Introductory issues

1. What led to the creation of the World Wide Web?
2. What is electronic commerce?
3. Will e-commerce capture a bigger share of the retail market?
4. Why is the internet important for trade?
5. What are the common mistakes, enterprises make in regard to e-commerce?
6. How is the Internet changing the way business is conducted?
7. What is the level of Internet use by businesses?
8. What industries have been changed most profoundly by e-commerce?
9. What internet-based services provide assistance to SMEs on e-commerce?

    Online market research

1. How is the Web organized to disseminate information?
2. What is the International Trade Center's Index to Trade Information Sources on the Internet?
3. Where can I find information on technical standards, phytosanitary regulations, and environmental and consumer protection requirements of my product?
4. How is the Web organized to disseminate information?
5. What is the International Trade Centre’s Index to Trade Information Sources on the Internet?
6. Where can I find information on technical standards, phytosanitary regulations, and environmental and consumer protection requirements for my product?
7. What are some Internet directories of sources of information for e-market research?
8. Where can I find information on what my competition is doing?
9. Where can I obtain information on foreign markets?
10. Where can I access market research on my sector?

    Online marketing techniques

1. How do I drive traffic to my site?
2. How do I find buyers and where can I find them?
3. What factors determine which products or services will sell well on the Internet?
4. What services sell well on the Internet – and why?
5. What products will consumers seek to purchase online?
6. Where can I find information on trade shows in my product line?

7. How do I get my products listed prominently by the major search engines?

   
   

    Online communication techniques

1. How do I write effective e-mails, and what are appropriate ways of communicating through the Internet?
2. What are newsgroups, listservs, direct marketing, and industry websites and how can I use them as part of my e-commerce strategy?
3. How do I organize an effective, well-attended discussion forum or virtual conference?
4. How can I improve communication and customer service through e-mail and websites?
   

    Legal issues

1. Are there international or national legal frameworks for e-commerce?
2. Which national law will cover cross-border electronic transactions between a seller and a buyer?
3. In the event of a dispute, which court will have jurisdiction over a cross-border contract agreed upon electronically?
4. How can I ensure that an agreement made electronically is legally binding?
5. If a buyer accepts online my online offer of goods for sale, am I legally bound by a contract?
6. How do I sign a contract electronically? Is an electronic signature as binding as a written signature?
7. How can I guarantee that the terms I actually see on my computer are identical to those that the another party has issued on its site?
8. How can I protect my business, brand name, domain name, and published material from being copied on the Web?
9. What guidelines and regulations exist for the protection of the confidentiality of electronic exchanges?
10. What are some key issues related to the taxation of Internet transactions?
11. What are some of the arguments for and against the taxation of Internet transactions?
    

    Security and encryption

1. Is e-commerce safe? If it is, why are many people afraid of making payments through the Internet?
2. What is being done to reassure consumers about the increased safety and privacy of Internet transactions?
   
3. What else can be done at the national and sectoral level to protect online customers? How can I protect my customers and earn their trust?
   
4. How can consumers shop online with confidence?
5. How do I protect myself from e-commerce fraud?
6. How do I inspire confidence in my trustworthiness as a supplier through my website?
   
7. How is an online privacy statement formulated?
8. How do I provide a secure credit card payment system on my website?
9. How do I build firewalls for system integrity, virus protection, and protection from intruders?

    Financial issues

1. When is a country ready for e-commerce? 
2. What cost items should I include in the calculation of my e-commerce sales price?
3. How do I get information on payment procedures and taxes in different countries?
4. Should I quote a sales price in my local currency, the currency of my target market, or in euros, United States dollars, or yen?
5. What financial costs, both hidden and unhidden, of e-commerce should I be aware of?
6. What are the different methods of payment that can be used with e-commerce, and which are the safest or simplest?
7. How do I check whether the financial systems in my country and in my target, markets are technically ready to handle e-commerce transactions? If they are not up to standard, do I find interim solutions or should I wait?
8. How do I set up payment arrangements with credit card companies? Will these require related arrangements with a bank? What are the average fees involved?
9. Do I need to check on my customer’s financial status to ensure smooth payment? Do I need to clear payment with credit card companies? Is there anything else I should do to ensure that I will be paid?
10. If payments are made to my company through a credit card transaction, who is liable for loss of goods in the mail or for delays in delivery arising from postal strikes and the like?
    
11. Will e-commerce payment procedures are standardized?

    Characteristics of successful websites

1. What makes a website successful?
2. What is the secret of successful website designing for e-commerce?
3. What are the essential elements of a well-designed website?
4. How do I get my website translated accurately?
5. What are some of the creative ways used in developing countries to serve people online?

    Technical issues

1. What questions should I ask of an Internet service provider and a web designer?
2. If my country’s telecommunications infrastructure is inadequate, what are my e-commerce options?
3. What hardware is required for engaging in e-commerce?
4. How do I create a website?
5. How do I set up a secured server cost-effectively?
6. Why do I need a domain name and why do I have to register it?
7. How do I register or buy a domain name?

    Policy and country issues

1. What policy and technical issues must be dealt with at the national level?
2. What is the perspective of developing countries vis-à-vis the World Trade Organization and e-commerce?
3. What are some of the positive and negative implications of e-commerce for developing countries?
4. What are the constraints to developing countries in regard to e-commerce?
5. What issues should governments take into account when developing a national e-commerce strategy for SMEs?
6. What are the essential elements of a national e-commerce strategy?
7. How have some developed countries formulated their national e-commerce strategies?
8. How have some other countries formulated their national e-commerce strategies?
9. How can government and national organizations facilitate e-commerce in developing countries?
10. What access do various countries have to telecommunications infrastructure?

    Online procurement

1. How do I start e-purchasing operations? 
2. How much will the various options cost?
3. How can I use e-commerce to generate value in my supply chain?
4. What steps should I follow to move from EDI to e-business on the Internet?
5. How will e-commerce affect my relationships with my suppliers and customers?
6. Do I need to reconfigure or reorganize my supply chain to obtain optimum benefits from e-commerce?
7. What benefits can a SME derive from using e-commerce in its supply chain?
8. Do generic supply chain management systems exist? Are they compatible, and what are the issues associated with their integration with Internet technology?
9. How do I access opportunities for supply chain management contracts in the public sector in my country and in others?
10. What sources of information does the Internet provide to help buyers in sourcing and purchasing inputs more competitively? What procurement operations can be replaced or supported by electronic means?

    Other issues

1. How does the International Trade Centre (ITC) provides assistance in the area of e-commerce?
2. What other international bodies carry out programs and services to facilitate e-commerce?
3. What areas of e-commerce require further research and inquiry?