Assessing the success and evaluating the benefits of government-sponsored regional internet-trading platforms for small and medium enterprises: A Western Australian perspective

The Internet has been viewed as an opportunity for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to efficiently compete in the global arena with their larger counterparts by overcoming distance and size. However, research has shown that actual uptake of Internet e-commerce by SMEs has been lagging behind that of larger companies. Fearing a growing digital divide between large companies and SMEs, some governments have taken specific measures to encourage SME participation in ecommerce. One of the more direct government initiatives to hasten the progression of SMEs on the e-commerce adoption curve is the creation, sponsorship and management of regional Internet trading platforms for these enterprises. Such a move is predicated on the belief that these platforms will offer SMEs a low-cost introduction to participation in Internet trading platforms without the need for significant technology investments, allowing them to reap benefits like lower costs, improved customer service and new levels of innovation through knowledge-sharing

Knowledge Management in an Organisational Climate of Uncertainty and Change: A Longitudinal Case Study of an Australian University

Universities are in the knowledge business and are expected to be at the forefront of knowledge management (KM). However, KM in a university is complex given the diversity of stakeholder groups. This is exacerbated in the Australian context by the changing climate of rationalisation, corporatisation and marketisation universities faced in the past decade. This paper investigates KM strategies in an Australian university to uncover barriers to knowledge-sharing among academics. Although the organisational infrastructure supports KM, many academics have not actively embraced it. One reason is that they struggle with KM for operational excellence in the increasing administrative aspects of the academic’s role, rendering them time-poor in terms of KM for innovation in research and teaching. As a first step, we propose a self-defined sub-unit level customised view of the explicit knowledge artefacts provided at the organisational level i.e. a wiki for a school-based community of practice for administrative best practices

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

Bridging the digital divide with community portal regional e-marketplaces for SMEs: The need for an integrated approach

In the late 19908 it was perceived that a digital divide existed in Australia between regional/rural and metropolitan areas and between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their larger counterparts. In response, a number of regional community portals and e-marketplaces for SMEs were funded at the federal, state and local government levels. These initiatives were driven by the hope that they would lead to increased online activity and eventually promote regional economic development. A number of these portals and regional e-marketplaces (REMs) are no longer in existence. Of those that remain, some continue to battle with inadequate funding while trying to recover from the \u27build it and they will come\u27 philosophy behind them. This paper reports on two cases of government-funded community portal regional e-marketplaces in Western Australia. They illustrate that such initiatives should be viewed as only one piece of an integrated puzzle of policies designed to narrow the digital divide. They need to be accompanied by simultaneous efforts to build the e-competencies of targeted participants and ensure the adequacy of technological infrastructure. These portals and REMs also need to be grounded on sound theoretical assumptions about the social, technological and economic issues relating to their development and management

A proposed model to evaluate the benefits of government sponsored regional electronic marketplaces for SMEs: Extending the updated DeLone & McLean IS success model

Despite a growing body of research on the benefits of Internet-based electronic marketplaces, few evaluation models have emerged to examine them. This paper proposes a conceptual model to evaluate the benefits of a government-sponsored regional e-marketplace for small and medium enterprises (SME-REM). The updated DeLone & McLean IS Success Model is extended using data from a literature review on e-marketplaces, SME participation in e-commerce and from an ongoing case study of a government-sponsored SME-REM in Western Australia. The extended model considers a longitudinal approach and the context of the evaluation in determining the net benefits of government-sponsored SME-REMs

Using a Cultural Lens to Interpret the Success and Failure of Regional Internet Community Portals in Promoting e-Commerce adoption by SMEs

In Western Australia (WA), efforts to increase SME e-commerce adoption have been integrated with some governmentlunded collaboratively-owned regional Internet community portals. This paper examines three such cases, two in regional WA and one in the metropolitan area, to determine the impact of cultural factors on the success of these portals. Results indicate that the collectivist culture of the communities in the two regional areas played an important role in initially sustaining the portals. Subsequently, legitimacy and mimetic pressure also contributed to SME involvement in these portals resulting in an overall increase in awareness by this sector of the benefits and drawbacks of participating in such portals. In contrast, the individualistic nature of the owners and the communities catered for by the metropolitan portal resulted in its failure even before it could properly take off. This research suggests that cultural contexts underlying the region and the alliances in the collaborative efforts can in some cases be leveraged to achieve intended outcomes. In others, they can indicate that the initiatives are not suitable and would require significantly greater resources to succeed

Regional E-Marketplaces and B2B portals for SMEs: Are some of them failing because of a mismatch between Motivation and Ability?

Regional e-marketplaces (REMs) and B2B portals for SMEs are one type of initiative introduced by local governments and regional consortiums in Australia to improve uptake of e-commerce by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, a number of them have failed or are floundering. This paper examines a failed REM in Western Australia from a motivation-ability perspective. Results indicate the need for REM sponsors to match motivation for REM development with resources and to seek strategic partnering to meet resource shortfalls. Matching motivation and resource capabilities can lead to better focused REMs/portals and may improve their chances of success

The relationship between responsible financial behaviours and financial wellbeing: The case of buy-now-pay-later

Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) in Australia is a rapidly growing payment innovation. Regulators and consumer groups have expressed concerns at the financial risks posed by BNPL. As BNPL is not regulated under consumer credit law, financial regulator and consumer groups have recommended that BNPL users adopt a range of responsible financial behaviours for their financial wellbeing. This study, using a survey of BNPL users and structural equation modelling, shows a link between most of these recommended financially responsible behaviours and financial wellbeing and that the financial behaviours of younger users (aged under 25) place them at greater risk of reduced financial wellbeing

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

Knowledge management in an organisational climate of uncertainty and change: A longitudinal case study of an Australian university

Universities are in the knowledge business and are expected to be at the forefront of knowledge management (KM). However, KM in a university is complex given the diversity of stakeholder groups. This is exacerbated in the Australian context by the changing climate of rationalisation, corporatisation and marketisation universities faced in the past decade. This paper investigates KM strategies in an Australian university to uncover barriers to knowledge-sharing among academics. Although the organisational infrastructure supports KM, many academics have not actively embraced it. One reason is that they struggle with KM for operational excellence in the increasing administrative aspects of the academic’s role, rendering them time-poor in terms of KM for innovation in research and teaching. As a first step, we propose a self-defined sub-unit level customised view of the explicit knowledge artefacts provided at the organisational level i.e. a wiki for a school-based community of practice for administrative best practices