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Term	Description
Arrows links to the main toolkit web pages where there is one main reference.
Accession States	The twelve countries currently under active admission to the European Union: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. (See also NAS)
ACP countries	African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (See European Development Fund)
Action plan	An action plan is drawn up to determine in detail how to implement a strategy within a regional development strategy context. An action plan should include, in as much detail as possible, the cost(s) involved, main responsibilities and the time scales for starting and finishing individual projects and tasks.
ADSL	Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line which provides broadband capacity over exiting copper telephone lines.
ALA	Aid provided under the EC external aid programmes and instruments for Asian and Latin American countries
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Branding the region	Creation of a regional image and identity, normally in commercial terms, so that potential customers or investors have a positive attitude towards the region.
Broadband	High speed data connection, typically used for accessing the Internet and/or transmitting large amounts of data.
Business functions	Because eWork relocation is normally of one or more business functions, rather than of the whole company or organisation, EMERGENCE has defined seven of these for investigation: customer services including call centres; tele-sales; data processing; software development; financial and accounting services; HR, management and training; creative functions.
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Call-centre	Office where operators receive, handle or divert calls on a whole range of subjects from the public or customers. Call centres are normally supported by ICT and are often (though not always) outsourced.
Candidate Countries (or States)	Countries eligible for PHARE Programme funding: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia..
CAP	Common Agricultural Policy — the European Commission’s fund for supporting farmers and the farming economy.
CARDS	Aid provided under the EC external aid programmes and instruments for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the FYROM (Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia)
Cluster	A special type of network, normally of a particular industry, or tight group of inter- dependent industries, which tend to be focused in a small geographic area where physical contacts and flows can also take place.
Cohesion Fund	Fund which supports improvement and transport infrastructures in order to promote economic and social cohesion
Community Initiatives within Structural Funds	Special financial instrument of EU structural policy which the Commission proposes to the Member States on its own initiative. There are four main initiatives: Interreg III, Leader+, Equal and Urban II.
Comparative advantages	Factors of advantage a region (country or organisation) has compared to other regions which thus make it more attractive to gaining eWork or inward investment. See also pull factors.
Competencies	See skills and competencies
Core regions	In a given region or country (or groups of countries on a global scale), core regions are those areas with greatest economic activity, and, often also the highest population densities and centres of wealth. Core regions tend to consist of large cities and metropolitan centres, and to be at the centre of physical and virtual networks, transport and communications links. (See also peripheral regions)
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Destination (region) of eWork	The destination of eWork is the location of the establishment(s) where eWork is conducted, ie the supplier of eWork. (See also source (region) of eWork)
Digital divide	See geographical digital divide
Digitisation of work	Work becomes digitised if the information materials used are converted into digital form. This typically involves codifying aspects of the work which can be relatively easily formalised and routinised. It also typically involves a transformation of work processes and a reorganisation of the work.
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EAGGF	The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund — one of the four Structural funds
EC	The European Commission
eLancers	Freelance teleworkers or mobile workers.
EDF: European Development Fund	Aid provided under the EC external aid programmes and instruments for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
eEmployees	eEmployees are those employees of organisations who undertake eWork.
EES	See European Employment Strategy
EMERGENCE	The EMERGENCE project (2000-2002), funded by the European Commission’s Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme, is set up to measure and map eWork in the Global Information Society.
eReadiness database	EMERGENCE’s eReadiness database enables users to compare countries and European regions in their ability to participate in the new global communications environment.
ERDF	The European Regional Development Fund — one of the four Structure funds
eOutsource	An establishment eOutsources if it outsources business functions using ICT.
EQUAL	One of the Community Initiatives seeking to promote a labour market open to all through new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequality.
eServices	eServices are outsourced business services which are supported by ICT. An establishment is defined as being an eService user if it outsources business functions using a telecommunication link. An establishment is defined as being an eServices supplier if it supplies business functions using a telecommunications link.
ESF	The European Social Fund — one of the four Structural funds
EU	The European Union consisting at present of fifteen Member States: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
European Employment Strategy	A strategy built on thematic priorities, grounded in four pillars (employability, entrepreneurship, adaptability and equal opportunities) and described in Employment Guidelines. Every year, these Guidelines are translated into National Action Plans for Employment (NAPs) by Member States. NAPs are analysed by the Commission and the Council.
eWork	EMERGENCE defines eWork, or telemediated work, as the relocation of information-processing work carried out with extensive use of computer systems and on the basis of telecommunications links, ie with the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The broadest definition of eWork encompasses any work which is carried out away from an establishment and managed from that establishment using ICT for receipt or delivery of the work.
eWork relocation	eWork relocation is the process of moving eWork between regions, thereby creating, destroying or changing its nature in a given region.
