Developed as a complement to the Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce, the Gale E-Commerce Sourcebook combines a variety of information including a directory listings of companies, services and government agencies related to e-commerce, to provide the most relevant e-commerce information and resources. The Sourcebook is organised in three sections: "How To" topics, directory information and a listing of the top 250 e-commerce companies worldwide. The "How To" topics section provides answers to the most common questions a budding entrepreneur or student may have about creating business and marketing plans, securing financing, establishing reasonable expectations, evaluating candidates for designed a web site and more. Directory listings include detailed information for organisations, agencies and companies related to a variety of subjects, from software creators to regulatory agencies. Each directory entry provides complete contact information, including URL, and a brief description of organisational activities. Profiles of the top e-business companies also include complete contact information, and feature a description of the type of business, annual revenue, number of employees and much more. Additional features include an introductory essay discussing the history of the Internet; a timeline of e-commerce developments; a master bibliography providing detailed further reading suggestions, both print and electronic; and a subject index to organisation names, personal names, industries and subject terms.