Q&A: Don Tapscott

Are you geared up to compete in the new Digital Economy-the computerized business world? "Businesses that aren't will be toast," warns Don Tapscott, author of The Digital Economy (McGraw Hill), a book that's long held a place on bestseller lists.

Tapscott's message is double-edged, packed with promise and peril. He tells us that the old, industrial economy-based on corporate behemoths-is history. A new, global business marketplace is emerging, one based on networked computers-that is, millions of computers linked together via phone lines and the Internet. That's created real promise for small business, according to Tapscott, who sees the future belonging to lean, fast-moving entrepreneurial companies.