Fairfield University economist's book on e-Commerce draws interest from China | Press Releases

After the publication of his book on e-Commerce four years ago, Dr. Edward Deak, professor of economics at Fairfield University, began to get queries from college professors in China, some of them very long and detailed. Now his publisher has addressed this interest by publishing the book in Chinese.

Dr. Deak wrote The Economics of e-Commerce and the Internet (Southwestern Thomson Learning) so the material would be accessible to the average reader. Unlike many books in the subject, it is not a "how to" book on setting up or running an internet business but rather an overview of the economics of the Internet. "It's a look at the strategies, successes, failures and some of the key e-Commerce firms, both business-to-consumer and business-to-business," he said.

The book was designed as a classroom text for educators who want to teach e-Commerce, and one section of the book specifically addresses the role of developing nations and how they might use the Internet to grow their economies faster. Another section considers the ever-timely issues of privacy and security. Dr. Deak also gives his readers some practical examples of what can happen to businesses involved in e-Commerce, including the failure of the grocery retailer Webvan and the unprecedented success of eBay.

Dr. Deak points out that UPS and FedEx make it possible for the Chinese - and anyone else - to conduct business all over the world. He estimates that while business to consumers is a thriving part of e-Commerce, about 20 times as much volume is business to business transactions. "The efficiencies and cost savings in commerce is of more interest from a business stand point."

As the Connecticut manager of the New England Economic Project in Boston, Mass., Dr. Deak issues a semi-annual forecast of the Connecticut economy and is frequently quoted in the media.