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In this issue:

* The Shrinking Workplace
* Hamburgers via Cell Phone
* The Hidden Costs of ERP
* Corporate Power Parks
* Smart Inspections of Printed Circuit Boards
* The Search for Winning Technologies
* Electronic Boneyards
* Brainstorming in Europe
* Toward Speedy Network Services
* Streetwise Marketing


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(Full text of SRIC-BI publications is available to
sponsoring clients only.  To find out if your company is a
sponsor, please visit http://www.sric-bi.com/info.shtml.)
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The Shrinking Workplace

Even before terrorists leveled the World Trade Center,
companies were beginning to question the wisdom of building
expensive, and vulnerable, large structures to house their
operations. In the increasingly digital world of work,
employees can set up shop anywhere from an airport lounge to
a park bench. Moreover, digital storage and remote databases
remove the need for centralized storage locations. (October
2001 Knowledge-Management Tools Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/KMT.shtml


Hamburgers via Cell Phone

Today, the cost of processing electronic payments for
fast-food purchases, taxi fares, and other small
transactions is too high for merchants to embrace everyday
payments via PCs, handheld devices, and a range of other
electronic devices. However, ongoing technology developments
will eventually make such transactions attractive to
merchants and consumers alike. (Electronic Payment Systems:
A Move to Mobile)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/ElectronicPaymt1101.shtml


The Hidden Costs of ERP

After a rush to invest in enterprise-resource-planning (ERP)
systems, some companies are disappointed in the performance
and returns of their systems. By considering hidden costs
such as those for labor, business-process changes,
integration and testing, and data warehousing and mining,
companies increase the odds of transforming ERP benefits
into competitive advantage. (Managing the Risks and Hidden
Costs of ERP)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B300.shtml#2348


Corporate Power Parks

As centralized energy grids sag under the strain of
increased demand, some companies are joining forces in
self-sufficient corporate power parks to assure a steady
supply of energy. Improvements in energy resources such as
fuel cells, solar power, and microturbines are paving the
way for this form of distributed power generation.
(Corporate Power Parks: Reliable Energy for Enterprises)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B300.shtml#2349


Smart Inspections of Printed Circuit Boards

Photon Dynamics has combined knowledge-based systems and
neural-networking technology to permit automatic inspection
of printed circuit boards. The neural networks eliminate the
need for users to program machine-vision systems with
explicit rules, and the knowledge-based component can supply
reasons for the hybrid systems' conclusions. (October 2001
Knowledge-Based Systems Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/KBS.shtml


The Search for Winning Technologies

Despite the near collapse of the new economy, large
companies, start-ups, and investors are still willing to
fund innovative technologies that promise long-term growth.
However, identifying and assessing the commercial prospects
of new technologies is tricky. Often, a clear understanding
of users' needs is a make-or-break requirement. (Strategic
Assessment of Innovative Technologies)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B300.shtml#2350


Electronic Boneyards

A waste heap of obsolete electronics products testifies to
the breakneck pace of technological advances. To deal with
the sheer mass of electronic debris and the potentially
harmful substances within devices, Europe, Japan, and the
United States are promulgating regulations for e-waste
management. (Managing Electronic Waste)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B300.shtml#2351


Brainstorming in Europe

Digital-rights-management technology tracks the distribution
and reuse of information, raising a host of issues of
interest to SRIC-BI analysts at a recent Scan meeting in
Europe. Attendees also explored the new centrality of work
in the lives of white-collar workers in many developed
countries. (Signals of Change: September 2001)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B300.shtml#2352


Toward Speedy Network Services

Mindspeed Technologies has unveiled a semiconductor
technology that will allow carriers to upgrade their
networks to 20 gigabits per second of bandwidth with two
times the effective data throughput than they can provide
now. Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks are among the
companies supporting the ring-processing-unit technology
that underlies Mindspeed's innovation. (October 2001
Fiber-Optic Communications Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/FOC.shtml


Streetwise Marketing

Consumers have begun tuning out the mishmash of media
messages that compete for their attention and are an
increasingly tough audience for ads. As a result, some
advertisers are bypassing traditional print and broadcast
media, taking to the Internet or to the street to court
trend-setting consumers and capitalize on word-of-mouth
channels. (Scan No. 2147: Reality-Based Marketing)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B300.shtml#scan


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Copyright 2001 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligence.