What are the advantages and disadvantages of selling books and goods over the internet?
A major disadvantage of the internet is personal privacy. Electronic transmissions sent over the internet can be easily tracked. When people surf the net, they are always giving personal information to web sites. People should become aware that the collection, selling, or sharing of the information they provide online increases the chances that their information will fall into the wrong hands (http://www.sciaga.pl/tekst/32289-33-internet_advantages_disadvantages).
These people can become a victim of identity theft with potentially devastating financial consequences.
Supply chain improvements. Big companies are starting to look at this one. They are interested in the whole supply chain, not just their supplier and their customer. The reason is that, the more people further up the chain who know about what the end user wants and is doing, and the more people further down the chain who know what is coming and when, the more efficient the supply chain (http://www.searchengineconsultants.co.uk/info_sheets/e_commerce.html).
2. If books can be downloaded online, how will Amazon's business change?
The Kindle is not just for books. Via the Amazon store, you can subscribe to newspapers (the Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Le Monde) and magazines (The Atlantic). When issues go to press, the virtual publications are automatically beamed into your Kindle (http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983/page/2). All sorts of information will soon be available for consumers. Price is the only concern; if Amazon and portable reading devices can be made reasonably priced, there is a market. How Amazon does business will change, especially books. Books will no longer have to be shipped to customers; thereby saving money. Storage and tracking of books in Amazon’s warehouses will be reduced. However, Amazon will most likely have to build up its storage and bandwidth to meet...