Title: the Rhetorics of the E-business-"revolution"

ABSTRACT: It is shown that the "new economy" was propagated as an economic revolution. The paper explores the processes through which "E-Business" was conceived as an economic revolution rather than yet another technological innovation. Drawing on research on popular management concepts, it is suggested that proponents of "E-Business" were partly successful because they effectively used mechanisms of popularisation which had been well developed before for the purpose of disseminating popular management concepts. For a German context, it is shown that the same actors have been involved in the propagation of "E-Business" which have previously been identified as active participants in the dissemination of popular management concepts. These actors have furthermore used the same mechanisms for the popularisation of E-Business. A rhetorical analysis of management writings on E-Business reveals that these writings exhibit the same rhetorical elements which are characteristic for popular management concepts. It is therefore suggested that the perception of E-Business as an economic revolution stems partly from its successful propagation. Implications for both the further role of E-Business within management studies and the understanding of popular management concepts are discussed.