Treacy Launches e-Business Master Classes

"I want to bring e-business awareness to every town and village in Ireland," Minister Treacy stated. "I want to ensure that no one loses out on the potential to benefit from the digital economy. E-business is not just for big firms." This is the third in a series of e-commerce business awareness campaigns involving our development agencies and the city and county enterprise boards. "I am delighted to work with the Information Society Commission and IBEC on this joint initiative," MinisterTreacy said.

The project is a joint initiative between the Department of ETE, the ISC and IBEC. It will be managed by IBEC on behalf of the Department of ETE and the ISC. It is designed to encourage SMEs to develop their e-business capacity. The project will provide clear guidance for companies on how to apply the appropriate technologies to enhance their business capabilities. It will focus on issues facing late adapters to e-business and will be a "one-stop-shop" for companies to accumulate knowledge on the areas most relevant to their specific companies. It will be co-ordinated with other information campaign initiatives in train by Enterprise Ireland and the City and County Enterprise Boards.

The master classes will cover

• web marketing, i.e. marketing a company’s website
• security and payments in e.business, and
• design and development of websites.

The master classes will take place in ten (10) different venues beginning in September and ending in December 2000. Each master class will be specifically designed to meet the needs of the targeted audience. Each session will be guided by experienced facilitators, who are experts in the subjects to be covered.

Minister Treacy added that the advantages of e-business are considerable for a small country like Ireland. "We can compete for business on a global basis and are no longer on the periphery. The disadvantage is that if we don’t get involved, companies from elsewhere will displace Irish SMEs. Irish business needs to develop innovative strategies, that capitalise on the power of the Internet and the changes in business models and consumer demands, that spring from the new technologies."

"In the current economic boom almost everyone in business is busy and doing well," said Vivienne Jupp, Chairman, Information Society Commission. "E-commerce or e-business is something of which businesses are aware, but many feel that they will get around to it when they have time. They won’t have time. Their clients – either other businesses or consumers – will find how easy it is to get the product/service from another provider online – at a time convenient to them, and will drift away from them. I urge SMEs to take time to learn more about how e-commerce will benefit their business now and in the future". said Ms. Jupp.

Jackie Harrison, Director of Enterprise, IBEC, said, "We are delighted to embark upon a second e-business awareness campaign and the partnership between IBEC, the Information Society Commission and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment is an essential mix for a successful campaign. It is recognised that companies are at various stages of the e-business development process and our aim is to bring those lagging behind in that process a stage further."

"The majority of companies are at a very early stage and before spending should seek advice and understanding as to what they need – this campaign aims to provide this assistance in a professional and impartial way. The ultimate goal is that these companies will become fully integrated e-business operations enabling them to compete on an international platform regardless of their size or geographic location."