Fifth Framework Programme: Working Paper

Key Action 2:
New Methods of Work
and Electronic Commerce

This is one of a set of pages forming the text of Annex 2 to a European Commission letter inviting early inputs regarding the workplan for the Fifth Framework Programme. For background and overall structure of the text see the letter and associated documents. [Text in square brackets = comments by European Telework Online].

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Rationale

[Note, a wide range of relevant statistics have been assembled at the European Telework Online website, see http://www.eto.org.uk/eustats]

Despite these dramatic changes, we are only at the beginning, continued technological development and take-up is needed to enable new ways of working and conducting business that

• enable Europe to be competitive in the global marketplace, and which
• improve the quality of working life and
• provide increased confidence for consumers.

With the Internet growing at over 60% per year, new business opportunities are continuously emerging for electronic commerce, with

• lower costs,
• wider markets and
• more choice for consumers.

• open,
• accommodate European business practices,
• internationally interoperable and
• reliable.

Consumers and businesses must both have

• confidence in the integrity of information and services;
• confidence to publish material without suffering from IPR piracy;
• confidence that their right to privacy be respected and personal data will not be abused, and
• confidence in the security of electronic payment systems.

Research and technology development is essential to

• the preservation of consumer protection and for
• trust and in
• new methods of work and
• electronic commerce.

Objectives and RTD priorities

• enable European workers and enterprises, in particular SMEs, to increase their competitiveness in the global marketplace,

• improving the quality of the individual's working life,

• the flexibility to be free both from many existing constraints on working methods and organisation, including those imposed by distance and time.

• development and the trading

• individual worker,
• consumer and of
• businesses and
• organisations.

• the global context and
• socio-economic factors

• develop and demonstrate world-best work and business practices, exploiting European strengths such as
  • electronic payments,
  • smart cards,
  • mobile systems,
  • software for business process modelling and enterprise management and
  • consumer protection.

Flexible, mobile and remote working methods and tools

• enabling,
• validating and
• demonstrating
  • competitive,
  • flexible and
  • human-centred
    • work methods and
    • business organisation,

• business process and
• work organisation,
• human resource management, and
• information society technologies,

• socio-economic and
• legal

• the global context and
• actual business practice.

RTD priorities

work methods:

telework and networked cooperative working;

simulation-based and virtual-reality-based methods, for both individual and collaborative working;

• entrepreneuship and
• portfolio working;

organisation:
integrating new or re-engineered

• work methods,
• structures and
• electronic commerce

• existing practices;
• agile, extended, virtual enterprises and
• networks of individuals;
• integration of the value chain, including workflow management;

• analysis of change;
• organisational methodologies, including
  • benchmarking,
  • scenario planning,
  • transformation methods and
  • change and risk management;
• human resources and training;
• human factors, usability and ergonomics for workers and consumers;
• the legal and regulatory framework, including
• consumer protection.

Management systems for suppliers and consumers

• seamless end-to-end support, covering both
  • tangible and
  • intangible products, for
  • electronic trading and
  • distributed virtual enterprises and
  • distributed marketplaces.

• consumers,
• individual entrepreneurs,
• businesses and
• administrations.

RTD priorities:

information society technologies [and] systems to address processes in development, including:

• life-cycle support,
• design,
• engineering and maintenance,
• logistics and distribution management,
• quality control,
• productivity measurement;

systems to address processes in marketing and sales, including:

• customer interaction, negotiation and contracting,
• mass customisation,
• packaging and
• trading;

systems to address processes in financial services, integrating where appropriate support for the EURO, including:

• ordering,
• billing and
• payment,
• accounting and
• taxation;
• public and private procurement;

systems to address processes in management, including:

• decision support and
• planning;
• virtual and real marketplace management systems;
• personnel management;

systems for on-line business information search and management, including

• directories and
• catalogues and
• multimedia digital assistants.

Information security

• in the information infrastructure, and
• in its services and information resources,

• reliable,
• efficient and
• user-friendly

This includes

• protecting information integrity,
• managing intellectual property rights and
• enhancing privacy.

RTD priorities

• digital signature and certification techniques;
• electronic authentication techniques;
• representation of product data;
• prevention of fraud and [of] misrepresentation of goods;
• electronic IPR management technologies;
• privacy enhancing technologies, including those avoiding the improper
  • collection,
  • recording and
  • disclosure of
  personal and business data;
• secure electronic transactions and payments, including anonymous ones;
• integrating next-generation smart-cards;
• critical systems management and
• reliable next generation electronic commerce infrastructures;
• support [to] the development of and conformance to the legal and regulatory framework;
• technologies to generate confidence in meaningfully managing vast amounts of data by businesses and consumers, including user customisation;

concertation for ensuring interoperability and contributing to internationally recognised standards.