BOOK REVIEW Mobile Commerce: Technology, Theory and Applications By Brian E. Mennecke &Troy J. Strader (editors.); ISBN 1591400449; Idea Group Publishing Reviewed by Mahesh S. Raisinghani, Ph.D., CEC, University of Dallas, Graduate School of Management Mobile commerce is the term applied to online financial transactions. This may be shopping, banking or brokerage using a mobile device. These devices are usually a phone or PDA. With new technology mobile commerce will soon be a part of everyday normal life. It promises to provide information anywhere and anytime. Also once the technologies have been developed and tested; they will be available easily and not considered a luxury. Like the Internet it promises to enhance the interaction between the business and consumer, and also make it easier at the same time. Without doubt m-commerce maybe in the near future but standardization and security are an issue to be dealt with. This may make it slower for businesses to adapt to mobile commerce. This book describes the unprecedented increase in the field of mobile commerce and its role and possibilities in the future. This book aims to update information, propose theories and also provide us with examples. Although this book is designed to reach a vast audience since it is easy to understand, . researchers, academics, developers and practitioners are its primary target. Despite the difficulties in implementing the views expressed in this book, it is a good source of new ideas that compel one to reflect about the enormous potential in the field of mobile commerce. This book is divided in to three sections. The first section deals with the latest in the field of m-commerce technology and is subdivided into six chapters. At the outset, the authors discuss the classic electronic commerce model that helps us understand the transition to the m-commerce model, to help the readers associate it with m-commerce. . According to the author location is often t important for users of m-commerce applications. Since a large number of topics address Location Based Services, the development, management, and access to LBS services is a subject of considerable debate. The book familiarizes us with the terminologies and concepts used with the wireless infrastructure. With technological innovations businesses have to keep pace and update their systems to work synchronously with the others. Section two is based on theories and emerging areas of research. It is divided into three broad sub-groups. The authors describe the economics, legal strategies and ethical issues in m-commerce. This section presents the reader with the relationship of the firm to the business environment and the investments needed to be successful in the domain of mobile commerce. The advent, development and the future of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and an insight is given on the impact of mobile commerce on business, their operations and designing consumer services. This section should be of particular interest to researchers since the focus is placed mainly on conceptual topics. Section three is the real life application of m-commerce in different industries and its specific impact on their functions. Four case studies are presented. Focus is placed on m-commerce in the automobile industry and the discussion is based mainly on applications in advertising, supply chain education and financial and information services. Overall this book offers information that can be integrated by managers to enrich their business. The authors have also provided us with a glossary on commonly used words in the context of m-commerce. With increasing competition and more consumer services offered using m- commerce, this is an area open for trial and research. From the technologies need to support mobile applications to the theory of successful m-commerce endeavors, the chapters in this book describe the necessary theoretical and practical components of utilizing, designing and implementing mobile technologies and mobile commerce. Reviewer Bio Dr. Mahesh S. Raisinghani, is a faculty member at the Graduate School of Management, University of Dallas, where he teaches MBA courses in Information Systems and E-Commerce, and serves as the Director of Research for the Center for Applied Information Technology. Dr. Raisinghani earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a Certified E-Commerce Consultant (CEC). Dr. Raisinghani was the recipient of the 1999 UD Presidential Award and the 2001 King Hagar Award for excellence in teaching, research and service. He has published in numerous leading scholarly and practitioner journals, presented at leading world-level scholarly conferences. Dr. Raisinghani is included in the millennium edition of Who's Who in the World, Who's Who Among America's Teachers and Who's Who in Information Technology.
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