Catherwood LibraryILR School

The fears generated by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus have been taking an increasingly heavy toll on companies throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim, the companies that do business with them, and the businesses that thrive on servicing them (see WIT's for April 2, and May 5, 2003). As workers stay home because of their own fears, the precautions of at-risk employers, or the quarantines of health officials, and foreign companies curtail business travel, however, at least one industry is thriving. Already benefiting from the increased interest of employers and business travelers alike in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 2001 (see WIT's for Sep. 26, Oct. 9, Nov. 6, and Dec. 20, 2001), companies in the teleconferencing and Web conferencing industries have seen demand jump by as much as 400 percent.