Role of eIntermediaries in the United States paper supply chain

In an attempt to streamline the paper supply chain, paper industry vertical business-to-business eMarketplaces were established to help industry players to decrease inefficiencies in their supply chains, to minimize negative effects of economic cyclicality, and to achieve better visibility. eMarketplaces rode the hype of revolutionizing the way in which industries conduct business, citing the cost savings achieved by expanded market reach, operational efficiencies, aggregated purchasing, and finding the least expensive suppliers. Adoption of eIntermediaries has been lower than expected in the paper industry and many of the paper vertical start-ups failed when the economy softened and the dot.com bubble burst. This thesis examines the expectations, experience and role of eIntermediaries in the paper supply chain. eIntermediaries failed to fulfill paper suppliers expectations regarding key promises, such as improving cash flow, reducing cycle time, and reducing errors. None of the paper supplier respondents achieved the expected benefits from eIntermediary implementation. Overall paper suppliers lack commitment and trust for eIntermediaries. Paper buyer and paper supplier attitudes and expectations on eIntermediaries do not differ significantly. Both suppliers and buyers are concerned that using eIntermediaries would lead to loss of contact with exchange partners, but paper suppliers have a greater level of concern. Suppliers are most concerned with profitability, security of sensitive information, technical resources, costs, and the need to restructure established business processes in the context of using eIntermediaries. B2B exchanges seem to have underestimated the complexity of the paper industry and overestimated companies’ ability to adopt eCommerce. Organizational changes, changes in business processes, development of industry standards, and improvements in integration technology systems are all needed to capture benefits from B2B exchanges

Regional eMarketplaces: Towards a Unified Theoretical Framework

Regional electronic marketplaces (REMs) are currently one of the measures adopted by some local governments and regional organizations to improve uptake of e-commerce by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The rationale behind this move is to ensure SMEs do not fall on the wrong side of a digital divide. REMs are also viewed as a way to improve business efficiency and increase trade within the locality, expand into new markets and develop the region generally. However, while the development and management of REMs can be advised by a number of theoretical frameworks and models, there is no one definitive framework that can be used to comprehensively examine the factors that facilitate and inhibit the successful implementation of such e-marketplaces. This paper reviews the literature on e-marketplaces and IT/IS/ e-commerce adoption by SMEs and discusses how the constructs of existing theories and models can be used to examine REM success. It demonstrates how the constructs can be combined, refined and extended with insights from involvement in a REM in Western Australia and from content analysis of published case studies of e-marketplaces and emarketplace participation, to form an integrated theoretical framework upon which the assessment of REM success can be grounded

USING WEB TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE ACCOUNTING OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. AN ACADEMIC APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTATION OF IFRS

One way of supporting the accounting standard-setting process and to facilitatethe access to those standards is through the implementation of modern accounting reportingmethods using web technology. In this regard SMEs are under stress of two major factors:implementation of accounting standards and revolution in IT technology. The purpose of thispaper is to define the web accounting, explain the implications of web accounting for IFRSand discuss the key features in implementing this form of accounting for Small and MediumEnterprises(SME‘s). Web accounting is accounting software based on XML technology thatstores records and processes accounting transactions using HTTP as its primarycommunications protocol, and delivers web based information in HTML format and thentranslated in other formats. Web based accounting, will provide the benefit of cost savingsand increasing efficiency. It also will allows employees and external users (suppliers,customers and investors) a real time access to accounting data, translating reports in XBRLformat and facilitate adoption of IFRS.Web Accounting, SMEs, Web Technology, XML, XBRL, IFRS

SMEs and ICTs adoption : a new challenge to Regional Policies

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their widespread have produced profound changes at economic and social levels. We are now in what is known as Information Society. The ways in which people, firms, institutions and governments deal with ICTs and understand their impacts is an important issue. One of the main characteristics of Information Society is the growing competition between agents through innovation. By innovation we mean the capacity to manage creatively the knowledge as an answer to changes in social needs and in technology. Hence, innovation occurs as a means of competitive advantage. The paper addresses this issue by highlighting the importance of innovation for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which are by far the most relevant actors in European Economy. It is argued that the access and use of information as well as the existence of interaction between agents are key factors for innovation. ICTs, if used in a correct and efficient matter, can play an important role by inducing and help SMEs to innovate. In spite of helping firms overcoming a wide range of barriers, the adoption and the search for efficiency in ICTs use can however become a problem. This is even more significant concerning SMEs and particularly those located in peripheral regions. In fact, acknowledging the existence of a regional digital divide and a digital divide by company size, the European Commission is developing several actions in order to face and overcome these problems. The paper addresses several initiatives undertaken by the European Commission since the Lisbon summit at March 2000. More recently, the European regional policies have changed from simply getting SMEs connected to the Internet to the effective integration of ICTs into business processes. As a conclusion, the authors argue that Digital Policies should take into account that ICT adoption and use by SMEs, cannot be regarded as a panacea to solve the problems of firms and regional development. Regional policies to help SMEs to adopt ICT must be integrated (in a coherent way) within broader regional strategies.

