Sectoral e-Business Watch

The Sectoral e-Business Watch (SeBW) is a continuous study project on behalf of the European Commission (DG Enterprise and Industry), implemented in 2002. It monitors and analyses ICT uptake by companies in different sectors of the European economy and their economic impact , allowing the identification of competitiveness-enhancing industrial policy challenges.

This overall mission can be broken down into the following main objectives of SeBW:

  • to study and assess the impact of ICT on enterprises, industries and the economy in general;
  • to highlight barriers for ICT uptake, i.e. issues that are hindering a more effective use of ICT by enterprises in Europe;
  • to identify and discuss public policy challenges stemming from the observed developments, notably at the European level;
  • to engage in dialogue with stakeholders from industry and policy institutions, providing a forum for debating relevant issues.

The SeBW applies multiple research methods: enterprise surveys with computer-assisted telephone InterViews, online surveys, case studies, expert interviews, Delphi-style interviews, econometric analyses, and literature evaluation. Enterprise surveys were conducted in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. They cover varying sectors and countries and a different number of enterprises. The largest survey was the one in 2006 which included around 14,000 enterprises in 29 countries. The results are presented in different formats: study reports, table reports with survey findings, brochures with selected findings, and annual synthesis reports. All reports as well as files with survey data and accompanying information are available for free download from the project website. Researchers can apply for raw data.

Manufactoring Sectors

Service Sectors

Special Topics

Food and beverages

Banking and leasing

RFID adoption and implications

Textile, clothing and footwear

Insurance and pension funding

Intellectual property rights for ICT-producing SMEs

Pulp, paper and paper products

Retail

Economic assessment of ICT adoption and its impact on innovation and performance

Publishing and printing

Tourism

The implications of ICT on energy consumption

Chemical, rubber and plastics

Transport services and logistics

Assessment of ICT standards in the health sector

Pharmaceutical industry

ICT services

Impact of ICT on Corporate Performance, Productivity and Employment Dynamics

Steel

Telecommunications

The role of new companies in e-business innovation and diffusion

Metal products manufacturing

Business services

Handbook on ICT Indicators, with a Pilot Study on Time-Distances in e-Commerce Adoption

Machinery and equipment manufacturing

Health and social services

International Outlook on Electronic Business Developments

Manufacture of electronics & electrical machinery

Hospital activities

Standardisation and Interoperability

ICT manufacturing

ICT Security

Consumer electronics

Transport equipment manufacturing

Automotive industry

Shipbuilding and repair

Aeronautics industry

Furniture

Construction

Craft and trade sectors

Third party references

Koellinger, Philipp (2008): The relationship between technology, innovation, and firm performance—Empirical evidence from e-business in Europe. In: Research Policy, Vol. 37, pp 1317-1328. (Scientific journal article using e-Business Watch survey data from 2003.)

Koellinger, Philipp (2006): Technological Change – An Analysis of the Diffusion and Implications of e-Business Technologies. Dissertation leading to a PhD in Economics and Management Science from the Humboldt-University Berlin. http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/dissertationen/koellinger-philipp-2006-02-07/PDF/koellinger.pdf (Dissertation using data from the e-Business Watch surveys in July 2002, March 2003 and November/December 2003.)

Nepelski, Daniel und Sushmita Swaminathan (2007): OSS Adaption: Who is Leading and Why? in: DIW Weekly Report, No. 1/2007, Volume 3. http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/57212/diw_wr_2007-1.pdf (Scientific article AbOUT open source software adoption based on data from the e-Business Watch survey 2006.)

Schaer, Alexander et al. (2006): Wettbewerbspotenziale im e-Business: Modell eines e-Business-Selbsttests. Vdm Verlag Dr. Müller. (Scientific publication using data of the e-Business Watch survey 2005 for developing a model that allows IT managers to ascertain their ICT usage according to strategic criteria.)

Soto-Acosta, Pedro; Merono-Cerdan, Angel Luis (2008): Analysing e-business value creation from a resource-based perspective. In: International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 28, pp. 49-60. Abstract: http://www.um.es/eempresa/pedro/ficherosnuev/IJIM.pdf (Scientific article using data from the e-Business Watch survey in 2003.)