As a result their studies, requiring greater statistical controls and accuracy, will inevitably have longer lag-times to market. The government is already circulating its first e-commerce surveys, for instance, but limited results are not due until 2001, with complete measurements anticipated in 2002. In Internet time, one-year lags are an eternity. Barua and his colleagues know that eventually the government will be, and should be, the central authority for reporting e-commerce statistics. Until that becomes a reality, however, private-sector initiatives are the best options.
Time is only one of obstacles the government faces.
Just as the Internet is overturning old business models and practices, it thwarts conventional methods of categorization. Government surveys, for instance, have typically assumed that certain manufacturers sell to certain wholesalers who sell to certain retailers. Barua agrees that the private sector can help define things better. Ultimately it's the government's job, but we can help. McCombs School of Business , University of Texas at Austin .