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FIFG	The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance — one of the four Structure funds
Flexibility	ICT can contribute to a greater flexibility of working processes and the organisation of work, especially in relation to two main types: worker-centred flexibility — this involves adapting regulatory frameworks and work organisation in order to give workers more choice, such as ability to fit working hours around family life.   company-centred flexibility — this tends to require workers to adapt to the changing requirements of companies regardless of the effect on working conditions.
Flexible specialisation	Flexible specialisation within the value chain occurs when ICT enables new links between different steps or functions, and new linkages between different chains, to be established. This enables specific parts of the chain to specialise in one or more functions thus achieving economies of scale or scope.
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Geographic concentration	Geographic concentration can occur when activities previously dispersed find that the advantages of new forms of geographic proximity outweigh the advantages of remaining in their existing locations. For example, the benefits of building highly specialised teams involved in R&D, business services, high-tech manufacturing, access to specialised and fast changing knowledge, etc., not just within a given company but, often more important, between similar or complementary companies, can be decisive.
Geographical de-centralisation	Geographic decentralisation most typically occurs where dispersed sites can offer labour and/or production cost advantages, pools of excess labour supply for activities confronting labour shortage or high labour competition in existing sites, proximity to significant markets or clusters of activity, etc.
Geographical de-segregation	Geographical de-segregation occurs when one or more links in the value chain becomes geographically removed from existing locations partially because of the use of ICT.
Geographical digital divide	The geographical digital divide occurs where access to and the enjoyment of the advantages of ICT depends on where you live and work.
Goal	A goal is a desirable future condition which can achieve the vision in a regional development strategy. Goals should be forward looking (ie long term) and synergetic (ie complement each other), but there must not be too many otherwise resources and effort will be spread too thinly.
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Human capital	Human capital is the quantity and, often more important, the quality of the labour force, including its qualifications, skills and competencies, etc., as well as qualities like adaptability, flexibility and entrepreneurship.
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ICT: Information and Communications Technology	The combination of computer systems and telecommunications links. In the European research context, is sometimes termed IST (Information Society Technology).
Information society	A society forged from the information revolution, ie based upon and formed around the use of ICT, and often defined as the society which comes after the industrial society, based upon the industrial revolution.
Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme	One of the RTD programmes with the European Commission’s Fifth (1998-2002) and Sixth Framework Programmes (2002-2006).
Internet Service Provider (ISP)	A provider of Internet services, normally a commercial company, but can also be an NGO providing Internet services for its members.
Interreg III	One of the Community initiatives aiming to stimulate interregional co-operation in the EU between 2000-06. It is financed under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
ISDN	A medium capacity telecommunications network, with a data speed faster than traditional ordinary telephone lines but not as fast as broadband.
ISP	See Internet Service Provider.
ISPA Programme	The ISPA Programme aims to help Candidate States by familiarising them with the policies and procedures of the European Union, helping them catch up with EU environmental standards, and expanding and linking with the trans-European transport networks.
IST	See Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme.
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Knowledge	Knowledge is often defined as information organised in such a way that it increases understanding and/or can be successfully applied to solve real world problems. Types of knowledge are often described as lying along a spectrum from tacit knowledge at one end to explicit (or codified) knowledge at the other.
Knowledge economy	The knowledge economy describes that part of the economy which relies on applied knowledge, normally high level (or expert) knowledge such as is used in business functions.
Knowledge management	Knowledge management is the systematic organisation and preservation of knowledge normally by organisations in order to maximise the exploitation of the individual and organisational know-how of their workforce. Exchange and interchangeability of knowledge can reduce the threat posed by departing employees as well as ensure that the competitive potential of the organisation is fully exploited.
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Labour market	A labour market describes how regional, national or international employment mechanisms function in relation to employment, participation and wage rates, and to human capital (the qualifications, skills and competencies, adaptability, flexibility and entrepreneurship of the labour force).
Leader+	One of the Community initiatives aiming to complement the rural development programmes and structural objectives.
Learning region	The learning region model is a framework for analysing key relationships and developing effective strategies for regional policy. It includes concepts of social capital, individual learning, organisational learning, economic competitiveness and social inclusion.
Leonardo da Vinci	Action which aims to enhance the aptitudes and skills of people, especially young people, in initial vocational training; to improve the quality of continuing vocational training; to promote the contribution of vocational training systems to the innovation process and thus improve competitiveness and entrepreneurship.
LFRs: Less Favoured Regions	Less Favoured Regions is the earlier name for what are now termed Objective 1 regions. These are regions whose development is lagging behind, ie whose average per capita GDP is less than 75% of the European Union average.
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Malta-EU	Special financing for Malta within the PHARE Programme.
