E-Commerce Commission Press Kit

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WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITYWorkforce flexibility refers to a company’s ability to produce products and services with less rigidorganizational structures. It also refers to a worker’s ability to work without being tied to a deskor an office. The growth in information technology has played an important role in both drivingthe need for a new work force and in enabling greater flexibility in the work place.In the old model of industrial organization, production workers performed tasks by rote, over andover again throughout a shift. A car frame rolled down an assembly line, a worker attached apart, it proceeded to the next worker who performed the next process, and on it continued until acompleted car emerged at the other end. A bank teller opened accounts, accepted deposits andprovided account balance information. Someone else handled transactions involving Certificatesof Deposit, Money Market Accounts and safety deposit boxes.Bureaucratic work organizations are giving way to flexible “cells” and teams that cross the oncerigidlines of job description, management reporting structures, and business units. Thistransformation often results from a corporate objective to implement total quality management(TQM) and Six Sigma (a benchmark of nearly zero defects) systems throughout theirorganizations. Reducing errors and return rates, lowering cycle times and reducing costs meansgetting it done right the first time. People on the “front lines” - - the factory floor, the salesdepartment, the customer service organization - - need to have the education and information tomake decisions and solve problems. Companies with successful TQM and Six Sigma initiativesinvest heavily in training and education. They also give employees the tools they need: clearlystatedobjectives and real-time feedback on how well those objectives are being met. A robustcomputer network with online training and support tools can reinforce (or substitute for) inclassroomtraining sessions. It also keeps workers up-to-date with the latest forecasts, the currentday’s production or sales requirements, materials shortages, and other information in order tobetter perform the day’s tasks and anticipate future needs.As more companies move to this method of work organization, the need to share information andknowledge across the enterprise will increase. Internal corporate networks and the Internet willplay an important role in enabling this transition.Thanks to personal computers, fax machines, modems and cellular phones, as many as sevenmillion workers in the United States work at home in “virtual offices.” 97 The Department ofTransportation estimates that up to 15 million workers may be telecommuting in the next decade.Organizations with telecommuting programs report an increase in productivity, faster completionof assignments, fewer sick or absent days, better time management and increased morale andcommitment to the company. They also benefit from reduced office space needs and associatedcosts, an enhanced ability to attract and retain quality employees, and improved customerservice. 9848
Telecommuting benefits employees, as well. For those who need to balance work commitmentswith family commitments, telecommuting provides the means for working and communicatingwith coworkers and clients from home. Employees working part-time can manage their timemore effectively, spending less time driving to one or more offices, and instead focusing oncompleting work assignments.GLOBALIZATIONInformation technology has opened up new opportunities for global commerce. The signalstransmitted over the Internet do not recognize national borders. Work on the same project can bedone in several places or several countries without workers having to physically relocate.Organizations can now deploy resources and operations around the world. Information aboutnew product introductions, corporate earnings, forecasted sales patterns, and materialsrequirements can be shared almost instantaneously via corporate e-mail systems and value-addednetworks, and now, over the Internet.Developing software, designing a car, providing consulting services to a client, can be donecollaboratively by teams of employees from different parts of the world. For instance, an engineerin California can send an e-mail at the close of her business day to a colleague in Singapore,asking him to look over the attached design specifications for a new product. By the time shearrives for work the next morning, a reply could be sitting in her “in-box” with a marked-up set ofspecifications.With the opportunities come serious challenges. Countries that have an insufficient supply ofskilled workers will see high-skilled, high-paying jobs migrate to countries that can supply theneeded talent. Those that have a surplus will find job opportunities opening for their workers inoverseas organizations. Even though the United States has led the world into the digital age, weface these same realities. Without a concerted effort to develop students and workers to meet thenew challenges of the digital economy, the United States could face a migration of high-skilled,high-wage jobs to other countries.49
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Frequently Asked QuestionsHow was t
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Commissioner BiographiesDean Andal,
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Paul Harris, Sr., Delegate, Virgini
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Robert Novick, General Counsel,Offi
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Stanley Sokul, Independent Consulta
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(d) Definition of Generally Imposed
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(D) Internet access service.--The t
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(b) Membership.--(1) In general.--T
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(B) an examination of the collectio
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(iii) imposes an obligation to coll
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(B) Exception.--Such term does not
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(2) to accelerate the growth of ele
Page 29 and 30: Traditional business and sales tax
Page 31 and 32: THE EMERGING DIGITAL ECONOMYIntrodu
Page 33 and 34: INTRODUCTIONDuring the past few yea
Page 35 and 36: CHAPTER ONE:THE DIGITAL REVOLUTIONT
Page 37 and 38: What makes this rise in IT’s nomi
Page 39 and 40: Despite these impressive trends, th
Page 41 and 42: Hundreds of new firms are starting
Page 43 and 44: Table 3. The Race to Build Out the
Page 46 and 47: usiness electronically with new sup
Page 48 and 49: increased 40 percent over the previ
Page 50 and 51: from one supplier to another. It co
Page 52 and 53: and maintaining customer relationsh
Page 54 and 55: For a business to feel comfortable
Page 56 and 57: CHAPTER FOUR:DIGITAL DELIVERY OF GO
Page 58 and 59: and marketing costs may become too
Page 60 and 61: Lower sales and marketing costsIt i
Page 62 and 63: large bank, the initial investment
Page 64 and 65: Table 4. Internet Sales of Personal
Page 66 and 67: For the multimedia industry, the qu
Page 68 and 69: ook according to topic. The topic c
Page 70 and 71: THE FUTUREAnalysts believe that Int
Page 72 and 73: Often today, consumers are not give
Page 74 and 75: CONVENIENCEConsumers cite convenien
Page 76 and 77: This pattern of lower prices is not
Page 78 and 79: CHAPTER SEVEN:WORKERS IN THE DIGITA
Page 82 and 83: CHAPTER EIGHT:CHALLENGES AHEADThis
Page 84 and 85: ENDNOTES1. “Monetary Policy Testi
Page 86 and 87: (CERN) in Switzerland. In 1991, the
Page 88 and 89: 34. Shankar, Bhawani. “Digital TV
Page 90 and 91: 55. Number of Online Newspapers on
Page 92 and 93: 78. “Internet Insurance: A Study
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E-Commerce Commission Press Kit

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