Barriers to Adoption of Advanced E-business in Welsh Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

The eCommerce Innovation Centre (eCIC) at Cardiff University has a central role in Opportunity Wales, a programme providing e-business support to over 9000 Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) during the last five years. Uptake of advanced e-business adoption has been low during the programme as well as throughout Wales in general. This paper reports on the findings of a pilot study that was undertaken in the fifth year (2006) of the programme. The approach taken to identify the key barriers to adoption was through interviews with a cross section of expert delivery partners and a sample of SMEs that advanced e-business was relevant to. The key objectives were to understand the barriers to adoption in respect of the current programme as well to help planning for future support initiatives. In addition, the research would help identify and overcome certain barriers in relation to the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy. The paper concludes that varying definitions of e-business inhibit our understanding of uptake when comparing to other studies or initiatives. Also, the strategic planning of ebusiness, where relevant, will reduce barriers to advanced ebusiness adoption, as will the lessons learned from SMEs who have successfully made the transition

An examination of e-business adoption by South African companies.

Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.Globally, companies are adopting electronic business to sustain their competitive advantage and to link this with their core competencies. The world, as described by Gartner, is currently in a "Trough of Disillusionment" - an area of pessimism where the perceived value of e-business are thought of not delivering sustainable value. However, challenges and opportunities exist to change this perception. This dissertation makes a case for e-business adoption by laying out the value of e-business and discussing the components that make up e-business. Evidence exits linking e-business and competitive advantage and the degree of e-business adoption is producing shifts in the competitive landscape, thereby becoming a integral part of business activities across the world. Literature research is presented, making a case for adoption of e-business and its role in sustainable competitive advantage. The case therefore can also be made for South African companies and their e-readiness can be determined. The dissertation then proceed to examine the adoption of e-business by South African companies, looking at their readiness and making conclusions based in various criteria such as market segmentation, company size and so forth. Qualitative and quantitative research is presented in the form of secondary data from reputable sources and is discussed as and when presented. Evidence of IT contribution to competitive advantage is presented and the concept of the Intelligent Enterprise is introduced. International e-commerce trends is discussed along with Gartner's Net Liberalised Organisations (NLO) and the specific components making up e-business, such as supply chain management, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning, infrastructure, intermediation and customer relationship management, are examined in order to determine adoption levels in these technologies and business enablers. The dissertation goes onto examine South African B2B adoption trends focusing on e-commerce enabling technologies and components as a function of company size. Implementations, solutions and obstacles are presented and discussed. An Examination of E-Business Adoption by South African Companies. Closer examination of corporate IT trends for certain industry segments is evaluated with the primary focus on enterprise software application implementation phases. This is an exhaustive look at implementation of tools ranging from CRM through to portal technologies and network security. Next the penetration levels of enterprise applications for various vertical industries are looked into, as well as the degree of penetration propensity as a gauge of trends. Obstacles to e-business, Internet connectivity and the effects of IT budgets on adoption are examined. Future trends are discussed during these chapters. Internet based B2B exchanges and offerings (both vertical and functional or hub exchanges) have been researched in various industry sectors. These are presented and conclusions drawn as to the positioning of these exchanges in the South African marketplace. Finally, recommendations, trends, conclusions and future predictions are presented along with the challenges that the marketplace (both small and large company size segments), is facing.Telkom

Promoting E-Commerce among SMEs through Community-Based Portals: An Analysis of Three West Australian Cases

In Western Australia, efforts to increase SME e-commerce adoption have been integrated with some regional community portals in order to access greater levels of government funding. This paper examines three such cases. Results indicate that although the enablement of e-commerce was intended to be the driving force behind these portals, it is the traffic generated from online community activity and community support of the portals that have helped sustain them. While e-commerce economic benefits from the portals have been slow to materialise, the portals have produced benefits in the form of increased online community participation and e-commerce awareness