Match funding	Match funding is regionally or nationally provided funds designed to match Community funding.
MEDA II	Aid provided under the EC external aid programmes and instruments for the Mediterranean partners.
Member States	The fifteen member countries of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
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NAS	New Associated States — see Accession States.
NAP: National Action Plan for Employment	Employment strategy agreed at Member State level for implementing and co-ordinating the European Employment Strategy (EES).
Network	Typically a multi-dimensional set of contacts and links with flows in all directions. A network can be physical (eg the road network or network of telephone cables), or virtual which normally refers to the people, organisations or places connected via an ICT network of any kind.
NGO: Non-Governmental Organisation	A non-profit organisation that is not part of government or a government agency. For example, charitable, civic or voluntary organisations normally working as pressure or representative groups engaged in activities supporting social, economic or developmental programmes.
NUTS regions	The nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) was created by the European Office for Statistics (Eurostat) in order to create a single and coherent structure of territorial distribution. NUTS divides the 15 countries of the European Union into 78 level 1, 210 level 2 and 1,093 level 3 regions.
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Objective	An objective is a realistic, measurable target of how and when each goal (or part of a goal) in a regional development strategy is to be achieved. Objectives should be realistic, feasible and measurable (so it is possible to know whether or not they have been achieved), and there should not be too many objectives for each goal.
Objective Regions	For the period 2000-2006 the Commission has set three priority objectives for Structure Fund activities: Objective 1 promotes the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind Objective 2 contributes to the economic and social conversion of regions in structural difficulties (other than those eligible for Objective 1 support). Objective 3 covers all the measures for human resource development outside the regions eligible for Objective 1 funding. Each objective defines a number of regions eligible for funding.
Opportunities	See SWOT analysis
Outsourcing	Outsourcing occurs when economic activities are moved from being undertaken internal to the organisation to being undertaken by entities outside the organisation. This is normally done in a market, or commercial, context, so that the best combination of price, quality and delivery is achieved.
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Peripheral regions	In a given region or country (or groups of countries on a global scale), peripheral regions are those areas with least economic activity, and, often also the lowest population densities and centres of wealth. Peripheral regions tend to consist of, at most, small cities and towns and rural areas, and to be poorly served by physical and virtual networks, transport and communications links. (See also core regions)
PHARE Programme	The PHARE Programme aims to provide finance for economic development administrative reconfiguration, social change, legislative work to enable Candidate Countries meet the criteria for membership of the EU.
PPP	See public-private-partnership
Project	Projects are manageable chunks of effort in a regional development strategy each with its own time horizon, resources (inputs including funding), activities and outputs which can be measured against the objectives they serve. Projects may be broken down into sub-projects, or tasks, and are designed to transform the opportunities and resources which the region has into achieved objectives and hence goals.
Public-private-partnership	A partnership is any initiative between the public and private sectors. Can also sometimes include the third, or non-profit, sector.
Pull factors	Factors pulling an eWork function towards a destination region
Push factors	Factors tending to push an eWork function away from a source region
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Regional competitiveness	Regional competitiveness is more than the competitiveness of individual businesses or sectors in a given region, as it also focuses on the synergies and complementarities between these individual activities within a regional context.
Regional development	The overall aims of regional development are to promote the welfare and wealth of a sub-national territory, normally using an integrated geographical approach expressed at a local/regional scale involving local/regional actors. Typically three interrelated factors are addressed simultaneously: economic development, social (including cultural) cohesion, and environmental sustainability.
Regional development strategy	The EMERGENCE project’s structured guide to preparing and implementing a regional development strategy based upon eWork.
Regional profile	In order to implement a regional development strategy, a regional profile is prepared which analyses the current situation in which the region finds itself. This is necessary if innovative and forward-looking, but at the same time realistic, plans are to be designed and implemented for promoting the development of the region using ICT and eWork. In the EMERGENCE approach up to five components of a regional profile can be prepared: 1) a standard regional and ICT profile 2) an eWork survey 3) an examination of regional eWork push and pull factors 4) a regional statistical profile based on the EMERGENCE eReadiness database 5) a SWOT analysis
RTD: Research and Technology Development	The European Commission’s funded research activities. The Sixth Framework Programme for RTD (2002-2006) has taken over from Fifth (1998-2002).
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SAPARD	The SAPARD Programme aims to help Candidate Countries deal with the problems of structural adjustment in their agricultural sectors and rural areas
Skills and competencies	In the context of eWork, basic ICT skills and competencies (such as use of a PC, mobile devices, standard programmes) are a precondition. More advanced ICT skills (eg software development, web design, database design, the use of specialised programmes, etc.) can be required depending on the type of work to be performed. In addition, however, modern working conditions (especially in an eWork context) often require other mixes of skills and competencies, for example, self-organisation and management, inter-personal skills, dealing with unexpected rather than routine situations, greater initiative and self reliance, etc.
