Measuring Electronic Business: Definitions, Underlying Concepts, and Measurement Plans
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/ebusines.htm, (2000)Abstract
The growth, integration, and sophistication of information technology and communications is changing our society and economy. Today, computers and other electronic devices increasingly communicate and interact directly with other devices over a variety of networks, such as the Internet. Consumers and businesses have been particularly quick to recognize the potential and realize the benefits of adopting new computer-enabled networks. Consumers now routinely use computer networks to identify sellers, evaluate products and services, compare prices, and exert market leverage. Businesses use networks even more extensively to conduct and re-engineer production processes, streamline procurement processes, reach new customers, and manage internal operations. This electronic revolution in our economy is spurring additional investments in facilities, hardware, software, services, and human capital. Ultimately, it may change the structure and performance of the American economy as much as the introduction of the computer a generation ago.
While the burgeoning use of electronic devices in our economy is widely acknowledged and discussed, it remains largely undefined and unrecognized in official economic statistics. The terms Internet, electronic commerce, electronic business, and cybertrade are used often. However, they are used interchangeably and with no common understanding of their scope or relationships. Establishing terms that clearly and consistently describe our growing and dynamic networked economy is a critical first step toward developing useful statistics about it. This paper presents definitions and concepts to describe the electronic revolution taking place in our economy. They were developed by the Census Bureau for discussion purposes, are based on reviews of available information and consultations with interested professionals, and are intended to provide a frame of reference for developing useful official statistical measures. The paper also describes Census Bureau related program plans for FY 2000 (October 1999 to September 2000) and concludes with a number of questions seeking interested parties views and comments.