electronic commerce and what does it mean for Bermuda? The latest issue of The Bottom Line business quarterly magazine explains what e-commerce involves and why it is changing the way we do business forever. It also examines what's at stake for Bermuda as the Island seeks to carve out its own niche in the brave new world of cyberbusiness, perhaps as a virtual domicile or as an offshore centre for online transactions.

As Finance Minister Dr. Grant Gibbons put it at a press conference at the end of last month, "Electronic commerce has already turned some of the rules of traditional commerce upside down. There is no longer any compelling reason why business in completely disparate parts of the world should not compete for the same customers, especially if they are providers of a service which can be delivered electronically -- financial services, for example, or airline and hotel reservations.'' The Bottom Line also looks at how information and delivery of the so-called "fourth utility'' is driving renewed interest in "smart'' buildings designed to provide integrated control systems. There is also advice on riding out the latest stock market turmoil; a profile of Canadian Pacific Hotels, the new owners of Bermuda's Princess and Southampton Princess properties; a look behind the scenes in a cruise ship kitchen; and the perils of work addiction.

The Bottom Line is published by Crown Communications, a division of The Royal Gazette Ltd., and available free from most newspaper outlets from tomorrow.