U.K. aiming e-commerce at small firms

The U.K. government's drive to encourage small and medium-sized companies to embrace e-commerce took a step forward Tuesday as the country's first eBusiness Club opened. The Glasgow, Scotland, initiative, the first of 16 planned for Britain, will provide local businesses with advice and assistance to help them use technology in their everyday activities. The hope is that the Chamber of Commerce-backed clubs will boost e-commerce in the United Kingdom in the wake of the dot-com slump. The eBusiness Clubs concept was launched last month. Some of the funding comes from the government, while companies such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Intel supply the rest. Members of an eBusiness Club can attend monthly meetings to receive presentations on e-business issues, and workshops to learn Web design and Internet marketing techniques. Graeme Wearden reported from London.