengineering in Telecommunications 239
Telecommunications and the Knowledge Economy 242
Profile:First World 243
Summary 250
Questions for Review and Discussion 250
Further Reading 251
CASE STUDY:TELECOM ITALIA-A COMPLEX SERVICE PROVISIONING PROCESS 251
Analytic Tools:Knowledge Gap Assessment;Return on Knowledge 256
CHAPTER 12 RESHAPING OUR WORLD 262
Business Trends 263
Information Technology Trends 267
Telecommunications Industry Trends 271
Social Trends 275
Questions for Review and Discussion 279
Further Reading 279
APPENDIX 1:GUIDE TO CASE ANALYSIS 280
Steps in Case Analysis 281
Preparing Written and Oral Presentations 282
Working with a Case Team 283
APPENDIX 2:USING THE INTERNET TO EXPAND YOUR RESOURCES 285
INDEX 286