SME	Small and medium-sized enterprise
Social capital	Social capital is defined as the institutions, relationships, and social norms impinging upon the quality and quantity of social interactions within a society.
Social partners	Organisations representing both sides of industry in negotiations on working conditions, wages, etc., for example trade unions and employers’ organisations.
Source (region) of eWork	The source of eWork is the (location of the) establishment(s) which require eWork to be performed, ie the establishment which ‘demands’ eWork from other organisations or regions and thus is the ‘demander’ of eWork. (See also destination (region) of eWork)
Strategy	A strategy, within a regional development strategy context, describes the steps and components, and how they are achieved, leading from individual tasks and projects, through objectives to goals, and then the vision. Thus, each goal is operationalised by designing a strategy as a relatively detailed description of measurable objectives and projects. The strategy will result in an action plan for implementation.
Strengths	See SWOT analysis
Structure Funds	Structure Funds are the main financial instruments used by the European Union to reduce disparities and promote economic and social cohesion across European regions. Their combined efforts help to boost the EU’s competitive position and, consequently, to improve the prospects of its citizens. Structure Funds include: ERDF, ESF, EAGGF and FIFG.
Sustainable development	Sustainable development has the objective of maximising human welfare and providing a sound economic, social and environmental base for both present and future generations. Typically the focus is also on the physical and man-made environment and the protection and enhancement of these.
SWOT analysis	SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. A SWOT analysis is designed as a decision-support system, which should be seen as part of an overall learning process within a regional development strategy context: a strength is a resource or capacity the organisation/region has and which it can use effectively to achieve its vision a weakness is a limitation, fault or defect in the organisation/region that will keep it from achieving its vision an opportunity is any favourable situation in the organisation/region’s environment a threat is any unfavourable situation in the organisation/region’s environment that is potentially damaging to its strategy The aim of SWOT is to increase the level of information and thus reduce uncertainty.
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TACIS	The TACIS Programme provides aid under the EC external aid programmes and instruments for the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia.
Task	See Project
Telecentre	A telecentre is typically a small office or building, normally away from other offices or business premises, which essentially has a business-oriented function, often as a small call centre or back office operation where work can be carried out away from the employer’s main location. Sometimes two or more employers share a telecentre. Some telecentres are hybrids and have both community functions supported by public subsidy and commercial functions for a profit or as part of a larger business operation.
Telecottage	Telecentre normally situated in a rural area.
Telemediated work	see eWork
Telework	Sometimes used synonymously with eWork, but traditionally covers forms of individualised eWork, ie individuals (as opposed to groups) working from home or from a variety of different locations.
Transactions costs	The costs of executing economic transactions either inside organisations or in the marketplace
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USO: Universal Service Obligation	The Universal Service Obligation mandates the equal geographical distribution of the supply of traditional telephone services at a universal price. In today’s liberalised ICT regime, however, there seems little immediate prospect of the regulators extending USO to cover the new high speed (’broadband’), mobile or other more advanced services.
Urban II	One of the Community Initiatives aiming to promote innovative strategies for economic and social regeneration in deprived urban areas, at the same time as facilitating the identification of good practice and exchanges of experience across the European Union.
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Value chain	Modern economies consist of a complex system of value chains linking together the different steps in the economic process, so that each step adds new value to the whole process. For example, traditional steps include extraction, transporting, refining, transporting, production, transporting, assembly, transporting, consumption, etc. A basic hypothesis is that, whilst the industrial society was based on the use of technologies in specific steps in such a chain, in the information society, technologies (especially ICT) are used, in principle, in all steps of the value chain and (perhaps more important), in all transactions between the steps, such as management, marketing, administration, sales, R&D, etc.
Vision	A vision, in a regional development strategy, is a short (and preferably inspiring) statement of what the region is able to, and wishes to, do or be over the medium or long-term in relation to eWork, as well as to regional development more generally. It is necessary, as far as possible, for a shared vision to be established of what the area should be in the future. A vision statement should be prepared to establish a sense of purpose and direction for the rest of the planning and implementation process.
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Weaknesses	See SWOT analysis
Work-life balance	A sustainable balance between the demands of the workplace and the demands of the worker’s non-working life.
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Youth	Youth is a new Community Action Programme which builds on previous programmes and offers young people opportunities for mobility and active participation in the construction of the Europe of the third millennium, based on non-formal education. It encourages the concept of lifelong learning and the development of skills and competencies which promote active citizenship.

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© 2002, Institute for Employment Studies