Carole Alcock

Factors affecting adoption of electronic commerce technologies by SMEs: an Australian study

Using the Internet for electronic business has become an area of action for the Australian government. This paper presents research results from two regional areas, which indicate that while most manufacturing SMEs use e‐mail, very few are involved in electronic commerce activities. Major barriers are concern about security and privacy of transactions, cost of consultants, and lack of IT expertise of staff. Employing people with appropriate knowledge has been added to current training methods such as on‐the‐job training. Results from the two regional areas are found to be consistent. Comparisons between small and medium organisations highlight some differences.

To what extent are regional tourism organisations (RTOs) in Australia leveraging the benefits of web technology for destination marketing and eCommerce

The information-intensive nature of the tourism and travel industry suggests an important role for Web technology in the promotion and marketing of tourist destinations. The rapid development of the Internet and WWW is having profound impacts on the industry. In fact, according to Tourism Australia, travel and tourism has become the single largest category of products sold over the Internet (Tourism White Paper, Destinations online: approaches for regional tourism organisations, Centre for Regional Tourism Research, Southern Cross University, 2007). With reports of travel purchases being one of the fastest growing segments of the Internet community it is no surprise that the number of tourism operators on the Web has increased considerably over the past few years. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal study that seeks to determine if and to what extent, Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) in Australia are leveraging the benefits of Web technology for destination marketing and eCommerce. The study was undertaken over an eight year period from 2000 to 2008, using the Extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (eMICA) (Burgess and Cooper, International conference on telecommunications and electronic commerce, Dallas, November, 2000). A significant finding of this study is that despite assertions that the Tourism industry is leading the field in terms of eCommerce adoption (Buhalis and Law, Information and communication technologies in tourism, Ljubljana, Springer, Berlin, 2007), and this may hold true with some providers in the sector (for example, hotels and airlines) it does not appear to be the case with Australian RTOs who have been slow to embrace eCommerce. The results of the study also add support to the premise of eMICA, that is, in developing commercial websites, businesses (particularly, SMEs) in this industry sector typically start simply by establishing a presence on the Web and build on functionality over time, as their experience with and expertise in the use of Internet and Web technologies increases and they become more aware of the benefits the Web has to offer.

Electronic Health Record System Risk Assessment: A Case Study from the MINET:

This article discusses the risk assessment of a health information system. A case study was conducted at the South Western Sydney Area Health Service to examine the potential risks of the Maternal and Infant Network (MINET) health information system using Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA). FMEA was conducted by utilising safety attributes identified by the authors. Potential failure modes of the system were identified by the study. From this study, it can be concluded that FMEA is an appropriate risk-assessment method for MINET.

Use of the web for destination marketing by regional tourism organisations in the Asia-pacific region

The information-intensive nature of the tourism and travel industry suggests an important role for Web technology in the promotion and marketing of destinations. This paper evaluates the level of Web site development in Asia-Pacific Regional Tourism Organisations. The study uses the extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (eMICA) (Burgess and Cooper 2000), and highlights the utility of using interactivity to evaluate the relative maturity of commercial Web sites.

Health Informatics and Health Information Management in maternal and child health services

In November 1997, the South Western Sydney Area Health Service launched the Mother and Infant Network (MINET). The key objective of MINET is to develop an integrated clinical data network which has the capacity to inform and support a continuum of care for the population of all mothers, infants and children. The MINET data network integrates in-patient services, ambulatory services, and community-based services. The focus of this article is the development and implementation of MINET with reference to the crucial role of data linkage and health informatics in health outcomes/health services research.

Information Systems for the Social Well-Being of Senior Australians

In most developed countries, the ageing population is placing a severe strain on health systems and national budgets. In meeting this challenge, e-health initiatives seek medically focused ICT solutions for improved health services that enable senior citizens to remain living at home longer. A literature review and interviews with healthcare providers reveal that significant factors affecting the well-being of the elderly are isolation and loneliness. In this paper we report on the first stages of a study on the digital literacy of seniors and the potential development of social media to meet the capabilities of people as they age. Focus groups with senior citizen computer club members tell us that older folk are becoming more digitally literate. As social media becomes more usable and acceptable, we propose that online communities for senior citizens may have significant health benefits. As this is a multifaceted emergent phenomenon, we apply concepts from Complexity Theory to our analysis and to the design of future research on this topic using an action research methodology.

The Evolution of eCommerce Strategy and Supply Chain Management Practices in the Steel Manufacturing Industry

A central concern of businesses who seek to be successful in e-commerce environments is: “ How are companies both old and new moving from traditional applications to the new breed of integrated, e-business application architectures?” (Kalakota and Robinson, 2000). A recent study undertaken at BHP Billiton Steel (Aust) explores how companies evolve from a traditional supply chain philosophy to one that utilises technologies such as the Internet and Web, adding non-traditional business practices that in corporate an end consumer link.