Project Synopsis
EP29299

European policy is increasingly focussed on promoting the business techniques and new ways of working which will provide the economic and social foundation of the Information Society. It will be essential to monitor the effectiveness of this policy, some indication of progress and of areas requiring more or more concerted action. At the same time, many areas of European business urgently need of information about the speed of these developments in European markets, which they expect to have a strong impact on their global competitiveness. Despite the increasing number of studies on electronic commerce and telework, no single source of reliable empirical information exists on the extent, scope, nature of and factors affecting the speed of these developments in Europe.

The ECaTT project wil generate representative information on the prevalence and spread of electronic commerce and new forms of work in Europe. It will also give an up-to-date picture of major practices, projects and schemes across Europe. ECaTT will conduct three major data gathering activities.

100 case studies in most Member States, with half each focussing on new ways of working and on electronic commerce.

• An Interview survey of 7,500 EU citizens in at least 10 EU Member States covering attitudes to and practice of new ways of working and electronic commerce
• An Interview survey of at least 4,000 EU businesses in at least 10 EU Member States, covering current practice and plans to introduce the various forms of new ways of working and electronic commerce.

The countries to be covered are

• Germany
• United Kingdom
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Sweden
• Finland
• Denmark
• the Netherlands
• Ireland.

The ECATT approach will enable benchmarking at two-year intervals.

A broad range of publicity and dissemination activities will be carried out. These will include a web-site making results accessible immediately world-wide, book publications, presentations at the European Assemblies on Telework in 1999 and 2000, and cooperation with sponsors and pan-European initiatives such as Telework Europa Forum (TWEURO), European Telework Development Project (ETD), Electronic Commerce Europe Association (EcE) and European Information Technology Observatory (EITO). The project will provide the starting point for a foundation for a pan-European observatory on the uptake across Europe of the two broad, key areas of ICT development - new ways of working and electronic commerce. The ECATT results can be compared with the results already achieved in previous projects on the subject of telework in 1985 and 1994. Overall ECaTT will provide a unique statistical basis on the penetration and potential in new forms of working and business (electronic commerce).

The information base provided will enable decision-makers in government and the economy to benchmark achievements between different European regions and countries, with the ability to reference a significant time period (1985 - 1994 - 1999), and to make comparisons with the US and Japan, competing world economies.

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