The shortlist of candidates for the Computer Weekly E-Business
Excellence Awards has been drawn up. Now for the final
decisions
This week, Computer Weekly is delighted to announce the
organisations that have been shortlisted in each of the 11 core
categories of the Computer Weekly E-Business Excellence Awards
2001. UK organisations, reflecting all sizes and sectors, submitted
applications in their hundreds, dispelling the myth that e-business
no longer has a place on the corporate agenda.
The overwhelming response to the awards confirms the fact that
e-business now permeates every function of business and every new
project, whether it be to a greater or lesser degree.
The finalists that have been chosen represent the cream of UK
e-business initiatives. All are turning words into deeds and
realising the potential that Internet technologies have to
transform their businesses. They are slashing costs, delivering new
products and services, addressing new markets and building new
relationships with customers and suppliers. Computer Weekly
congratulates all those that entered for their pioneering work in
the field of e-business.
All 48 candidates on the shortlist met the judging panel
face-to-face this week. Eleven entrants will receive recognition as
trailblazers of UK e-business at a gala awards dinner held at
London's Planit, on Tuesday 27 November.
And one of them will be selected by the judges to receive the
E-Business Gold Award, the winner of winners, judged to be the best
overall example of e-business in the UK.
In addition, this year a new award, the Secure E-Business Award,
will be presented to the entry from all of the core categories
judged to display the most impressive security set-up.
The awards will form the centrepiece of the biggest event in the
UK's e-business calendar, the E-Business Expo, organised by Reed
Exhibitions, which takes place at London's Olympia from 27 to 29
November.
This is the UK's largest gathering of industry suppliers and users.
Both the awards and the Expo will form part of the Computer Weekly
E-Business Month.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND PROCUREMENT AWARD
Documedia
Docuproperty Details enables estate agents to design property
brochures, see proofs and have them on their desk within 24
hours
Sainsbury's
The online scorecard, Sainsbury's Score,
helps the supermarket improve its relationship with its
suppliers
AAH Pharmaceuticals
Drug shortages need no longer be a
problem for AAH Pharmaceuticals thanks to this early warning
system
Science Warehouse
This e-marketplace provides a single, integrated catalogue of key
suppliers of laboratory equipment and reagents.
E-BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD
Virgin Wine Online
The site allows Virgin Wine to talk to its consumers on a totally
personalised basis
Lakefield Marketing
A strong customer base has been
built up by marketing merchandise based on popular children's
toys
Leapingsalmon.com
Internet technology is used to market
gourmet meals
Weavers of Nottingham
A well targeted, functional,
informative and interactive site selling wine
TeemLINK
Uses Internet for digital distribution of
cinema advertising.
SME E-BUSINESS AWARD
Dabs.com
A one-stop online shop for IT-related hardware and software,
dabs.com also offers a dynamic pricing and auction service
Holiday Autos
Holiday Autos' online car rental service
has links with major travel dotcoms, and is available through
digital interactive TV
Documedia
Documaster is an Web-enabled document
production and management service for the creation of pre-printed
stationery
The Hansard Group
An online financial service, offering brokers a range of products
including online valuations, client statements and commission
statements.
E-BUSINESS START-UP AWARD
BankCV
Provides banks with an online database of CV details
Nochex
Allows private individuals to e-mail cash
totally securely
mTicket
Provides the entertainment industry with a
means to send tickets direct to a mobile phone in the form of an
SMS message
Virgin Wine Online
A wine companion that helps site
visitors choose the grape that matches their taste, then sells and
delivers it to them
Showroom4cars.com
Offers free quotations on new vehicles, and a design and build
capability enabling users to configure their own car online.
MOBILE E-BUSINESS AWARD
Kunick Leisure
This system monitors some 60,000 amusement and gaming machines. It
diagnoses faults and provides repair plans for engineers
mTicket
Sends tickets for films and club nights
directly to customers' mobile phones in the form of an SMS
message
Nationwide Building Society
Provides mobile Internet
banking via a personal digital assistant
QuadraNet
Livebookings Mobile is a wireless restaurant booking application
using GPRS for personal digital assistants.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AWARD
Uttlesford District Council
Enables council members to access Uttlesford data at home saving
£8,000 a year in paper, distribution, transport etc
United Utilities
The number of searchable documents on
United Utilities' knowledge management environment enables staff to
share expertise
Cisco Systems UK
Ciscocast gives its staff fast access
to key Web sites and files, delivers targeted messages and
alleviates information overload
Donns Solicitors
An e-file accessing system is reducing the amount of time each
personal injury claim takes to process.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AWARD
Intelligent Finance
Developed a telephone and Internet bank from Halifax which offers a
product that links customers' borrowings with their savings across
a range of personal banking products
Donns Solicitors
E-file access system gives clients
bringing legal claims open access to their case file via the
Internet
Bupa
Offers customers the flexibility to connect with
Bupa via the Web, e-mail, telephone, fax or face-to-face
EasyRentacar
Allows customers to find their own answers online thereby reducing
the quantity of e-mail enquiries and requests.
