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  • IT Best Practices - Retailers Must Coordinate the Online and Offline Customer Experience

    Retailers Must Coordinate the Online and Offline Customer Experience

    Many organizations are beginning to understand the importance of matching their online advertising and marketing efforts to their offline television, print, and radio campaigns. But the coordinating effort shouldn't stop with the marketing department.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Computer Economics and the LAPD Take on Consumer and Merchandiser Fraud

    Computer Economics and the LAPD Take on Consumer and Merchandiser Fraud

    Although fraudulent online shopping experiences are not the standard for most shoppers, Computer Economics has found through our Internet Shopping Complaint Hotline that it is still a major problem on the Internet. Part of the problem is that consumers, and sometimes businesses, do not know how to protect themselves from losing money to defrauders. In cases where consumers or businesses have already been defrauded, they do not know how to begin to rectify the situation.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Online Customer Service: Managing Disputes

    Online Customer Service: Managing Disputes

    In a focus group of online companies in the services sector, Computer Economics asked executives to define their approach to customer dispute management. The study revealed that the best policies for handling customer problems depend upon the focus of the organization.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Retailers Must Design for the Disabled

    Retailers Must Design for the Disabled

    Most of the Web design press these days deals with facilitating ecommerce and making sites look good. With the rise of streaming media technologies such as RealAudio, design involving multimedia is also grabbing its share of design press ink. While it is important to have a state-of-the-art website, it is even more important to have a site that truly facilitates ecommerce.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Measuring Success: Professional Portal Metrics

    Measuring Success: Professional Portal Metrics

    Professional portals have become attractive online projects as many organizations scramble to create a productive Internet presence. However, it is important that the managers of these projects ensure future profitability. To help managers measure the potential success of their organization's professional portal, Computer Economics has created several metrics that assess the new portal in terms of its accomplishments in commerce, communications, and operations and support.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Design Considerations for Membership Organization Websites

    Design Considerations for Membership Organization Websites

    There are very few examples of membership organizations with well-designed websites. Currently, the front pages of many organizations' sites simply have a navigation bar on the left side with blocks for buttons that begin at the top of the screen and continue down. Surprisingly, community features are usually lacking on these sites, which usually represent a membership body--a natural community. This article provides suggestions for enhancements that can help organization websites better serve their members.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Why Web Content Should Not Be Free

    Why Web Content Should Not Be Free

    Free Internet service, free music, even free PCs. Why wouldn't web users begin to think that everything on the Internet will eventually be free? There is a widespread belief in the web industry that the only truly Internet-based business model is one where web users pay nothing for content. It's time to update that model.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - The Internet Agriculture Market

    The Internet Agriculture Market

    A total of 29 percent of U.S. farms now have Internet access, compared to 13 percent that had Internet access in 1997, according to a 3Q99 report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    August, 2002

  • Technology Trends - In The Future Advice Will Come Via the Wireless Internet

    In The Future Advice Will Come Via the Wireless Internet

    Computer Economics projects a high demand for wireless delivery of Internet-based in-action advice and feedback applications in the next five years. These future advisory services will target consumers engaged in a wide variety of activities including site seeing, golfing, home repair, and even sports betting. The format of advisories will range from customized feeds of data, analysis, or instruction to interactive sessions with subject-matter experts.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Achieving ROI on Agriculture Dot-Org Website

    Achieving ROI on Agriculture Dot-Org Website

    Online agricultural organizations are sites intended for farmers, ranchers, and other agriculturalists who seek information on agriculture news, weather, markets, and new technology. Ideally, online agriculture organizations should attempt to use their sites to build community and supply services to their organization's members. However, to create a return on investment, organizations must evaluate which practices can be used to build community and achieve greater ROI. Such practices include providing e-commerce capabilities, establishing a job marketplace or online membership application, offering community functions, and investing time and energy into the design and navigation of the site.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Teen Survey Demonstrates Need for Increased IT Training Budgets (Sep 2000)

    Teen Survey Demonstrates Need for Increased IT Training Budgets (Sep 2000)

    In a survey of San Diego high school seniors, Computer Economics found that most teens say they have acquired their existing computer and Internet skills on their own. However, despite their previous independence, the majority of the same teens say they expect their schools and employers to provide them with training to build on these types of skills in the future.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Half the Demand for Skilled IT Workers in the U.S. Will Not Be Met (Sep 2000)

    Half the Demand for Skilled IT Workers in the U.S. Will Not Be Met (Sep 2000)

    Approximately 1.6 million jobs in information technology will be created this year. As we are all well aware, the basic economics of supply and demand indicate that the lack of skilled IT personnel leads us to a problem. Due to the shortage of skilled IT workers, half of the created positions will go unfilled in 2000, according to a study by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). The project surveyed more than 700 IT managers representing for-profit companies in the United States.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Computer Recycling and Disposal Costs (Aug 2000)

    Computer Recycling and Disposal Costs (Aug 2000)

    Getting rid of used computer equipment, desktop systems, and monitors is becoming a challenge for most companies. Various plans have surfaced over the last few years and most have gone out of style. There is such a large volume of equipment, especially monitors, that it is getting more difficult to dispose of it. In addition, many municipal trash services are refusing to haul away old equipment because of the cost of proper disposal.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Rate of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

    Rate of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

    We reviewed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on the rate of carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis per 10,000 full-time workers. We certainly expected to find high rates in manufacturing and other physical industries such as construction. However, we did not expect to find the second highest rate of carpal tunnel syndrome in the insurance, finance, and real estate industries.

    August, 2002

  • IT Best Practices - Employee Online Access To Retirement Fund Information (Jul 2000)

    Employee Online Access To Retirement Fund Information (Jul 2000)

    Americans are interested in having Web access to their pension and 401(k) plans, according to a study by CIGNA Retirement Investment Services. The CIGNA-sponsored national survey reveals that 35 percent of employees who have Internet access at home have access to their retirement information online. In addition, 38 percent of those who have Internet access at home but do not have online access to their retirement information from their employer would like to have Web access.

    August, 2002