Application of Information Society research results
Two books on electronic commerce research projects carried out within the framework of the EU's research programme in the field of Information Technologies (ESPRIT), have recently been published by the European Commission, DG III. These publications provide an overview of projects carried out and provide case studies of their practical application. The first publication on the transformation of business through technology is entitled "Twenty-one striking cases from technologies for business processes". This documents case studies of how European organisations and enterprises have adopted new ways of doing business, and describes the key issues to be addressed. The technical issues described illustrate a number of crucial aspects of the enabling technologies developed in a wide variety of business sectors, ranging from banking and finance to the food industry and transport. In addition, a section is devoted to technical and legal issues. The second publication, entitled "Accelerating electronic commerce in Europe", describes over 250 projects in the field of electronic commerce that were carried out during the Fourth RTD Framework Programme. The projects are grouped under different headings which cover the industrial sector, business process management, components and issues for electronic commerce, technical and legal issues and awareness. In addition, the book contains chapters on the impact of electronic commerce, project clusters, and the upcoming Fifth RTD Framework Programme.