Newsletter The HERMES Newsletter by ELTRUN Issue No. 15, (April May 2002) Special Issue on E-Factors: A Thematic Network on E-Business Models This issue and all previous issues are available at: http://www.eltrun.aueb.gr To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: sofiaf@aueb.gr The ebusiness Center Athens University of Economics & Business www.eltrun.aueb.gr INTRODUCTION Internet-based commerce is widely perceived as the new business logic that operates in a world without boundaries; a world characterized by speed, change, interactivity and connectivity. In this global commercial environment, e-business models appear to be the central conceptual component, which signifies new opportunities for re-organising the way businesses are currently practiced. The current IST projects within the European Union's Fifth RTD Framework Programme (1998-2002) are concerned to a large extent with e-business-based models for work and business. But, at the same time there is a common limitation across most of these projects and that is that the emerging knowledge on e- business models development and implementation only exists within these projects and despite the dissemination efforts it still remains fragmented. However, as these business models represent value, which extends beyond the specific context of each project, there is an unprecedented need for a deeper understanding and some specific actionable directions in enhancing the research and market potential that derive from the adoption of new models for business and work. THE E-FACTORS PROJECT E-Factors (IST-2001-34868) is a European Commission funded project under the Information Society Technologies Programme (IST). The E-Factors project aims to set up a thematic network dedicated to bringing together universities, research centers and practitioners with a common objective: To determine factors of broad and sustainable adoption of new business models based on e-business practices and research expertise across Europe. The E-Factors network will actively seek to transfer skills and experiences with a view to identify strategic implications in the implementation of e-business models and disseminate this knowledge across Europe. PROJECT OBJECTIVES Towards the realization of this aim the following objectives will be pursued: To collect, organize and disseminate experiences gained in individual projects on market opportunities and constraints. To develop a list of common issues and ideas as to how individual projects results (both in terms of findings and in terms of methods of research work adopted) can be combined and further developed to produce complementary results. To construct a report that the EU can use to formulate future strategic implications. Knowledge will be drawn from the expertise of leading universities and current IST projects conducting research in e-business models as well as their adoption and their socio-economic implications. In particular the thematic network will focus on four change drivers that are important for the effective adoption of e-business models: Organisational, Societal, Individual and Technical. To develop means, such as the organisation of workshops and the exploitation of E-management education programmes to support the dissemination of the combined knowledge of the thematic network participants to a broad range of stakeholders within Europe. To promote and guide further research and development in the area of e-business model adoption through the collaboration of academe and industry. E-FACTORS WORK PLAN E-Factors is scheduled to cover a period of 18 months starting from March 2002 and ending August 2003 The work plan of E-Factors has been structured around 6 Work-Packages (WP): Produced by AUEB (http://www.eltrun.aueb.gr), Special Editor: D. Nancy Pouloudi (tel: +3010 8203682, e-mail: pouloudi@aueb.gr)
The HERMES Newsletter by ELTRUN, Issue 15, April May 2002 (page 2) The first work-package is concerned with E-Factors project management structure that will glue together and co-ordinate all project activities. The second work-package is concerned with setting up a Web-based collaboration infrastructure that will allow for collaborative work to be carried out between network participants and will also serve as the project s prime dissemination medium, allowing the general public to have direct access to the project s findings and results. The third work-package includes all preliminary work directed towards the identification of priority thematic areas for e-business models adoption. The results of this work will be employed as input for the next workpackage. The forth work-package examines a number of best practice cases on e-business models drawn from the participants experiences and expertise. The output of the forth phase will provide input for the fifth WP. The fifth work-package concerns the selection and combination of available output from previous work conducted from current IST projects (that participate in the network) and will contribute towards the development of curriculum for Business models in Business schools and Universities in e-business models. The sixth work-package will amalgamate the results of all the previous WPs (WP 3, WP 4 and WP 5) into a wide spectrum of activities aiming at disseminating the project s findings and raising public awareness about E- business models adoption. Amongst these activities, the E-Factors consortium will organize a dedicated session on E-business models under the auspices of a major International Conference in E-commerce. virtual community or as yet unspecified business models. The construction of a report classifying factors associated with e-business model adoption, taking into account the four change drivers: Organisational, Societal, Individual, and Technical. The expansion of the network membership during the project duration and the establishment of selfsustained continued collaboration between the network participants beyond the end of the EC funding period aiming at establishing excellence in e-business in Europe. Contributions to highly publicized events (including a dedicated session on e-business models in an wellestablished International Conference on e- Commerce and a number of regional workshops) to raise awareness and foster the widest possible dissemination of project outcomes. Furthermore, the E-Factors project will contribute to a cross-section of Action Lines under Key Action II: New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce, in particular to AL II.1 (Socio-economic Analysis). It integrates the consortium s experiences in the implementation of ebusiness models and will also contribute considerably to the objectives of e-europe and GoDigital. E-FACTORS WEB SITE The E-Factors site is hosted at the following address: http://www.eltrun.aueb.gr/efactors/index.htm Milestone I (August 2002): Milestone II (April 2003): Milestone III (August 2003): Establishment of Thematic Network Efficiency and Growth of Thematic Network Self Sustained Thematic Network EXPECTED OUTCOMES The principal scientific and technological outcomes of the project include: The identification of existing and emerging e- business models, which can be used as best practices for businesses to aspire to. Such models might include e-shop, third-party marketplace, information broker, value chain service provider, Figure 1: E-Factors web site AUEB is member of GeM (Global emanagement MBA), http://www.gemnet.org
