 |
-- Home, Spring 2000 -- |
|
|
-- Home, Spring 2000 -- |
Ride the wave of the future: E-commerceThe hot topic for industry of all types is the push to fully integrate the World Wide Web's versatility into the everyday business practices of companies, big and small. This is e-commerce (or business-to-business commerce), and Iowa State University Extension and ISU-related entities have begun to establish themselves as leaders in helping businesses around the state catch, and ride, the e-commerce wave.
For example, a February conference hosted by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) brought together nearly 800 people from across the country to discuss how agriculture will and could be affected by this important and timely issue.
Keith Heffernan, left, assistant director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), speaks with participants during CARD's February conference on e-commerce issues in agriculture.
"Our intent was to address how agriculture needs to position itself for the future," said Keith Heffernan, assistant director of CARD, when commenting on the conference. "But we also wanted to take a close look at how business-to-business commerce will affect small communities, since they play such an important role in the ag industry."
Heffernan also believes the future of agriculture, as it relates to e-commerce, lies in the sales and marketing of goods, where other businesses have already found savings. "We thought a conference like this would be a good way to look at what has worked in other industries and apply it to agriculture," he said.
Another e-commerce effort is under way thanks to the Iowa Manufacturing Extension Partnership (IMEP), a unit of ISU Extension. IMEP provides services and consultation to manufacturers around Iowa. Not long ago, IMEP was viewed as a national leader in dealing with the Y2K issue. Now IMEP is using a similar approach to share technical know-how and experience with businesses interested in e-commerce.
Industrial specialist Paul Gormley noted that ISU Extension's Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) is beginning to work on e-commerce issues. CIRAS wants to establish itself as an e-commerce resource that companies can turn to for assistance and counsel. "There's much more to e-commerce than just having a Web page," said Gormley. "That's why our objective is to train and educate people about the many facets of e-commerce and help them become self sufficient."
Don't expect the e-commerce issue to go away anytime soon. The Iowa Procurement Outreach Center (IPOC), which is partially funded by ISU and helps small businesses effectively bid on federal contracts, is working with CIRAS, the ISU colleges of Business and Engineering, and the State's Small Business Development Centers to offer a two-day conference, tentatively scheduled for September.
The whole approach to assisting businesses is best summed up by Anita Williams, a procurement specialist with IPOC, who is working on a project with Rockwell Collins. "We don't want people to be intimidated by the issue of e-commerce," explained Williams. "It's important that we do whatever we can to keep Iowa on the cutting edge and show others that we know how to be competitive."
"There's much more to e-commerce than just having a Web page. ... Our objective is to train and educate people about the many facets of e-commerce and help them become self sufficient."
-- Paul Gormley
- More Extension Connection stories
- * Paper or plastic: Students want to know
* The GMO opportunity
* "Dynamic leaders" build skills for success
* Iowa horticulture keeps on growing
* Prison horticulture program named research site
* Celebrate 4-H Foundation anniversary
* Alliance addresses rural banking issues
* Agriculture faces "four roads"
...and justice for all. The Iowa Cooperative Extension Service's programs and policies are consistent with pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, and disability.
- * Visit the ISU Extension homepage
* Send a message:- Stanley R. Johnson, Vice Provost for ISU Extension, vpforext@exnet.iastate.edu
- Mark Settle, Managing Editor, x1settle@exnet.iastate.edu
- * Questions or comments about this site? Contact Laura Sternweis, Editor, x1lstern@exnet.iastate.edu
* Last update: April 3, 2000
