The founder and CEO of Siebel Systems, the world's leading provider of eBusiness software, reveals the eight principles of eBusiness that companies must master to succeed in today's economy.

How is IBM, one of the world's most complex business organizations, tying its many operations together to gain a unified view of its customers and present a unified view to its customers? How does Marriott International achieve its exceptional focus on guest satisfaction resulting in occupancy rates dramatically higher than the competition? How is WorldCom transforming itself from a long-distance telephone company into a provider of total communications solutions?

In Taking Care of eBusiness, Siebel System's founder, chairman, and CEO, Tom Siebel shows how these and other market leaders are applying information and communication technology to better understand and satisfy their customers. Thanks to today's eBusiness technology, organizations can conduct business in any way their customers want; anytime, anywhere, in any language and currency, and through any channel. In today's competitive climate, that ability, says Siebel, is no longer just an option; it is a matter of business survival.

The age of eBusiness is in truth the age of the customer. Today's empowered customers are able to switch to the competition with unprecedented ease and speed. Nothing is more critical for business success, therefore, than delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

While companies must still compete on price, product quality, and distribution, those factors alone are not enough to gain a competitive edge: Only organizations that can consistently satisfy and even anticipate their customers' needs will win the escalating battle for customer loyalty.

And Tom Siebel knows whereof he speaks. Siebel Systems is the world's leading provider of eBusiness applications software; the technology enabling many of the largest and best-known organizations to transform themselves into customer-focused eBusiness leaders. Based on his company's hands-on experience in implementing successful eBusiness systems, Siebel reveals the eight essential principles of eBusiness, and outlines a straightforward, five-step process any company can use to become an effective eBusiness.

Illustrated with detailed case studies that take an insider's look at the eBusiness strategies of companies such as Chase, Dow Chemical, Honeywell, Quick & Reilly, and others, Taking Care of eBusiness is nothing less than a manifesto for success in today's hypercompetitive marketplace.