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In this issue:

* A Looming Problem for Industrial Energy Users
* Talking Computers
* ERP in Perspective
* A Bright Future for Protein Chips
* New Momentum for Hosted eLearning
* Privacy Policies That Build Brand
* E-Finance for the Masses
* Moment of Truth for TV Advertisers
* eLearning Alliances and Technologies


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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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A Looming Problem for Industrial Energy Users

With changeable regulatory environments around the world,
aging infrastructures, and new energy-generation technologies, 
companies are hard pressed to predict future energy costs. To 
maintain strategic flexibility, industrial energy users need 
to monitor changes in energy transmission and distribution and 
come up with creative energy-procurement strategies. (Electricity 
and Natural-Gas Economics: New Cost Dynamics for Industry)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B302.shtml#R855


Talking Computers

Talking computers like HAL in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey
may not be a reality yet, but computer speech is rapidly
finding its way into products ranging from voice portals to
customer-service call centers and in-vehicle systems. Though
speech technology can reduce costs and speed access to
information, it is not a universal solution.  The key is to
use it appropriately. (Speech Technology)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B302.shtml#2358


ERP in Perspective

In the late 1990s, companies spent more than $23 billion per
year on enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) systems. Yet only
one-third of chief financial officers measure the returns on
these massive investments. Solid metrics and a body of best
practices are essential to make the most of ERP and to give
companies bargaining power when negotiating ERP-system
purchases or upgrades. (Making the Most of ERP: ROI,
Bargaining Power, and Best Practices)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B302.shtml#2359


A Bright Future for Protein Chips

Protein arrays, or protein chips, are among the
protein-analysis approaches with the greatest promise to
help researchers study the expression of proteins in
specific diseases. Despite formidable technical hurdles,
scientists have strong incentive to move forward with
protein chips, which could enjoy a $500 million market by
2006. (Protein Chips: Next-Generation Microarray
Development)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B302.shtml#2360


New Momentum for Hosted eLearning

Organizations of all sizes have begun embracing
hosted-eLearning services, either because they lack the
resources to manage eLearning architectures themselves or
because they appreciate the ability to adopt "preintegrated"
comprehensive solutions. A range of providers have entered
the fray, hoping to allay fears about security breaches and
expand the market. (Evolving Business Models in eLearning,
Volume 1)
http://www.sric-bi.com/LoD/summaries/LoDRpt08.shtml


Privacy Policies that Build Brand

Many online businesses invest considerable time and money
developing privacy policies, only to bury their privacy
statements in the fine print on their Web sites. Such
companies miss an excellent opportunity to present their
privacy policies in creative, accessible ways that instill
consumer trust and build brand. (Leveraging Privacy Policies
to Build Brand)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B302.shtml#2361


E-Finance for the Masses

Spooked by recent anthrax attacks by mail, consumers may be
more willing to conduct financial transactions online.
Moreover, financial-services companies have much to gain if
their customers go digital: an immediate reduction in the
cost of processing paper documents and more energy to
improve customer service and market higher-revenue products
and services. (E-Finance: Critical Mass for the Digital
Masses)
http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/MRsummaries/MR.V-6.shtml


Moment of Truth for TV Advertisers

As TV viewers fast-forward past commercials and choose from
an increasing array of channels, TV advertisers are getting
less bang for their buck. Instead of pursuing the largest
audience, as they have in the past, advertisers now need to
target ads to specific audiences to maintain revenue flows.
(Targeted Television)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/TargetedTV0102.shtml


eLearning Alliances and Technologies

In the fragmented eLearning market, vendors are joining
forces so that they can offer a semblance of
interoperability to customers. eLearning technologies are
also evolving, with learning-object approaches giving rise
to a new category of eLearning technology: the
learning-content-management system. (Evolving Business
Models in eLearning, Volume 2)
http://www.sric-bi.com/LoD/summaries/LoDRpt09.shtml


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Copyright 2002 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligenc.