Progress toward establishing community networks in regional Queensland

There can be no doubt that the Internet, which is the current building block for the information age, has unprecedented implications for society at large to the stage of fundamentally changing many aspects of human existence. Even societies seemingly untouched by the Internet today will be affected by the changing nature of those segments that are inextricably embedding it into many facets of their commercial, organizational, and societal lives. The uneven adoption of Internet technologies across the world is great cause for concern to international collaborative bodies whose efforts are related to global inequity (ITU 2002; UNDP 2001; DOTforce 2001). The societal base for application of information technology represents the next stage in the development of the information systems discipline which until recently has been largely confined to an organizational focus

Distributed government bureaucracy : a proposed approach to developing regional communities in Queensland using ICT

This paper furthers discussion on ways to develop regional communities. Although much well-intentioned research and government expenditure has been made in this area, it seems to have produced only marginal improvement to the overall well-being of most regional communities in Queensland. The career employment spectrum in every region outside South-East Queensland (SEQ) is becoming increasingly disjointed, with consequent long-term detrimental effects on regional strength and well-being. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) now presents the possibility of enabling significant improvement to be made. The proposal is made that a government employment approach throughout Queensland based on distributed government bureaucracy enabled by judicious use of ICT will significantly improve regional development as well as the long-term development of Queensland. This proposal will however, require strong top-level political and bureaucratic will, leadership, communication, and support, if it is to succeed

An eyeball diagram : illustrating the common CSFs in e-commerce business satisfaction for successful adoption of e-commerce systems by SMEs

Previous research has determined that the measurement of business satisfaction (e-commerce business satisfaction – EBS) with e-commerce success could be a better determinant of successful business adoption of an e-commerce system than measuring from a customer perspective. The aim of this continuing research is to determine if common critical success factors (CSFs) exist for EBS across different countries. Based on 73 initial items from previous research, a blend of quantitative and qualitative research methods was used to gather data from SMEs in Australia and China. The data were analysed using repeated reliability analysis comprising initial reliability analysis, validity analysis, one-sample t-testing, identification of common items, independent-samples t-testing, factor analysis, and detailed reliability analysis. A total of 15 items were identified as Common CSFs. An eyeball diagram illustrates the Common CSFs and their relationships. Further research is needed using the Common CSFs as a basis to develop a more effective tool for SMEs to successfully adopt an e-commerce system

The EBS management model : an effective measure of e-commerce satisfaction in SMEs in the service industry from a management perspective

While many electronic commerce (e-commerce) systems have been successfully adopted in businesses across a number of different industries, a significant number have failed, especially in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It is therefore necessary to explore new methods to describe and measure e-commerce success from a business perspective. Using the fifteen critical success factors (CSFs) obtained from previous works as a foundation, this continuing research explored an EBS Management Model categorised into five components including Marketing, Management Support & CustomerAcceptance, Web Site Effectiveness & Cost, Managing Change, and Knowledge & Skills. Further research is needed to determine the weighting of these CSFsand components as a yardstick so that this EBS Management Model, as an established practical model, can be adopted by business managers for the pursuit of e-commerce success, and assist service industry SMEs in effectively adopting e-commerce systems using a business-focused approach

CSFs for SMEs in measuring e-commerce success

For the last 20 years, while many electronic business (e‐business)/electronic commerce (e‐commerce) systems have been successfully adopted in businesses across different industries, a significant number have failed, especially in small to medium enterprises (SMEs). It is therefore necessary to explore critical success factors (CSFs) for SMEs in adopting e‐commerce success. A blend of quantitative and qualitative research methods were used, consisting of literature review, focus group studies, pilot tests, and surveys. Total survey was of 11.54% (277 out of 2401). Data analysis procedures were adopted, which comprised initial reliability analysis, validity analysis, t‐testing, factor analysis, and detailed reliability analysis. As a result, a total of 15 items were identified as common CSFs for SMEs successfully adopting e‐commerce system, which could be adopted as an effective tool for assisting SMEs in effectively adopting e‐commerce systems, and as a yardstick further to develop new methods for measuring e‐commerce success

RCM and MRL : a reflection on two approaches to constructing community memory

Rete Civica di Milano (RCM) and Mackay RegionLink (MRL) have operated as two web-based community networks operating on opposite sides of the world. RCM celebrates its 12th anniversary in 2006, and is a rare success story in this field, yet its potential appears still to be realised. MRL has expended its funding from the Australian Government and is now off-line, yet could still provide a much needed basis for community growth in the Mackay Whitsunday region. It is timely to reflect on both projects to determine where they should go from here. This paper compares each network on the basis of context, purpose, and implementation, and discusses lessons learned from RCM that could be applied to MRL. It concludes that while both RCM and MRL have been markedly different in context and implementation, they have actually been trying to achieve the same purpose: to build a strong community based on active memory sharing from its citizens, government and private enterprise. RCM has built an admirable base for a citizen-driven network hosted by the University of Milan, that includes strong government participation, but perhaps now needs to encourage more participation by private enterprise (starting at the micro level) if it is to assist in improving the performance of the Milan business community. If MRL is to be successfully re-launched, it should continue to develop its links with private enterprise, as well as integrating itself much more as a community forum hosted by the local university, and achieving stronger government engagement at each level