UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 19, Page 2
February 9, 1995
Business professionals learn of info superhighway

     More than 275 area professionals learned about one of the newest
tools used in business today-the Internet, at a recent conference on
campus.
     "Doing Business on the Internet," held Jan 18 in Clayton Hall,
was designed as an opportunity to help people understand what is
available and decide how to use electronic information effectively for
their businesses, according to Susan Foster, vice president for
information technologies.
     The day-long conference, sponsored by the Delaware State Chamber
of Commerce, MCI and Bell Atlantic, was organized by the University's
Office of Information Technologies, colleges of Agricultural Sciences,
Nursing, Urban Affairs and Public Policy, the Small Business
Development Center and the Center for Information Systems Managment,
Education and Research.
     In his keynote address, Michael Greenbaum, vice president of Bell
Atlantic's Business Development, Small Business Services, warned of
gettting caught up in the media hype surrounding the Internet, but
acknowledged "the profound impact the Internet is having on businesses
and institutions-both large, and even more importantly, small.
     "There is a very real potential for the Internet, for
internetworking, as a business resource," Greenbaum said.
     At this conference, participants attended a variety of sessions,
ranging from connecting to the Internet to using the superhighway to
promote products and services.
     Jean Graef, principal of the Montague Institute, pointed out how
businesses can redesign their marketing strategies to include such
technology as electronic mail and World Wide Web pages. She indicated
that many companies have already begun to use the Internet to
distribute catalogs and brochures.
     During the session on "Creating a Business Presence on the
Internet," Gregory Giagnocavo, consultant and writer with Wentworth
Worldwide Media, said that by creating a presence on the Internet,
businesses show the world that they are on the "cutting edge" and that
they "recognize the newest technology and want to be a part of it."
     An afternoon panel discussion allowed participants an opportunity
to ask questions about using the Internet as a tool to promote their
businesses, as well as issues of information security, staff
productivity and performance expectations.
     Conference evaluations were favorable, and participants said that
they found the event "very informative and useful" and looked forward
to additional conferences as the technology evolves. Eighty-three
percent of the participants who completed an evaluation said they
thought that the Internet could be helpful to them in their business.
                                                       -Amanda Bunkley