The HERMES Newsletter by ELTRUN, Issue 15, April May 2002 (page 3) The site offers a short description of the project in ten different languages. Serving as a broader node for communication and information dissemination, the E- Factors site is accessible to all interested parties. PARTNERS The E-Factors project brings together consortia of current IST projects that are concerned with the creation of new e-business based models for work and business, including: BUSINESS ARCHITECT, OMEGA, DOMINO, MOBICOM, FLEXWORK, ALTERNATIVE, SEED and ENLARGE. The project s network of participants currently consists of leading universities in e-business research (leading Business Schools and Technical Universities), including the founding members of the Global emanagement (GeM) along with leading partners from current IST projects. The sixteen partners of the E-Factors consortium are: Athens University of Economics and Business- ELTRUN Research Center (AUEB, Greece) INSEAD (France) FHG-FOKUS (Germany) Brunel University (UK) Copenhagen Business School (CBS, Denmark) University of Cologne (Germany) Erasmus University (The Netherlands) Norwegian School of Economics and Business (NHH, Norway) University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST, UK) ALBA (Greece) University of Jyväskylä (Finland) INTRACOM S.A (Greece) IBERINCO (Spain) Virtual Enterprises Architects BV (VEA, The Netherlands) Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT, Ireland) Georgia State University (GSU, USA) MEMBERSHIP The present network structure will expand during the network s lifetime with the aim to encompass a critical mass of members that will allow the network to continue to operate and to evolve beyond the end of this project. Therefore, the collaborative environment will expand through inviting other GeM participants, participants from other KAII projects, and finally through inviting partners from other Thematic Networks that will be accepted in the next calls of FP5. Finally, the consortium partners will be inviting expert opinion (as well as interested parties from the industry and/or policy making actors) on the project findings in the context of the Sixth WP and with respect to the internal meetings and the various distinct workshops that will be organized and will be focusing on: Socio-economic and e-business research Clustering events for FP5 IST projects on socioeconomic research. Technical focus Workshop reviewing current and emerging platforms and protocols. Empirical / Industry focus Workshop reviewing e-business model adoption seen from the perspective of the various industrial sectors. Strategic focus Workshop reviewing change drivers for e-business and strategic implications for Europe. If you wish, to join the project s network as an interested party and/or as an external expert please contact: Dr. Nancy Pouloudi Project Co-ordinator E-mail: pouloudi@aueb.gr ELTRUN The ebusiness Center Department of Management Science and Technology Athens University of Economics & Business 47A Evelpidon & Lefkados Str., 113 62, Athens, Greece Or visit the E-Factors site where the External Expert Application form can be downloaded and submitted. Project network members can take advantage of the following services: Access to project findings and latest results Access to forthcoming events related to the e-factors project Up-to-date information on factors affecting the adoption of e-business models Up-to-date research information on the thematic priorities characterizing e-business models DISSEMINATION MECHANISMS ELTRUN is the ebusiness Center of Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB)
The HERMES Newsletter by ELTRUN, Issue 15, April May 2002 (page 4) The E-Factors project addresses the problem of sharing and disseminating the already acquired knowledge and experiences on implementing e-business models to a broader range of stakeholders within the European Community. Hence, the implementation of E-Factors exploitation plan will be a continuous activity throughout the lifespan of the project, and it is a subject to specific tasks within the Sixth WP (Exploitation and Dissemination Activities), which is concerned with orchestrating the dissemination activities across Europe. The dissemination strategy of the project includes four types of activities: Dissemination material and related mechanisms The project consortium will prepare material for wide distribution. At an early stage, in the course of the project, a brochure will be created with the aim to raise awareness about the project and its activities to a wide audience. At the end of the project a more comprehensive brochure containing the main results of the project activities will be distributed to interested parties along with a concise newsletter on e-business factors that will present the latest results of the project. Workshops with external party participation A major dissemination mechanism will be the organisation of a number of workshops, hosted in different regions that will disseminate the work-inprogress of the consortium and seek feedback from the informed invited participants. Participation in Conferences International conferences are seen as another important dissemination mechanism that apart from disseminating the projects results across the widest possible audience at the European level will also enhance the expansion of the network participants. GeM International seminars The international seminars organised by the GeM consortium will provide another opportunity for the project members to discuss issues related to e- business adoption in different parts of world. concept, scope, objectives method of work, and interim findings. To bring together the complementary expertise of the network participants that did not participate in