1. IT Environment 1.1 Country Overview The U.K. economy has grown for eight consecutive years. Prospects for continued growth are strong and real GDP growth is expected to rise above 2 percent in 2001 despite the global economic slowdown. All of the one hundred largest U.S. companies have established operations in the U.K. The U.K. attracts over 20% of global inward investment destined for Europe, and nearly 40% of investment projects from the Far East and the …showed first 75 words of 2157 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2157 total…of new mechanisms to foster an innovative and entrepreneurial culture within Government. UK Online aims to get one million SMEs trading online by 2002, as part of a drive to get a higher percentage of B2B and B2C transactions taking place online in the UK. Another government initiative called The National Grid for Learning (NGFL) focusing on interactive education over the Internet. The British Government will invest over $1.6 billion in the NGFL project by 2002.