Research for efficient records and document management

More and more the Internet has become a generally accepted tool for information searching and provision, within small and medium export enterprises. Customers use the Internet to search for information and documents, which may exist in several versions and in different languages. In these enterprises certain information and documents may have to be preserved and accessible for a long time because the length of a product`s life can be up to 30-40 years. That puts a heavy demand on information and document administration systems, even on those that are working well.

 A research area that has not been explored in any depth concerns the specific demands on information and document administration in enterprises where the Internet is used as a tool for distribution. Particular areas of research interest include the relation of the Internet to increased competitive ability, customer satisfaction, business benefit and growth.

It is most likely that the legal demands for preservation of published information on the Internet by such enterprises will increase. The publisher or the sender must for their own and for others` sakes be able to show what has been published and thereby confirm what information has been released. Routines and methods for saving this kind of information are still missing to a large extent. It is common practice to just update i.e. delete information from the website when the information is no longer of interest, or to replace it with a new version, leaving no record of past website content about company products and services.