This thesis concerns the development of a stage model to aid Internet portal managers in launching and managing their portals.
Based on an initiating problem concerning the failure of many Internet portals, a pre-analysis of portal management in the network economy is preformed by exploring relevant research and examples of actual portals.
This pre-analysis reveals the lack of one simple and straightforward tool to aid portal managers in launching and managing Internet portals in the network economy.
A stage model suggested by Damsgaard is explicated and refined and the result is a model to aid Internet portal managers succeed in the network economy. This model illuminates the challenges and crises that should be handled in each of the stages. In addition, such considerations as building and entrenching an installed base and choosing the right competitive strategy are considered. The main characteristics and recommen-dations of each phase is condensed in four tables that make the model easier and simpler to use.
The thesis concludes that the developed model, in a satisfactory fashion, incorporates the theories that are most significant to managers launching Internet portals and thus the model is a good tool for portal managers.