Many companies are going beyond simple document sharing, deploying such programs on an enterprise-wide basis and using repository-based groupware as databases, internal communications networks and work-flow systems.    Many companies are using groupware products to spearhead efforts to reengineer the way they do business.  For example, a Wall Street investment firm used groupware to help prepare the final details of a merger and acquisition deadline.  It became clear to this management that they could not finish those details without help at 3 p.m. the day before the proposal was due.  This company contracted with Coopers & Lybrand to finish the proposal by 9 am the next morning. 

Using Lotus Notes, Coopers & Lybrand met their needs.  At the end of the day for the Dallas office of Coopers & Lybrand,  management handed the work to the San Francisco office.  These employees worked on the project until the end of their work day when they, in turn, passed the project to the Sydney office.  Sydney employees eventually passed the work to the London office which, in turn passed it to the New York office, which eventually returned the work to the Dallas office for presentation to the client at the originally scheduled time (i.e., the next morning).