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Insights
The fastest-growing segment of the speech-recognition market is telephony-based speech-recognition systems. Now telephony-based speech recognition is extending to the Internet. Electronic commerce is flourishing, and many companies would like to make telephone access to Web information ubiquitous. Recent advances in speech-recognition technology-including natural-language and interactive-dialogue processing, speaker-independent speech recognition, speaker verification, multilingual text-to-speech synthesis, barge-in options, and keyword and phrase spotting-have made it possible to use the telephone to search the Web. A number of companies-including Motorola, Nuance Communications, AT&T, IBM, and Lucent-have introduced initiatives and technologies that will allow users to access Internet content using a wireless or wireline telephone and their voice. Voice browsers can help companies find a greater return on their Internet investments by reducing costs and providing an additional distribution channel-the telephone-through which they can reach consumers. The drive toward integration will facilitate consumer access to Web-based content and information, especially time-sensitive content, and extend the reach of Web content providers. The type of content that would benefit the most from these types of efforts is real-time high-value information such as flight information, weather information, and stock quotes. Author: Cecilia M. Gorriz. 14 pages. Index Keywords: Communications; Electronic Commerce; Internet; Mobile Communications; Telecommunications.
Virtual-reality (VR) technology may proffer the distant fantasy (or fear) of fully immersive environments in which visual, auditory, and haptic stimuli combine to delude users into the perception of real environments. But for the present, at least, VR's greatest contribution is likely to be more modest: the introduction of desktop 3-D (three dimensionality) to electronic commerce. Desktop 3-D-a range of technologies for manipulation of 3-D images on a personal computer-promises to transform several sectors of e-commerce that have so far struggled to advance because of the limitations of a two-dimensional Web experience. Already, e-commerce pioneers are applying immersive imaging and other types of desktop 3-D to enhance the sale of apparel, real estate, and travel and entertainment services on the Web. Meanwhile, innovations that leverage the Web's newfound ability to deliver 3-D content are also evident among brick-and-mortar retailers. This study assesses the status and outlook for desktop 3-D and concludes that the Web is no longer flat. Author: Paul R. Merlyn. 17 pages. Index Keywords: Electronic Commerce; Imaging Technology; Internet Technologies; Retail Trade; Virtual Reality.
Efficient teamwork is a primary source of competitive advantage in the growing knowledge economy. Just as the old railroads set limits for today's train speeds, old understanding and habits about how to interact become an inhibiting factor for successful teamwork in a world characterized by increasingly ubiquitous communication. A range of factors results in the need for teams put together across departments, disciplines, and geographic locations. Organizing and managing such teams is no easy task. This study addresses the variety of issues in this task and explores how organizations systematically can educate project managers and teams and create an interaction infrastructure that can facilitate effective communication within and between all teams, whether they are collocated or distributed teams. The study explores the factors in intra- and interteam communication and describes an implementation process based on an analysis of how an organization's teams work. That process leads to an understanding of needs and current problems and the establishment of a team support structure with guidelines, training, trained experts, and the construction of a seamless integrated toolbox of communication tools that fit with the organization's work practices. Author: Greger V. Teigre. 21 pages. Index Keywords: Communications; Information Technology; Internet Technologies; Knowledge Management.
Although the method of defining and categorizing small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) varies dramatically depending on which source one consults, SMEs no doubt constitute a large part of economic activity throughout the world. The inevitable implementation of e-commerce technologies and strategies by SMEs represents a huge market for a variety of supporting industries supplying both products and services for e-commerce. Even though SMEs spend less per employee than large firms, because of their sheer numbers SMEs account for the majority of spending on information technology. Some analysts claim that SMEs had an 80% share of the roughly $250 billion information-technology market in 1998. This study, based on a presentation by Senior Industry Analyst David Rader, discusses how e-commerce will come to the world of SMEs. Rader identifies barriers to access, investment costs, and which industries will see early implementation. Although Internet use among small companies lags that of large companies, the proportion of investment that SMEs put into business-to-business e-commerce compared to business-to-consumer e-commerce will resemble implementation patterns in large companies-investment in business-to-business enablers will far outstrip investments in business-to-consumer efforts. Author: David Rader. 10 pages. Index Keywords: Communications; Electronic Commerce; Internet; Intranet; Logistics; Telecommunications.
Solid-state technology has been the subject of international scientific and industrial interest for a number of years, resulting in a wealth of experimental knowledge in the technology's research and development. A cornerstone of the research has been the development of polymer electrolytes-electroactive materials capable of ion conduction in their solid state. Polymer electrolytes-as opposed to liquid electrolyte conductors that see use in conventional batteries and capacitors-have the potential to enable a whole new generation of solid-state devices, ranging from advanced batteries for consumer electronics and electric vehicles to advanced capacitors and smart glass displays. This study briefly introduces polymer electrolyte science and details the issues and markets that the industry and the academic world are addressing, including those areas that require more active attention if the science is to achieve its full commercial potential. The final section provides estimates of the timing and commercial maturity of polymer electrolyte-based devices by application. Authors: Anthony Despotakis and Rosamund Gee. 22 pages. Index Keywords: Aerospace; Automotive Industry; Electric Power; Electronics Components; Energy Storage; Materials Technology.
Wild cards are ideas and events well off the current trend lines in the business environment. They are the seeds of innovation, and the Business Intelligence Program (B-I-P) specializes in identifying them with its Scan process. This study reviews topics, trends, and discontinuities in the business environment that B-I-P researchers surfaced at B-I-P's Scan meeting of 17 November 1999. Topics are various: The mass-customization, made-to-order-manufacturing bandwagon is open for business, and all sorts of companies are jumping on-but some had better look before they leap. Now is the time to start thinking about the effects (on your business, your business model, your industry, the economy) of the Internet's driving transaction costs toward zero. (Sorry, no pat answers.) Some traditional forms of authority are in for a bruising as consumers turn to distributed-trust networks on the Internet for product ratings, reviews, and recommendations. The learning industry continues to be an interesting place as companies gear up to teach their customers as well as their employees, Canada contemplates education as an export, college admissions go frictionless as colleges accept tuition bids from students over the Internet, a Web site offers students up to $400 for lecture notes for public posting, and Virginia Tech sets up a 58 000-square-foot, 1600-student math class. Author: Kermit M. Patton. 11 pages. Index Keywords: Innovation; Strategic Planning. News The summaries below describe current activities and programs not included in the B-I-P membership but of potential interest to members. Two New Reports from Media Futures The Media Futures (MF) multiclient program has two new reports. Online and On-Land: Consumer-Electronics Retailing examines the impact of Internet retailing on the distribution of electronic products to consumers. Besides providing new shopping options for consumers, increasing online sales of consumer-electronics products are forcing both retailers and manufacturers to develop new strategies for online and on-land marketing and distribution of these products to maintain market share and take advantage of new revenue opportunities. Voice and Data at the Crossroads examines the impact of a disruptive technology on the telecommunications industry, its suppliers, and its business and residential customers. The growing influence of one of the Internet's key component technologies-voice over Internet protocol (VOIP)-causes the business rules for telephone companies to resemble the business rules for the greater Internet. At first, VOIP will be invisible to most end users, but over time, information technology will increasingly enrich the voice-communications experience. For more information about the MF multiclient program, telephone: |
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