e-Business Watch

The e-Business Watch has studied the adoption and impact of ICT and e-business in more than 20 sectors of the European economy. The analysis was based on annual representative surveys with decision makers in about 10,000 enterprises from all EU countries and beyond, on case studies, expert interviews and econometric analysis. Special emphasis was placed on the implications for SMEs. The initiative was launched by the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry, in late 2001 and was running until 2010. It had wide impact on the understanding of e-business in Europe, also reflected in numerous scientific publications by third parties. The extensive collection of case studies in almost all European countries and in countries beyond Europe is particularly relevant for the study on the entrepreneurial potential of higher education. Empirica developed a refined mechanism for selecting cases, instructing case study researchers, conducting case study research, editing and synthesising cases.