ECAustria

Foto:

The potential for e-business is still enormous: both in co-ordinating business processes with customers and suppliers and in connection with Internet marketplaces.

Large companies increasingly do business over the Internet and small and medium-sized enterprises often act as suppliers. Thus, entering e-business becomes a key factor for their success in the market.

To further increase e-business awareness in Austria the ECAustria Commerce initiative is intended to enhance the Austrian economy's general knowledge and to offer direct support and solutions for specific concerns of the individual industries.

The main focus as regards the content is to provide industry-specific case studies of e-business projects that have already been implemented, to offer a direct inter-active possibility to contact the persons who implemented the projects, both on the part of the companies and that of the providers.

After the economy was rattled due to totally unrealistic expectations held and communicated by the IT industry, this has now become the only possibility of convincing companies of the necessity to start e-business.

ECAustria is an inter-active information service and organisational platform for the purpose of improving the flow of information between small and medium-sized enterprises by means of setting up a network of existing initiatives and with direct access to advice and support.

In addition, in connection with the Lets e-biz initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economy and Labour and the Federal Economic Chamber, topics from the areas of research and development (Austrian centres of competence), foundation and growth (incubators), financing and promotion, education and training and the location Austria - hub Central/East are included on a regular basis.

The objective is to create a platform where newcomers, advanced users and experts will find all relevant information and services regarding e-business in a clear and easily comprehensible form.

The reason why the ECAustria initiative was established in the summer of 1999 was a study of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration: at that time still 62% of the Austrian companies said that they were and would not be affected by the Internet and e-business in future.

The Federal Ministry for Economy and Labour initiated under the title "e-business in a new economy" a widespread consultation process, where the establishment of a comprehensive, daily updated, technologically neutral website was a strongly supported future project. And that is indeed necessary for Austria as a business location in increasingly global and cross-linked markets.

Two years later and after several private and public activities in this respect, according to a recent Accenture study Austria's economy has even become a pioneer as regards Internet use in Europe with 67% (as compared to an EU average of 48%).

Economic Community marketing (classic advertising, direct marketing, Internet marketing and event marketing) as well as consistent public relations in opinion-making and multiplying media for target groups exclusively in the b2b segment was and still is the basis of success.

For information please contact: christian.czaak@cmk.at