On the fringe: barriers to participation in the new economy in regional areas

Electronic commerce offers tools which potentially support the development and re·invigoration of regional economies because of their ability to /ink enterprises and labour markets in networks across dispersed geographical areas. However. the evidence that regional areas of Australia benefit from this development in accordance with optimistic forecasts of the potential is, at best, mixed. This paper examines the constraints on the development of IT-based activity in regional areas and identifies barriers to full participation of those areas in Australia. It argues that regional areas are unlikely to benefit from the 'new economy' without a major changes in government thinking about regional development.

More than just a transaction: conceptualising industry-based networks for virtual trading communities

This paper addresses the questions of why failure in industry-based networks has been so persistent and whether it is possible to avoid failure and achieve success in internet based markets [iMarketplaces]. A better explanation of implementation failures is important for both improved empirical outcomes and theory building. We construct a theoretical framework based on Bijker’s technology frame (1995) and a contextualization typology developed by Nowotny, Scott and Gibbons (2001). The framework helps us understand how industry-based networks function, why they fail and how we can apply the framework to assist better empirical outcomes. In this paper we apply our framework to Food Connect Australia, a vertically integrated marketplace, representative of the first wave of B2B markets. Sponsors of these iMarketplaces were quick to see and exploit the opportunities online access offered to bring together large numbers of buyers and sellers in new ways. However a lack of understanding of firstly, what represented true value in these networks and secondly, how to achieve buy-in at sustainable levels, meant that many of these first wave sites failed. Application of our framework reveals why there has been a radical shift from the trading role originally envisioned for these sites to the information hub model of the iMarketplace that industry is now being urged to adopt (Berryman and Heck, 2001).

Dynamic knowledge integration in socio-technical networks: an interpretive study of intranet use for knowledge integration

A major challenge facing firms competing in electronic business markets is the dynamic integration of knowledge within and beyond the firm, enabled by internet-based infrastructure and emergent fluid socio-technical networks. This paper explores how social actors dynamically employ intranets to integrate formal and informal knowledge within evolving socio-technical networks that emerge, permeate and extend beyond the organisational boundary. The paper presents two case studies that illustrate how static intranets can be useful for dynamically integrating knowledge when they are interwoven with other knowledge channels such as e-mail through which flows the informal knowledge needed to make sense of and situate formal organisational knowledge. The findings suggest that businesses should carefully examine how employees integrate intranets with other channels in their work, and the shaping of knowledge outcomes that flows from such use. There are practical implications for the proper skilling of thepeople who share and integrate knowledge in this way. The paper also provides a framework for dynamic knowledge integration in socio-technical networks, which can help underpin future research in this area.

Does organisational heritage matter in the development of offshore markets? the case of Australian life insurers

The globalization of financial markets over the past decade has focused the spotlight on the responsiveness of financial firms to international pressures. Insurance markets have traditionally relied on global networks not only to expand the insurers' sphere of influence but also to support domestic business. Until relatively recently, Australian insurance companies have not played a significant role in the development of international markets. However, in the last decade of the twentieth century Australian insurers ventured overseas on a scale without precedence. This article presents an historical perspective on the internationalization of the Australian life-insurance market with a view to understanding why these firms have been classified "late starters" in the internationalization stakes. In a broader capacity it provides insights into the impediments to overseas expansion and the forces encouraging or discouraging the development of cross border networks.