Voices of experience : developing export capability through eCommerce in Australian SMEs

This paper reports an exploratory study of 19 Australian SMEs which had successfully used eCommerce develop to or enhance their export capability. The purpose of the study was to identify both successful adoption processes and impediments to using eCommerce for export. Few companies had  adopted a strategic and planned approach to managing this adoption. The lack of easily accessed and trustworthy information and advice was partly responsible. The study identified a number of other obstacles to  eCommerce export development, including infrastructure and technical deficiencies, lack of awareness and expertise, problems with banking and finance and problems with physical links into export destinations. The developments that would most enable Australian companies to use eCommerce for export are identified as: improvements in the infrastructure on which eCommerce depends; the provision of consolidated, impartial information and advice about the use of eCommerce for export; and training and skills development to facilitate the implementation of eCommerce for export.

AQIS, EXDOC and the 'meaties' : an interpretivist case study of an Australian export documentation system implementation

EXDOC is an on-line export documentation system implemented by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service [AQIS] and used currently by 90% of meat exporters. At a time when governments world-wide are increasingly committed to introducing electronic service delivery [ESD], this is a timely exemplar of innovative practice. In this paper, we consider the initial implementation of EXDOC in the meat export sector in order to identify the factors that led to the successful adoption of this system.

We consider these factors in the context of diffusion of innovation literature supplemented with Bijker’s social constructivist framework. The theoretical flexibility provided by this combination of approaches enabled us to draw out a number of implications from the data that bear on strategy formulation.

Factors found to have significant bearing on the early adoption of EXDOC included: (1) idiosyncratic factors precipitating the initial implementation (2) the constraints based on accommodating user capabilities (3) the organisational role taken by AQIS (4) diffusion as a self-reinforcing and value-adding effect.

A standard represents both a problem as a requirement of such a system and a problem solving strategy eliciting compliance to the system requirements. Over the period of shaping and stabilizing of the industry standard, AQIS was required to act as facilitator in the coordination of the actors.

The implementation of systems like EXDOC enables users to identify what they want from a system, specifying their preferences and tradeoffs. Such implementations offer opportunities for systems redesign within export business sectors with major strategic implications for the industry.

eBusiness and information systems : academic programs in Australia and New Zealand in the e-Age

Universities are increasingly turning to ‘fashionable’ education programs to attract bright, high-quality students to both under-graduate and post-graduate degree programs. Traditional offerings in technology areas, such as Information Systems and Information Technology are being augmented by newer, more marketable degrees in areas such as eCommerce/eBusiness. This paper analyses the eCommerce/eBusiness and Information Systems (IS) / Information Technology (IT) academic programs in Australian and New Zealand universities on the basis of Kotler and Fox's service offering model of educational institutions; and considers what differences exist between these two apparently similar areas of academic endeavour. Finally we look at the trends of academic program delivery in the e-age and question whether universities need to take a more consumer-product approach to the issue of attracting appropriate students.

An integrated information strategy for ecommerce for export : enhancing networking in an international business context

Companies using electronic commerce to facilitate their export activities (EC4X) need information and support at all stages of their export development and eCommerce adoption. This need is especially pressing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper reports the findings of a study of EC4X information and support needs among a sample of Australian companies. Evidence from SMEs, business associations and the Victorian state government suggests that governments need to develop a strategy for cost-effective on-line EC4X material that incorporates both generic and specific information. On-line provision of information is an effective way to meet the needs of SMEs and is increasingly the preferred channel for government bodies seeking to promote EC4X capability. However, personal contacts and networks are still an essential part of international business. Thus, an effective government strategy will support the business networking and personal contacts so important to help SMEs develop both eCommerce and export activities.

Analysis of stakeholder concerns with a view to avoid organisational conflict in B2B systems

In recent years there has been a remarkable increase in information exchange between organizations due to changes in market structures and new forms of business relationships. The increase in the volume of business-to-business (B2B) transactions has contributed significantly to the expanding need for electronic systems that could effectively support communication between collaborating organizations. Examples of such collaborating systems include those that offer various types of business-to-business services, e.g. electronic commerce, electronic procurement systems, electronic links between legacy systems, or outsourced systems providing data processing services via electronic media. Development and running of B2B electronic systems has not been problem free. One of the most intractable issues found in B2B systems is the prevalence of inter-organisational conflict reported to exist and persists between the participants of interorganisational electronic networks. There have been very few attempts, however, to prescribe any practical method of detecting the antecedents of such conflict early in B2B development to facilitate smooth construction and the subsequent operation of B2B services. The research reported in this paper focuses on the identification and analysis of antecedent conflict in a joint process involving different organizations in a B2B venture. The proposed method involves identification of domain stakeholders, capturing and packaging their views and concerns into a reusable form, and the application of captured domain experience in B2B systems development. The concepts and methods introduced in this paper have been illustrated with examples drawn from our study of six web-enabled payroll systems.

