CORDIS Archive
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Brussels, 25-27 November, Congress Centre
OUTLINE INFORMATION
Electronic commerce encompasses a broad range of activities. The core component addresses the commercial transaction cycle. Electronic commerce includes the trading, using electronic means, of physical goods and services and of electronic material. Upstream and downstream of the transactions it also includes the advertising and promotion of products and services, the easign of contacts between traders, the provision of market intelligence, pre- and post-sales support, electronic procurement and other services, and support for shared business processes.
Covers distribution management and tracking for physical products, the actual distribution of products that can be delivered electronically, and the general impact of electronic commerce on logistics and the supply chain. Currently, the main examples of shared business processes occur between divisions of large organisations using private networks, though examples of independent companies enacting shared business processes over open networks are beginning to appear - "virtual" enterprises, that pool their skills and competences to offer products or services that are beyond their individual capabilities. Addresses the establishment of initial contact (for example between a potential customer and a potential supplier), and pre- and post-sales support - details of available products and services, technical guidance on product use, responding to customer queries, etc. Government plays a major role in stimulating the electronic commerce market. In a number of countries, targets have been set for public procurement on the basis of electronic commerce, as well as in some cases for the electronic handling of other business-to-administration and even consumer-to-administration transactions and services (such as those covering tax, customs and vehicle registration issues). Looks at examples of electronically mediated collaboration in the automotive and IT component industries.
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It was last updated on 9 August 1996, and is maintained by the Conference Secretariat - eitc96@dg3.cec.be