The authors, Prof. Frank Linde from Cologne University of Applied Sciences and Prof. Wolfgang G. Stock from the University of Düsseldorf, are recognised experts in information economics and information science. Some 600 pages provide comprehensive, multi-perspective access to the information market and to doing business with information or I-Commerce.

An informative book, written in an easily understandable style, the work is of interest to all who wish to learn more about the information market and to delve deeper into the subject. It is aimed above all at students from the fields of information science, information technology, business informatics, economic sciences, documentation or information science, computer linguistics, and librarianship.

The focal point of the clearly structured book, which features many illustrations, is an economic analysis of the information market. At the same time, the authors also concern themselves extensively with information sociology and political science, information law, and information ethics. "Our book examines highly topical phenomena such as Facebook, further Web 2.0 services (Flickr, YouTube etc.), as well as classical information services with economic, legal, and scientific information and also the software market", explains Prof. Stock.

"The role of online advertising is illustrated clearly, so that readers learn how Google, Facebook, and others earn their money", he continues. "The analyses demonstrate that management teaching must be adapted to the new opportunities offered by the Internet."

"This book develops and presents a new strategic model that includes an integrated picture of the options available to providers of information", emphasises Prof. Linde. "In addition to particular economic factors that characterise trade with information products, seven strategic variables are presented that play a decisive role in success in the market."

"Information Markets: A Strategic Guideline for I-Commerce" is the third and final volume in the series "An Introduction to Information Science". Following the more theoretically oriented works on information retrieval (Stock 2007) and knowledge representation (Stock/Stock 2008), the authors are now entering the field of applied information science with this analysis of the information market.

"Of particular importance to us", according to the authors, "is that we can achieve an optimum combination of two completely differing approaches to the subject of our investigation in the book - on the one hand economics and information science on the other - thus creating an interdisciplinary view of the information markets."

This book mainly deals with five research questions: What particularities are displayed by pieces of digital information as economic goods? In what environment (society, law, ethics) are information markets located? What digital goods are traded on information markets? What competitive strategies are pursued by providers on information markets? What role do piracy and the illegal information market play?




Buy Information Markets: A Strategic Guideline for the I-Commerce from the publisher De Gruyter Saur (also available as an ebook)