one of the aforementioned IST projects - practitioners and thus, develop a framework of current E-business models identifying factors that are affected by the societal, individual, organisational and technical prerequisites and requirements. The method employed by the network participants is depicted in the figure below. Figure 2: Method of Work in the context of Phase Three Figure 2, features the three distinct phases that will be followed and the specific actions that will be taken in each phase, in an attempt to develop a model for synthesising the framework. E-FACTORS KICK-OFF MEETING The kick-off meeting of the E-Factors project was hosted by ELTRUN-AUEB in Athens, Greece on March 21-22, 2002. The meeting was carried out successfully and was characterised by the active participation and commitment of all the consortium partners. METHOD OF WORK In the context of the Third Work-Package and more specifically regarding the method of work and the development of the E-Factors framework the following objectives will be pursued: To present, explore, analyse and discuss the nature of work related to e-business model adoption of individual projects in the cluster. Individual projects will bring to the cluster their During the meeting a lively debate on a range of issues revolving around the project took place, leading to an array of fruitful results regarding project specific issues such as: The method of work that will be followed in the context of the E-Factors project toward the development of the E-Factors framework The roles and the responsibilities of the partners in the context of the thematic priorities and the various phases The project s role as a guide for future research in the area of e-business model adoption AUEB is member of GeM (Global emanagement MBA), http://www.gemnet.org
The HERMES Newsletter by ELTRUN, Issue 15, April May 2002 (page 5) The identification of a fifth thematic priority: Industry The process that will be followed, regarding the various workshops and other dissemination activities that will be organised in the Sixth Work-Package. WORKSHOP AT THE BLED CONFERENCE The workshop will be held during the proceedings of the 15 th Bled Electronic Commerce Conference e-reality: Constructing the e-economy in Bled, Slovenia, June 16, 2002. In terms of its practical objectives, the overarching aims of the workshop are to generate feedback from a wide basis of participants in other EU projects, particularly within the scope of socio-economic research (KAII), while also recording scientific input from invited external participants regarding e-business model adoption. The workshop targets the following candidates for participation: Partners and representatives from EU funded projects that tackle issues related to e-business External experts as well as other parties involved in socio-economic research in the new economy and research in the domain of e-business The workshop will be co-organized Dr. Takis Damaskopoulos (INSEAD) and Dr. Nancy Pouloudi (AUEB) and has the following specific objectives: To support the dissemination of the accumulated knowledge gained in the individual projects represented in the E-Factors participants to a broad range of stakeholders within the EU To integrate the knowledge and experience gained in individual Key Action II projects providing thus a critical mass of information on the adoption and sustainable development of e-business models and practices To compare experiences in e-business model adoption from the European region with other parts of the world To raise awareness as well as visibility and foster the widest possible dissemination of project outcomes To serve as a forum for discussing the findings by inviting external third-party participants and expert opinion on project findings The research agenda of the workshop will be structured around four levels of analysis: the level of the firm, the level of the interface of the firm to its market, the level of the industry, and the level of regulation and public policy. On each of these levels the workshop will examine the following issues: Firm technological capabilities and e-business connectivity on the level of firms, managerial mentalities, organisational factors, changes in work practices, organisational culture Market market technological infrastructure, customers and suppliers relationships, marketing, market readiness for e-business especially in terms of education and social and cultural predispositions to e-business Industry the ancillary industrial infrastructure of e-business (ASPs, web-hosting firms etc), the shifting spatial boundaries of firms and industrial sectors, network management, financial markets and venture capital as critical components for the sustainable development of e-business Regulation the role of public policy for the development of a e-business friendly environment, public policy in regards to competitions, regulation with respect to the elimination of monopolies in telecom markets, regulations with respect to legal support for virtual transactions and digital signatures, ease of licensing, intellectual property rights, etc M-BUSINESS 2002 The First International Conference on Mobile Business http://www.mobiforum.org/mbusiness-2002/ CONFERENCE SESSIONS The 1 st International Conference on Mobile Business, organized by the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) in collaboration with the MobiCom project (IST-1999-21000 project funded by the European Commission), will create an interdisciplinary forum for academics, managers, policy makers and technologists to debate emerging developments in the commercialisation of new business models exploiting wireless and mobile networks. The 80 scheduled presentations (from 25 different countries) are divided in the following sessions: Frameworks for new m-business Models The Business Value of m-business Innovative B2C m-business Models Identify, Vulnerability and Security Payment Systems and Financial Services Improving the Customer Experience Mobile Advertising and Marketing Location based Mobile Services Development Approaches for m-business Models of Service Delivery and Use Innovative Mobile Application Platforms Adoption and Diffusion of m-business The Formation and Evolution of m-commerce Markets Social and Legal aspects of m-business Pricing and Resource Allocation for m-services m-health Innovative Applications and Services m-tourism Innovative Applications and Services Organized by: www.ist-mobicom.org Produced by AUEB (http://www.eltrun.aueb.gr), Special Editor: D. Nancy Pouloudi (tel: +3010 8203682, e-mail: pouloudi@aueb.gr)