The ecommerce strategy of New Zealand : policy implication for small business

This paper attempts to link findings of recent eCommerce research in small business in New Zealand with the Government’s eCommerce strategy. The research stresses the need for the Government to bridge the existing gap between small business and eCommerce. The strategy emphasises the Government’s role in providing leadership, in building the capability of New Zealanders, and in providing an enabling regulatory environment. The strategy is set out to be a complete partnership between Government, business, and the broader community to achieve these objectives. Recent progress on this strategy is reviewed and its significance to small business is discussed. The Government has actively embarked on setting up a comprehensive policy framework to guide the wide success of eCommerce in businesses in New Zealand. The Government’s progress in this regard is admirable. However, this research points to the importance of prioritising the implementation of certain strategies and of addressing impending eCommerce issues relevant to the small business sector in New Zealand.

Teledermatology : the case of telemedicine adoption and success in New Zealand

Using a theoretical framework extracted from thetechnological innovation theories, this research attempts to explain factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of telemedicine utilising the video conferencing technology (TMVC) for dermatology within health Waikato (HW) in New Zealand. Findings indicate weak presence of critical assessment into technological innovation factors prior to TMVC adoption. Factors such as complexity, compatibility, and trialability were not assessed extensively by HW and could have hindered its adoption. TMVC was mainly assessed according to its relative advantage and cost effectiveness. This is essential but should consider other important factors explained in this research. The successful diffusion of TMVC in the case study relied on its economical benefit and on its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool. This research highlights the importance of the product champion factor on the successful adoption and diffusion of TMVC.

Bit of preparation will help you remain stress-free

For those waiting for tertiary offers and start dates, the next couple of months can be stressful. There is no "right" way to spend this time, but the following suggestions might be helpful in preparing for uni and keeping that stress at a minimum.

Enabling successful web-based information technology support for enterprise customers: a service provider perspective of stakeholder-based issues

An understanding by support organisations of the key factors enabling successful enterprise after-sales customer support provision when using Web-based Selfservice Systems (WSSs) is essential to making  improvements in such systems. This paper reports key stakeholder-oriented findings from an interpretive study of critical success factors (CSFs) for the transfer of after-sales support-oriented knowledge from an information technology (IT) service provider to enterprise customers when a WSS is used. The findings suggest that researchers and practitioners should consider WSSs within a complex network of service providers, business partners and customer firms. The paper also clearly points to a need for support organisations to engage in greater collaboration and integration of WSSs with enterprise customers and business partners.

Global eT@axation : competing visions

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) places the issue of taxation of cross-border e-commerce transaction as one of its top four projects for investigation. In January 2001, some member countries agreed to a series of guidelines on how to apply existing tax treaties to Web transactions. After discussing potential threats and challenges facing etax administrators and possible solutions, the researchers report on the global momentum towards Extranets for collaborative knowledge management. Previous research indicated a need for a global etaxation Extranet for knowledge management based on the principles of the Cochrane Collaboration in the health sciences. These preliminary findings have been strengthened by parallel moves by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in setting up a global Extranet. The global imperative for harmonization of Internet commerce tax initiatives is reflected in contemporary interest in Europe in the redefinition of business requirements and processes related to corporate tax obligations.

SME myths: if we put up a website customers will come to us-why usability is important

Many businesses use their Websites primarily as an alternative marketing strategy. How a business’s image, via a Website, is presented to potential customers is therefore important. There are many factors that will influence the effectiveness of a Website, two critical factors are how easily users are able to navigate and how easy the site is to use. The research reported here examined these two factors on users’ responses to small and medium-sized business Websites. The research found that the quality of navigation and how easy a site is to use does have an impact, how much information is read, the importance of the graphical components, a user's emotional response to a Website, users’ frustration and the user’s intention to return to that Website. The research established the statistically significant elements that contribute to navigation and ease-of-use, and describes the design and successful application of a usability evaluation instrument.