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Work‐zone delay is very costly to the movement of goods and people. It is increasingly problematic for logistics management if the travel time or delay information cannot be estimated in an accurate way. This paper describes a study to investigate the effects of work zones, enhance computer‐based capability to estimate the associated work‐zone delays, assess the interrelationship of significant factors that affect work‐zone delays and develop a user‐friendly tool to assist transportation operations and logistics planning. A computerized information system, called lane‐occupancy‐delay estimation system (LODES), is developed to assess work‐zone delays that may affect short‐ or long‐term logistic activities. The results from trials and their implications are discussed and, finally, areas of further research are proposed.

The purpose of this research is to show through a case study how the extranet has been used by one specific company to significantly reduce operating costs. The activities of the company are analyzed within the framework of the value chain concept developed by Porter. This, it is felt, will provide a greater insight into how the extranet can be used to improve profit margins. Prior research in this area has either been of a conceptual nature (explaining theoretically how the extranet should be employed) or of a survey nature (examining, by means of a survey instrument, the benefits accruing to companies that have adopted the extranet). This study is different in that it examines in detail, by means of a case study, how the extranet influences a retail company’s chain of activities and reduces the attendant costs thereon.

As a result of the dot‐com collapse and the slowdown in the economy, the flood of venture capital dollars for e‐commerce has evaporated. E‐commerce companies have been enforced to review their business performance. E‐commerce efficiency has been touted to be a critical component that can assist a company in its strategies to become successful. This study proposes a model for evaluating e‐commerce efficiency using data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. The model includes not only financial and operational measures, but also e‐commerce specific measures. An illustrative example demonstrates that the DEA model can not only effectively reflect the relative efficiency of e‐commerce firms but also identify their potential efficiency problems. Management can, therefore, take the right remedial actions.

This paper applies an analytical framework to assess e‐commerce (EC) Web sites of large US firms. It first examines the available EC operation modes and then discusses the EC factors – product, process, customer, and market – that influence the EC modes adoption. The Web sites of 50 Fortune 500 firms were randomly selected and analyzed. The findings show the current state of large US firms Web EC modes implementation and the characteristics of their EC factors.

The rapid adoption of the Web as a commercial medium has caused firms to experiment with innovative ways of doing business. Those firms that effectively market themselves on the Web have a distinct advantage. This paper presents two e‐commerce Web site design strategies and 12 e‐commerce models for gaining that advantage.

The Internet itself was not designed with security in mind. It was originally designed for research purposes, with open access to willing and able participants. Only recently, with the influx of thousands, if not millions, of users, have the stakes been raised and very serious security concerns brought to light. Following an overview of the threats of Internet‐based electronic commerce, this paper discusses two Internet firewall architectures and seven Internet access control technologies. A case study of how a small company, SunCom Int’l Corporation (SIC), selected its Internet firewall is presented. Finally, this paper concludes with a summary and the future of the Internet firewall.

Intranets use Internet technology to construct private, corporate webs. They take advantage of available TCP/IP Internet development tools to bring a variety of server‐based information to desktops. This research presents a case study of a large regional Bell operating company and illustrates how intranets faciltate documentation availability within the company at substantial cost savings. The paper first reviews the current practice of document publication process, and then compares the traditional paper‐based publication costs with intranet publication costs. This is followed by the examination of intranet document management systems (IDMS) design and development issues. Finally, managerial challenges of IDMS are discussed.

An intranet puts a new layer into a client/server (C/S) architecture, the Web server, which acts as the gateway to the application logic and data. It is three‐tier computing, where these functions are performed on separate servers. The servers store everything and perform the bulk of the querying and the data presentation. Although there is great potential using an intranet to develop applications, there are certain challenges, including: security, privacy, currency, and performance. There is progress with security but performance with high volume transaction processing is still unproved. There have been a lot of mistakes with C/S and the danger here is to go down the same road with the intranet. To avoid this, this study explores the managerial and technical issues involved in developing a corporate intranet. Inspired with the success of Internet, intranet is proved to be an extension of and an enhancement to C/S. Client/server is not dead just as the mainframe is not dead; but the C/S model is being changed by the intranet.

This paper studies how intranet technology can be used as a cost reduction tool for publishing and paper‐related expenditure. A case study was conducted by interviewing and obtaining information from the management information systems manager of a large regional telecommunications company. Considers traditional publishing practice and related publication costs as well as practice and costs related to intranet publications. Concludes that, if properly applied, the intranet can be an effective cost reduction system.

Organizations and individuals today need to have a comprehensive virus protection policy to face the growing threats of Internet computer viruses. The purpose of this paper is to introduce to the reader the threats that Internet computer viruses can cause and provide guidelines on how organizations or individuals can protect themselves against these viruses. Discusses the full set of virus types. Recommends the development of virus protection policy for organizations.