Message-ID: <20138778.1075840258328.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 08:54:00 -0700 (PDT) From: allison@firstconf.com To: energynews@peach.ease.lsoft.com Subject: e-business for energy briefing Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-From: Allison Robertshaw X-To: ENERGYNEWS@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Kenneth_Lay_Dec2000\Notes Folders\Notes inbox X-Origin: LAY-K X-FileName: klay.nsf e-business for Energy Briefing Wednesday 6 September 2000 Issue 10 Contents: EDITORIAL - Editors introduction - Teaching an Old Industry new tricks via the Internet NEWS ROUND UP - A selection of e-commerce news from the energy industry CASE STUDY - Spare plant parts become manageable with Sparesfinder.com - Deregulation and the consumer RELATED INDUSTRY NEWS - A selection of news on E-business projects within related industries ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= - ---------- To subscribe for the e-commerce for energy briefing Email : energynews-subscribe-request@peach.ease.lsoft.com To unsubscribe, Email energynews-signoff-request@peach.ease.lsoft.com To comment on this newsletter or add your own content please Email Michelle at ecenergy@firstconf.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= - ----------- Click here to see the full newsletter: Editorial - TEACHING AN OLD INDUSTRY NEW TRICKS VIA THE INTERNET The concept of =01&E-learning=018 is basically an old idea that has come ba= ck into vogue with the never-ending possibilities offered by the World Wide Web. From training employees to collaborating and sharing information with business partners and suppliers, today=01,s businesses are utilizing web technology to broaden their share of the market. Uday Om Pabrai calls E-learning the Internet=01,s =01&next killer applicati= on.=018 Pabrai is a longtime web-watcher, having founded Net Guru Technologies in 1992, and having created the first webmaster certification standard-Certified Internet Webmaster. He is now chairman of the AIP Certification and Accreditation Council. The energy industry, though cautious about utilizing the web, is scrambling to take advantage of this next big thing. Recently, several top companies have taken the plunge to hire Internet professionals to develop their own virtual training programs. Equiva Services LLC, a joint venture company formed by Texaco Inc., Shell Oil Company and Saudi Refining, Inc, ABB Vetco Gray, and Columbia Gulf Transmission Company, have all recently jumped on the e-learning bandwagon. All three companies have created web-based platforms or e-commerce hubs tha= t enable employees to quickly and conveniently get necessary training from pre-selected suppliers. =01&This type of innovative application of information technology will help= us to work smarter and faster for our internal clients,=018 said Mari Duarte, senior human resources generalist for ABB Vetco Gray. =01&We expect to low= er costs and improve efficiency by reducing the time of administrative transactions related to registration and by improving reporting of information related to training activities to management.=018 For the energy industry, E-learning can involve both the automation of training management systems as well as the transmission and delivery of learning to individuals through use of the Internet. Through this technology, training information previously available through classroom instruction can be delivered directly to employees=01, desktops in differen= t forms, ranging from basic presentation-style courses to highly interactive courses with digitized video transmissions and on-line discussions. =01&E-learning can encompass training employees and it can be used to share important knowledge across the organization and with outside business partners,=018 said Dennis McMullin, energy industry consultant at Proxicom,= a leading Internet consulting firm in Houston, Texas. McMullin says that mor= e companies are increasing the amount of training they offer online to help employees stay current on market trends and personal skills. =01&There can= be a significant cost savings involved in using technology for learning, but a company=01,s success ultimately depends on how effectively it can bring the technology into the organization and how well they use it.