As the Web paradigm shifted from the business-centered to user-centered one (this paradigm shift has become known as “Web 2.0”) it has become a Web platform as a method to quickly reach a large pool of consumers. Web 2.0 has changed the nature of a user from a content consumer to a content generator. While the pre-Web 2.0 era is characterized by read-only websites and proprietary web applications, Web 2.0 brought about a variety of interactive community-based initiatives that leverage data, harness distributed intelligence, and utilize a rich multimedia.
E-Business Applications for Product Development and Competitive Growth: Emerging Technologies is a comprehensive framework of knowledge provided by research and practitioner experts within the e-business research field. Emerging e-business theories, architectures, and technologies are outlined to stimulate information into research and business communities. This book will serve as an integrated e-business knowledge base for those who are interested in the advancement of e-business theory and practice through a variety of research methods including theoretical, experimental, case, and survey research methods.