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Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

Identifies a set of expectations about information technology (IT) adoption and usage in work groups, based on prior theory. Describes a longitudinal study on the adoption and usage of asynchronous technologies in small face‐to‐face groups. Compares observations with expectations. Concludes that expectations were generally supported except in one case, where file transfer was used synchronously to support face‐to‐face interaction. Observed one use of asynchronous technology to maintain social distance because of poor relationships. Discusses the implications of the findings. Offers possible areas of future research.

Electronic ink and reusable electronic paper technology are painting their way out of R&D labs and into the world of signage, e‐books, and other hand‐held devices. This paper examines the evolving technology, the companies leading the efforts, and the possible applications and implications for publishing and academia. It offers some insights on market speculation from members of the professional and academic publishing community, industry analysts and venture capitalists. The paper concludes by making a few observations on current and future technological trends and their impact on the higher education market and society.

Results of an in‐depth study of the electronic publishing (EP) industry, with particular emphasis on the consumer marketplace, are presented. EP was defined as the use of electronic media to deliver information to users in electronic form or from electronic sources. EP is contrasted to electronic‐aided publishing, which is the use of electronic means to format and produce a conventional information product. An “information chain” model of the information flows between publishers (or producers) and users was helpful in understanding the boundaries of EP and defining its markets. Following a review of the conventional publishing industry, a model of the forces driving the EP industry was derived. Although technology is the strongest driving force, it is by no means the only one; the others are economics, demographics, social trends, government policies, applications growth, and industry trends. Each of these forces is described in detail in a “cause and effect” scenario, from which keys to success in the EP marketplace are derived. Although there is some turmoil in the industry, with new services continuing to appear and disappear, the overall picture is one of optimism. EP should be a significant part of consumers' lives by the end of the decade.

Whereas the Industrial Revolution attracted workers away from home‐based community settings to central locations, the current proliferation of personal computers and asynchronous telecommunications technologies is reversing this trend. By networking employees from different geographical sites together, these technologies are producing “hybrid” organizational structures that permit their members to work within flexible schedules and in flexible places, even to the point of working at home. The result is the electronically distributed work community: a population of nonproximal coworkers who labor together electronically. This paper presents a springboard for conducting research on telework as it is understood within the context of that community. The paper begins with a brief history of telecommuting and describes its influence on the electronic community and organizational structures in general within the past two decades. The paper concludes by presenting implications for research on telework in the areas of privacy regulation, emergency preparedness, self‐efficacy, temporal aspects of employee behavior, communication patterns, and organizational effectiveness.

The purpose of this article is to examine how electronic commerce can fundamentally change the inter‐organisational processes at the interface between the buyer and supplier.

First, an overview is provided of the evolution of B2B commerce and the typical business models that have been developed. Second, a number of factors are identified which impact on the buyer‐supplier interface in B2B commerce. Finally, the conclusions will examine the implications for managers involved in B2B commerce who have to interact across organisational boundaries.

Electronic commerce not only enables the redesign of internal organisational processes but is extended into both the buyer and supplier organisations. Innovations in electronic commerce have a key role to play in managing inter‐organisational networks of supply chain members. It is also found that in many instances electronic commerce is radically changing the way in which organisations have traditionally traded. As well as impacting the external trading arrangements between buyers and suppliers, electronic commerce is also affecting the traditional roles of the functions involved in managing the buyer/supplier relationship.

It is essential for top management to understand that the internet is more than a tool or technique, but rather something that is woven into the fabric of the organisation and the relationship with its environment. Adopting such an approach represents a drastic change from traditional management thinking and, more importantly, for management's behaviour.

This paper provides an improved understanding of how the internet represents a powerful technology for commerce and communication at the buyer‐supplier interface. This will be a useful insight for academics and practitioners alike.

Federal attempts to stimulate technological innovation have been unsuccessful because of the application of an inappropriate policy framework that lacks conceptual and empirical knowledge of the process of technological innovation and fails to acknowledge the relationship between knowledge production, transfer, and use as equally important components of the process of knowledge diffusion. This article argues that the potential contributions of high‐speed computing and networking systems will be diminished unless empirically derived knowledge about the information‐seeking behavior of the members of the social system is incorporated into a new policy framework. Findings from the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project are presented in support of this assertion.

This purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the status of e‐finance and discuss related issues and challenges. Provides data about growth of e‐finance in the last decade. Introduces advances and innovations in e‐finance and challenges facing the financial services and IT industries.

The paper employs the archival method of reviewing related literature (theoretical, applied and empirical) and organizing and presenting the topics to provide an overview of e‐finance status.

The major contributions and finding of this paper include all areas of e‐finance, application of technology to e‐finance, growth of the e‐finance in the financial services industry.

The paper provides areas of e‐finance that face many different challenges and calls for further research in a number of areas related to e‐finance technology and the interface of financial services and IT.

The paper brings all scattered information and data about e‐finance under one umbrella that would make scholars and practitioners aware of advances in e‐finance and applications of innovations and new technology to financial services provided.

The main value or contribution of this paper is bringing together most of available literature, advances, innovations, application of IT in the financial services industry and showing how organizations could benefit from such innovations. It also provides ideas to scholars for further research in this area.

Developments in information technology have led to changes in the mode of delivery of library services, and in the perceptions of the role of librarians in the information‐seeking context. In particular, the proliferation of electronic resources has led to the emergence of new service paradigms and new roles for librarians. The Gateway Library at Penn State University (PSU) is an electronic library in transition, with new technology‐based services evolving to address the ever growing and changing needs of the academic community. It facilitates access to and navigation of electronic resources in an integrated technology environment.