=018 E-learning technology can also ease the administrative burden on an organization=01,s human resources department and lower the per-unit cost of training employees. Additionally, management has the ability to better analyze training needs and how to best deploy the information. =01&Web-bas= ed training is extremely flexible and offers employees convenience in scheduling courses when they need and want them,=018 said McMullin. =01&It= also allows them the opportunity to go back and revisit course material if the need a refresher or a resource. It is a self-teaching method that lets individuals learn at their own pace and based on their own needs." Internet companies such as VerticalNet, Inc. in Horsham, PA, offer companie= s the ability to manage training programs through an Internet interface that directly links the company with training suppliers. Taken one stop further= , VerticalNet=01,s =01&Training Intelligence Portals=018 enable companies to = centralize their personnel training programs and literally outsource administration an= d other back-office transactions such as invoice management, utilization reporting, course evaluation and quality assurance. According to Walter Rogers, VerticalNet=01,s eBusiness training services se= nior director and general manager, the energy industry is becoming more aggressive in moving from office administration and classroom learning to web-based technology for training. =01&We=01,re seeing a lot more demand f= rom the energy sector for e-learning technology,=018 said Rogers, whose firm is currently working with several large energy companies. =01&We=01,ve found = that the energy industry doesn=01,t typically lead the way in the use of technol= ogy. It tends to want to see it working and proven in other areas before they tr= y it. But now they are getting more involved. Since the industry is driven to reduce operating costs, it finds this technology to be very cost effective.=018 In addition to hiring Internet experts to develop and manage a training site, Dennis McMullin points out that there is a large variety of existing training opportunities for on-line learning. =01&Most of the technology companies offer on-line training for technical products, while numerous web sites offer free information and opportunities for e-learning,=018 he said. In the end, however, McMullin believes that acceptance of the Internet is more than a technological issue for many companies, rather it requires a cultural adjustment. =01&It really is an issue of adjusting the company culture to accept and benefit from Internet technology. It requires companies to be more open and less fearful of sharing information. Energy companies could really benefit from effective use of the Internet if they use it as a median to share more knowledge throughout their organizations and with suppliers.=018 NEWS ROUND-UP DUKE SOLUTIONS USING B2B MARKETPLACE TO REDUCE CLIENT BILLS #news1 TS HUB: A NEW OFFERING FROM FT ENERGY GE POWER SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES OFFER TO ACQUIRE SMALLWORLD PLC OPENLINK EXPANDS EUROPEAN OPERATIONS PARKER DRILLING CONSIDERS INTERNET OPPORTUNITIES POWERTRUST.COM APPOINTS CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER ****************************************************** Advertisement E-BUSINESS FOR ENERGY ASIA PACIFIC October 7-9, 2000 Singapore Learn how the e-business explosion is changing the Asian Pacific energy sector http://www.eyeforenergy.com/asia-pacific INTRANET AND PORTAL STRATEGIES FOR ENERGY October 17-19, 2000 Houston, TX The premier annual US forum on internal e-business strategies for the entir= e energy industry ******************************************************* CASE STUDY Spare plant parts become manageable with Sparesfinder.com One of the Internet=01,s most powerful features is its ability to make information instantly available that once was virtually impossible to get. That=01,s exactly the power behind sparesFinder.com, an Internet service th= at allows chemical, petroleum and power companies to manage their own inventories of factory parts and search the inventories of other companies around the globe for needed replacements. Click here for full article: CASE STUDY Deregulation and the Consumer Conventional wisdom tells us to =01&build it and they will come.=018 With o= ver $300 billion at stake in the U.S. energy market alone, it is not surprising that the young-guns of the Internet world are homing in on the traditional legacy laden utilities as deregulation tears away at their regional monopolies. Click here for full article: RELATED INDUSTRY FEATURES REDMETEOR.COM CHOOSE SAGAVISTA FOR BACKEND INTEGRATION SOLUTION TRADIANT TEAMS WITH ANDERSEN CONSULTING TO BRING THE POWER OF THE WEB TO GLOBAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY ******************************************************* To subscribe for the e-commerce for energy briefing Email : energynews-subscribe-request@peach.ease.lsoft.com To unsubscribe, Email energynews-signoff-request@peach.ease.lsoft.com To comment on this newsletter or add your own content please Email Michelle at ecenergy@firstconf.com ****************************************************** e-business for energy briefing Wednesday September 6 2000 Issue 10 ******************************************************* Disclaimer - First Conferences and its agents used their best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, First Conferences does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any and all liability fo= r any loss or damage caused by errors, whether such errors resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.