smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Patricia Hewitt, previously E-commerce Minister but now Secretary of State for the DTI, has put her political weight behind a series of research reports that aims to assess the impact of e-commerce across a host of business sectors.

The reports, which are being carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) under commission from the DTI, will hope to discover why some companies have been able to exploit e-commerce more effectively than others. As part of the process, PWC will conduct a series of in-depth phone interviews with businesses, their suppliers and their customers.

One of the DTI's chief concerns is the effect that a series of well-documented failures (such as boo.com and thestreet.co.uk) may have had on perceptions of what e-commerce is. Hewitt says she believes the reports will unveil a wealth of information on the opportunities available to business, the progress that has been made and the barriers and threats businesses face using e-commerce. Her hope is that the knowledge uncovered will be invaluable in helping large and small businesses 'seize the competitive advantage that e-commerce offers'.

DTI spokesman Bradley Smithe added that the studies should uncover the areas in which 'e-commerce is strong and where it is not'. Preliminary findings of the study are due for release in early July.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises that want to find out more about the benefits of e-commerce or want advice on developing an effective e-commerce strategy should log on to www.ukonlineforbusiness.gov.uk . Further information can be found at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk .

With thanks to Lloyds TSB Success4Business. For more news and information visit www.success4business.com .

(13/6/01)

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