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In this issue:

* Digital Payments
* The Limits of Cyberspace
* Consumer Acceptance of New Technologies
* Broadband at Home
* The Business Environment to 2007
* MacroMonitor Proposal
* Fuel-Cell Vehicles
* Wearable Computers
* Innovation via the Internet
* eLearning in Europe
* Brainstorming Session in London
* Microflies
* Themes in Digital Distribution


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(Full text of SRIC-BI publications is available to sponsoring 
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Digital Payments

Three main digital methods of payment have found their way 
into Internet transactions: credit payments, direct debit online, 
and digital cash. So far, however, such digital payments are a 
small subset of electronic payments. To lure customers and 
merchants from traditional forms of payment, digital-payment 
schemes will have to offer convenience, security, and low cost. 
(Digital Payments: Instruments, Applications, and Systems)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B309.shtml - 2393


The Limits of Cyberspace

Government actions to regulate Internet activity are beginning 
to infringe on the theoretically borderless world of cyberspace. 
Local laws in China, France, Canada, Japan, and elsewhere--along 
with international conventions--are complicating the efforts of 
Internet-commerce players to operate internationally.  (August 
2002 Internet Commerce Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/IC.shtml


Consumer Acceptance of New Technologies

As makers of genetically modified foods have learned, consumers' 
attitudes toward new biotechnologies can make or break markets. 
Companies introducing new technologies are wise to explore the 
long-neglected realm of consumer attitudes, recognizing that not 
all consumers are alike and that people's reactions to 
technologies change over time. (Public Opinion and Emerging 
Technologies: The Example of GM Foods)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B309.shtml - 2394


Broadband at Home

By early 2006, some 100 million households around the world 
will likely have broadband home Internet services. However, 
broadband services will coexist with, not replace, radio, TV, 
movies, packaged music, video, and games. Studios, aggregators, 
and others will enjoy new possibilities for distribution and 
promotion but will also fight against unauthorized copying and 
seek to keep audiences from straying to other pastimes. (Content 
and Applications for Broadband Home Internet)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/ContentApps0702.shtml


The Business Environment to 2007

In light of the high level of uncertainty in today's business 
environment, the latest issue of Scan departs from its usual 
format to take a broad look at the developments that will shape 
the business scene in the next five years. The issue focuses on 
four critical areas: management, technology, the political economy, 
and consumers. (Scan No. 2151, Third Quarter 2002)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/ScanTOC/S2151m.shtml


MacroMonitor Proposal

The past two years have seen tremors in the economy, dips in 
the stock market, a devastating terrorist attack, and loss of 
trust in financial institutions, financial professionals, company 
executives, and government regulators. For these reasons, the 
2002-03 MacroMonitor survey and analysis of consumers' financial 
attitudes and behaviors will be critically important to financial-
services companies, highlighting departures from the patterns of 
the past two decades that may call for changes in their businesses. 
(2002-03 MacroMonitor Proposal)
http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/announcements.shtml


Fuel-Cell Vehicles

Several car companies have announced that they will bring 
fuel-cell vehicles to market earlier than they expected--some as 
early as this year. Though the first product launches will be 
more like expanded test programs than true commercial 
introductions, industry players suggest that 300 to 500 fuel-
cell-powered cars could be available between 2003 and 2005. 
(August 2002 Fuel Cells 
Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/FC.shtml


Wearable Computers

Workers and soldiers who need their hands free to perform tasks 
can now wear their computers as part of their clothing or as 
accessories that strap or attach to their bodies.  Mainstream 
consumers still favor their desktop and laptop computers but will 
eventually welcome wearables, some of which will even be in the 
form of surgically implanted devices.  (Wearable Computers)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B309.shtml - 2392


Innovation via the Internet

Services for outsourcing innovation processes have recently 
emerged to capitalize on the Internet's ability to enable new 
types of alliances. By outsourcing innovation, companies can 
improve their R&D, tap into ready-made solutions outside the 
company, and gain access to a rich and growing pool of knowledge 
and creativity. (Internet Models for Innovation)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B309.shtml - 2395


eLearning in Europe

Although the pace of new orders has slowed for most eLearning 
vendors in Europe, some companies, especially small custom-content 
players, report relatively strong demand for their services. 
Moreover, the public sector is bolstering demand in many countries. 
Among the problems facing European vendors in the near term are a 
scarcity of venture capital and inflated user expectations as a 
result of industry hype. (LoD Bulletin, Second Quarter 2002)
http://www.sric-bi.com/LoD/bulletins.shtml


Brainstorming Session in London

At a recent Scan meeting in London, analysts looked at the latest 
signals of change in several areas, including increased use of 
cross-functional teams to meet corporate challenges and companies' 
disappointment in customer-relationship management as a tool for 
retaining customers and lowering operating costs. Another 
discussion focused on the pros and cons of doing business in China. 
(Signals of Change: May 2002)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B309.shtml - 2396


Microflies

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are 
using pioneering biological work to help them develop robot 
flies. The tiny robots--Microflies--cannot fly yet but can 
accurately mimic the wing movement of flies and will probably 
be able to hover in the air by the end of 2003. The government 
is helping fund the research, hoping that the Microflies might 
someday act as miniature robotic spies. (August 2002 Robotics 
Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/ROBO.shtml


Themes in Digital Distribution

The world of online music is a microcosm of the increasingly 
complex world of digital content management and distribution. 
Distribution has become highly fragmented, with music going out 
over numerous authorized and unauthorized digital channels. Though 
consumers are currently unwilling to pay for online music services, 
the right business model could find a robust opportunity for paid 
services. (Digital-Distribution Dilemmas: Online Music)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/DigDistrib-Music0702.shtml


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Copyright 2002 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligence.