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Commences with a review of the differences between consumer and business markets, and then proceeds to review the characteristics of the on‐line search services that have changed in order to facilitate the transition to end‐user services. Products have been significantly re‐designed to meet the needs of the end‐users. Interfaces have been improved, a range of different distribution channels are available, and products and services have been clustered. However, pricing strategies remain reminiscent of business markets. Online search services can not be regarded as retailers, but in offering products that are attractive to the end‐user are engaged in tactics that will push their products through the distribution chain.

Customer knowledge is an important asset for all businesses. The rhetoric of e‐business emphasises the opportunities for knowing customers in the digital economy. This article sets the context with a brief summary of the key characteristics of the knowledge management paradigm. This is used as a platform for the themes that form the core of this article: defining the knowledge that the organisation requires; knowledge tools and the relationships between data, information and knowledge; the role of customer communities in CKM; bounding and structuring organisational knowledge communities; ownership of knowledge assets; integrating customer knowledge across channels; and comparing customer knowledge management with customer relationship management. The overarching message of the article is that customer knowledge management is not just about data. Organisations need to develop strategies that enable them to capitalise on the dynamic integration of systems and people.

The present applications of printed indexes in books, periodicals, quick reference sources and indexing and abstracting publications are considered, and the future for printed indexes in each of these spheres is examined. The printed index is often a supplement to the document which it indexes. For each of the four categories of printed index two questions are explored: whether the documents being indexed will continue in printed form; and whether it will continue to be unacceptable to have the index and document in different physical forms.

The pricing tariffs adopted by the online hosts are full of hidden complexities, such that it is difficult to estimate in advance the cost of online searching. Potential elements of costs are: subscription charges and discount plans, connect time charges, display/print charges, telecommunications charges, session rates, charges for special facilities and charges for special services. The complexities of each of these elements are considered in relation to a number of online hosts. The review offers an insight into the estimation of the costs of online searching.

Emphasizes the controllability of customer‐to‐customer interaction in the higher education environment. Argues that students′ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their experience of a university may be significantly influenced by their experience of other students. Customer compatibility management supplements other approaches to quality management, such as TQM. Tutors and managers of the educational environment have always recognized that some features of student‐to‐student interaction need to be managed. Borrows some concepts from the services marketing literature and proposes a more focused and comprehensive customer compatibility management programme. Uses the theatrical metaphor to illustrate the roles and functions that need to be adapted in a compatibility management programme.

NEXT JANUARY, it will be ten years since I acquired The library world from W H Smith & Son Ltd. Next July, NEW LIBRARY WORLD may be ten years old.

Electronic‐retailing is the buzzword of 2000. Every other press release I receive relates to electronic commerce or Internet shopping. Therefore, it seems appropriate to focus this summer issue of Retail Insights on the subject. The first article by Rowley discusses the phenomenon of shopping bots, the intelligent agents designed to support comparison shopping across a number of Internet sites. She reviews the functions and evaluates the coverage of different shopping bots. In the second article, Wee and Ramachandra assess the level of cyberbuying activities in China, Hong Kong and Singapore by concentrating on the who, why and what of online retailing.

The purpose of this paper is to identify key considerations influencing the adoption and use of e-government services by providing insights into users’ views of their experience of an e-government service in a developing country, the website of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

An online questionnaire-based survey was conducted to capture perceptions of the user experience with the NIS website. Descriptive statistics for each of the factors that contribute to the user experience are reported and discussed, with reference to open comments and previous literature. These factors are security and support, trust, ease of use, website quality, content and information, perceived benefits, convenience and perceived barriers.

There is strong evidence of concern in relation to the security of financial transactions, the use of personal data and trustworthiness, which is aggravated by inadequate user support. There is a lack of consensus regarding ease of use, website quality and content and information. In terms of barriers and benefits, there was a general agreement that the website offered greater convenience than alternative channels, but some concerns were identified regarding the reliability of technology, and, for users in Nigeria, the reliability of the electricity supply.

This paper adds to the very sparse literature on e-government in Nigeria, as well as extending consideration of the public value approach to e-government in developing countries.