E-RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING AWARD
BT Ignite Solutions
Online training at a lower cost than traditional tutor-led
model
National College for School Leadership
Online
submission of course applications
MSB International
Automating internal processes on an
intranet gives a more accurate database of 40,000 contractors'
employment status
Zynap
Web-based workforce management service helps
automate the recruitment, deployment and retention of staff
Ceridian Europe
Employer services extending beyond payroll and human resource to
help with electronic filing of tax self-assessment.
E-GOVERNMENT AWARD
City Hospital NHS Trust, Birmingham
The Rapport system allows GPs to book appointments directly into
consultants' diaries. It has cut referral times significantly
Bracknell Forest Borough Council
E-government portal
providing personalised information for local citizens 24 hours a
day, seven days a week
Employment Service and EDS Strategic
Partnership
Provides job seekers and employers with
24-hour access to Jobcentre services
Defence Logistics Organisation Logistic Applications
IPT
Draws together information from the three major naval sector
logistics systems and presents the results via a simple Web browser
interface.
E-BUSINESS DESIGN AWARD
Markel Syndicate 702 at Lloyds
Electronic underwriting system providing online quotations for
insurance products and online document production
First Choice
A Web site that sits on a legacy booking
system while making the online customer's purchase a hassle-free
experience
Ipswich Borough Council
P-City.com and
InvestIpswich.com are the first in a series of Web sites to help
establish Ipswich and Suffolk as a recognised centre of innovation
excellence
Intelligent Finance
Developed a service that sits alongside Halifax services but with a
different feel to attract new customers.
E-COMMERCE AWARD
Virgin Wine Online
Delivering wine over the Internet cost-effectively with personal
service
InsurE-com
Insurance industry portal provides services
that cut the costs of the insurance supply chain
Enigma
Provides complete process integration for
General Electric Aircraft Engines
Intelligent Finance
Developed a range of personal banking products that allows customer
flexibility on minimising debt and maximising savings.
THE JUDGING PANEL
We have put together the most
experienced panel of judges ever assembled to select the award
winners. They combine business and IT expertise with
category-specific know-how.
Computer Weekly - the UK's top IT publication and the
world's first IT weekly
Cranfield School of Management - one of the world's leading
university business schools, renowned for its strong links with
industry and business
The National Computing Centre - an independent membership
and research organisation promoting the more effective use of IT
E-Centre UK - an independent user group, promoting best
practice advice in the field of business-to-business e-commerce
EEMA (the European Forum for E-Business) - Europe's premier
e-business industry association
Sitpro - the Simpler Trade Procedures Board - the UK's trade
facilitation agency
The Federation of Small Businesses - the leading lobby
organisation representing small firms
Amazon.co.uk -the UK's leading online retailer
Socitm (the Society of Information Technology
Management)
- committed to promoting the effective and
efficient use of IT in local government and the public sector
Personnel Today - the UK's only weekly news magazine for
human resources and and training professionals
eTail Forum - the e-commerce decision-support organisation
for major global companies
JUDGING THE WINNERS
The gold award
BT is the sponsor of the UK E-Business Gold
Award. This will go to the winner of winners, the entry judged to
be the best overall example of e-business from all the various
award categories
Harnessing e-business
BT's Yvonne Thomas, director of
small and medium enterprises, sales, comments:
"In this, the second year of the Computer Weekly Awards, it has
been fascinating to view and judge the new entries. Last year, the
vast variety of entries was proof that e-business was sitting at
the top of the agenda for all UK organisations. This year, projects
are even more diverse and innovative, indicating that the UK is
truly harnessing e-business for competitive advantage.
"Over the past year, it seems that e-business has evolved
dramatically. Companies and government organisations are beginning
to wake up to the fact that e-business is not just about the
Internet, and that it can be used throughout an organisation to
improve both external relationships and internal business
processes. E-business is now being accepted as the norm, rather
than a 'nice-to-have' add-on such as a standalone Web site.
"The key today is integration and connection. Organisations are
realising that not only should they be ensuring that systems take
advantage of existing data and increase internal connectivity, they
should also be integrating e-business into business strategy, as a
means of meeting objectives and making the organisation more
flexible and competitive. The entries to this year's awards seem to
reflect this, with more variety in the types of solutions being
used and differing end-goals. Customers are still a major focus but
solutions are also being used to streamline business processes, cut
costs and improve efficiency.
"The number of entries is substantially higher this year, showing
that the Computer Weekly awards are already well-respected and are
awards that companies are keen to be a part of. There is a healthy
mix of small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporates and
government initiatives, too, and businesses from all industry
sectors are represented.
"BT works with companies of all sizes and backgrounds, and in our
experience technology innovation is never restricted to particular
types of company. It is pleasing to see that this is reflected
within the shortlisted projects, and we are delighted to note also
that a number of BT's customers and BT divisions are among
them.
"With the numbers and quality of entries to date, all those
companies shortlisted have already made a major achievement and
should be extremely proud. Judging has already been very difficult
and we have no doubt that the next stage will be tougher still.