A government funded internet portal as a promoter of regional cluster relationships: a case study from the Australian wine industry

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that examined the relationship between a small winery cluster and the implementation of a government sponsored Internet portal— the WinesOfGippsland.com site. Literature relating to industry clusters and Internet portals is examined to identify the beneficial features associated with portals and clusters. The paper makes a link between portal benefits and those typically associated with industry clusters— with the subsequent implications for policy. The study found that the winery business experience after portal implementation enhanced relationships between small wine producers, resulting in outcomes that included resource sharing, informal knowledge exchanges, and innovative practices that resulted in new product development. Indeed, these types of benefits tend to be also reported in successful clusters. Moreover, the authors argue that government policy may achieve more favourable outcomes in promoting e-commerce and Internet adoption in regional areas by identifying established business clusters— more so than ad-hoc related groups— that can use their already established relationships to quickly and appropriately leverage the business benefits associated with new technologies