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Insights
The "24-hour society" has become a media buzzword, originating in the United States and recently surfacing in selected parts of Europe. The buzzword encompasses a number of definitions, with interpretations varying by industry sector and even by country. In consumer services, the phrase could mean "access to services outside traditional hours," whereas in retail, the 24-hour society takes the form of "open around the clock." For employers, the 24-hour society translates into the removal of the 9-to-5 office routine or an increase in shiftwork. Whatever the definition, one element is common throughout: the increasing importance of providing greater flexibility and convenience to customers, clients, and employees. This study looks at both the drivers and the manifestations of the 24-hour society in Europe, from its emergence in the retail sector to its development through technology. It focuses on the contribution that work is making toward creating the 24-hour society, as the workweek becomes longer and employees increasingly shift their work schedule to outside the traditional 9-to-5 routine. In addressing the emergence of a 24-hour society in Europe the author also explores the factors, cultural and regulatory, that may limit its adoption in Europe. Author: Samantha Blighe. 11 pages. Index Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Entertainment Industries; Retail Trade; Service Industries.
Telecommunications infrastructure providers and cellular carriers are on the verge of deploying new wireless technology that theoretically will modify and enhance the way business takes place in today's world. The third generation (3G) of mobile cellular technology promises wireless data services at yet unseen capabilities: always-connected functionality plus streaming audio and video at download speeds between 144 kilobits per second and 2 megabits per second. However, recent media hype has raised user expectations for the performance capabilities and timing of deployment to what may be unreasonable levels. Wireless-data service carriers face several hurdles and must solve a multitude of problems to achieve widespread adoption. The problems will affect U.S. businesses planning to use 3G wireless-data services. When it arrives, high-speed wireless-data service will enable a distributed workforce, help reduce sales and operating costs, extend business services to a wider range of customers, and create new business opportunities. The hurdles that carriers face will present major challenges, however. Carriers will need to pass on the cost of expensive network deployment to their customers. No killer application for 3G services has yet emerged. Technical and infrastructure problems are littered along these carriers' roadmaps. If carriers move slowly and stay with improved services in the United States instead of launching into 3G services straightaway, they may avoid market and financial disaster. But if the current hype continues, and carriers deploy without solving their problems, businesses should be wary of depending on the availability of reliable, robust 3G wireless-data services. This study describes the obstacles to next-generation wireless technologies in the United States, the challenges facing the U.S. wireless industry, and the factors that businesses should monitor to develop a practical strategy for implementation. Authors: David Benson and Carolyn E. Sleeth. 15 pages. Index Keywords: Communications; Internet Technologies; Mobile Communications; Telecommunications.
The European Union's (EU's) Data Protection Directive is a major contributing factor to the rise of online consumer privacy standards all over the world. The EU Directive requires all firms that access information about Europeans to meet the EU's strict privacy standards. Inspired by the threat of losing access to the EU's 360 million consumers, the need to be competitive in a global marketplace, and the desire to reap the benefits of a growing e-commerce market, governments are embracing the EU's dictum and overhauling their data-protection laws. Legislators are requiring businesses to adapt their customer-service systems, marketing practices, financial processing systems, privacy policies, and Web sites to accommodate new and stricter global data-protection legislation. This study explores the longevity and intensity of consumer privacy concerns, as well as the threats and opportunities for businesses if this trend toward increased consumer privacy protection continues. Author: Paula Lubreski. 13 pages. Index Keywords: Data Management, European Union, Global Operations, Internet.
After dot-coms alerted today's brick-and-mortar companies to electronic commerce's (e-commerce's) potential, many companies began implementing "an e-commerce strategy." In fact, one strategy may not be enough, depending on the company's e-commerce goals, the nature of the markets in which it participates, or its customer relationships. Although e-commerce can place pressure on suppliers to lower their costs or lose business to rivals, most companies are buyers and sellers. Early e-commerce adopters hope that their initiatives will reduce their costs before their margins decrease. Conventional companies may find it difficult to resist the temptation to gloat as the market valuations for many dot-coms drop and some dot-coms even go bankrupt, but e-marketplaces may still have an important role to play in a company's overall e-commerce strategy. Although many companies are reluctant to offer their goods through exchanges because they fear that their margins will erode, customer pull may make resistance futile. If a key account elects to make its next purchase in an online auction, a supplier may have little choice but to participate. Author: Barbara Heydorn. 16 pages. Index Keywords: Electronic Commerce, Strategic Planning.
When electronic-health (e-health) companies first began to harness Internet technology to provide health information and services, the stock market valued some of these fledgling players more highly than it did long-standing blue-chip companies. Since those heady days, however, the e-health industry has seen a reversal of fortunes. High-profile WebMD stumbled in its effort to build cross-industry knowledge connections in health care, as did numerous other players that sought to feed consumers' appetite for online health information. The industry's current malaise most likely stems more from a loss of direction than from abandonment of the e-health market, however. A second generation of e-health companies is attempting to avoid the unrealistic expectations of its predecessors and is looking for more effective business models. In the coming phase of industry development, companies are eschewing models that rely solely on advertising from industry participants to support information sites for health consumers. Instead, they are looking for ways to meet the needs of revenue-generating customers such as physicians' offices and pharmaceutical companies. Among the signs that e-health opportunities will revive are offerings of seed money from major players like Merck, which has set up a $100 million venture fund to explore electronic approaches to commercialization, distribution, and delivery of pharmaceuticals. Given the complexity of the health-care system, no one player can hope to pull off a fully integrated, broad-based strategy. Thus, establishing connections between key industry players will be a critical step toward building sustainable e-health business models. Author: Andrew Broderick. 14 pages. Index Keywords: Computer Services; Electronic Commerce; Health Care; Internet; Pharmaceutical Industry. Scan
The rapid expansion of the World Wide Web is outpacing our ability to make sense of the information that we're putting on it. The Web is becoming a Tower of Babel--a morass of undifferentiated, unnavigable data that requires inordinate effort on the part of users to extract meaning or utility. Tools such as the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the resource description framework (RDF) provide mechanisms for establishing shared meaning across disparate databases and applications, but only in limited domains. Tim Berners-Lee, the developer of the original Web information architecture, has a proposal to deal with the problem. He calls his vision the Semantic Web. By attaching machine-readable code to the information we put on the Web, he hopes to harness the power of the computer to sort, differentiate, manipulate, and transform the information. Digital signatures will provide the means to filter content for quality automatically. Publicly available deductive programs will allow the Web to manipulate and transform the data on behalf of users. The Semantic Web will be a more meaningful place than the current Web to conduct business, communicate, learn, and play. News The summaries below describe current activities and programs not included in the B-I-P membership but of potential interest to members. VALS™ LeadingEdge 2001 Survey It's easy to say that the Internet and other communication technologies are changing consumers' work and personal lives. But consumers are not all alike. Some consumers enthusiastically embrace new products and services, effortlessly integrating them into their lives. Others lag behind in the adoption process because of fear, cost, or lack of perceived value. The VALS™ LeadingEdge 2001 survey will investigate how different consumer types use the Internet, computers, and a variety of other media devices, including cell phones, pagers, and video devices. The VALS consumer segmentation system divides Americans into eight psychologically distinct groups. Knowing who uses different kinds of media and why will enable companies to design, position, advertise, and distribute their products and serve their customers more effectively. Forms are now available to order the VALS™ LeadingEdge 2001 survey. For more information about LeadingEdge 2001, contact Carrie Hollenberg; telephone: |
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