By
Stuart Finlayson
If
the prospect of e-commerce seems daunting, don't panic; help is
just a mouse-click or a phone call away. Take action soon because
e-commerce is not the distant future, it is fast becoming the
norm!
If you are
among the small business people who think e-commerce can't add
value to your operation, you might be heading for trouble. Small
businesses are forever hearing how technology is going to revolutionise
the way they operate. But, unless they can be convinced it will
have a positive impact on their bottom line, they probably won't
even consider it. The need to promote awareness and adoption of
e-commerce technology in Australian small business inspired the
creation of AUSe.NET.
Short for
Australian Electronic Business Network, AUSe.NET is a national
not-for-profit organisation that was established in 1999 in a
partnership between the NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government
in conjunction with all state and territory governments in Australia,
together with industry.
AUSe.NET
works with other e-commerce initiatives in the public and private
sector to increase global competitiveness and to stimulate industry
development of Australian small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
The organisation seeks to achieve this through a combination of
training and awareness programs, access to Web-based information
resources, and the demonstration and piloting of e-commerce systems
and solutions.
To this end,
AUSe.NET has, in conjunction with industry, small businesses and
the training sector, developed face-to-face business expansion
workshops, designed to help small business gain a better understanding
of e-commerce and why it is important for business survival.
The workshops
give SMEs a set of business decision support tools and an action
plan for moving forward. This is done through an expanding national
network of business partners who deliver AUSe.NET workshops to
SMEs across Australia. This network comprises organisations which
small businesses trust to obtain business information and advice.
It includes chambers of commerce and industry, industry associations,
universities, TAFEs and training and electronic consultancy service
providers.
Dramatic
Change Founding chairman of AUSe.NET, Robert Gottliebsen says
the future is bleak for SMEs who shun e-commerce. "Throughout
the Australian business community there are now signs of a dramatic
increase in e-commerce by both large and small enterprises. Those
who ignore this trend do so at their peril." Gottliebsen adds
that government and big business are accelerating the adoption
of e-commerce among smaller players.
"Australian
governments and large corporations are seeking to encourage the
rapid take-up of e-commerce by business by mandating that their
suppliers do business with them online. This practise promises
to drive e-commerce through the business community much faster
than many realise."
Currently
there are two AUSe.NET workshops. The first, Putting the Internet
to Work for your Business, is aimed at SMEs who are either unaware
of e-commerce or view it as a low priority. Either way, the AUSe.NET
workshop approaches this group on the assumption that they have
yet to appreciate that there is commercial advantage in embracing
e-commerce as part of their business strategy.
In order
to help these businesses not only survive but prosper and develop
into a larger concern, the workshop aims to demystify e-commerce
and provide information that enables the attendee to make decisions
on identifying e-commerce opportunities for their business. There
is also a step-by-step guide to getting online for businesses
not yet connected to the internet.
AUSe.NET
managing director, David Thornton says that attending an AUSe.NET
workshop is the first step for SMEs in grasping why e-commerce
is important for the future.
"They will
most certainly need further assistance along their e-commerce
journey."
Indeed,
the next part of that journey is more often than not AUSe.NET
workshop number two. This workshop, Getting More Out of the Internet
for your Business, can be attended without having attended the
first workshop and is structured for SMEs that have already embraced
e-commerce to some extent as part of their business strategy.
Analysis
is carried out on the participants' forays into e-commerce, isolating
weaknesses in their e-commerce strategies. They are then given
guidance on their future business path and informed on the concepts
and tools they will need to use to move forward successfully.
Training
Packages AUSe.NET's business partners, who deliver the training
on their behalf, say the resources provided by AUSe.NET have been
an invaluable addition to the various training packages they already
offer to SMEs. One such partner is TAFE Plus, the commercial training
arm of TAFE NSW, which specialises in consultancy services and
training programs tailored to suit the needs of business.
Business
development manager at TAFE Plus, Lorraine Watson says the feedback
received from AUSe.NET workshop participants vindicates the time
and investment that has gone into the establishment of the workshops.
"It has been very beneficial because while there are people who
know a lot about getting their business connected to the Web,
there are a lot of people who know absolutely nothing. The AUSe.NET
workshops have helped these people become aware of the benefits
of e-commerce, and in getting them up and running.
"The evaluations
that have come back from businesses who have participated in the
workshops through us have been extremely favourable."
The Government's
interest in the e-commerce education of SMEs is manifold because,
if there is improvement in the operational effectiveness and increased
competitiveness among Australian SMEs, state and territory governments
will be key beneficiaries.
The increased
e-commerce capabilities of SMEs will facilitate SME suppliers
electronically trading with government as they move towards electronic
procurement processes.
Big Picture
Looking at the bigger picture from a government perspective, the
Australian economy is heavily dependent on the continued success
of SMEs, as they make up 96 percent of all enterprises in the
private, non-agriculture sector, and account for more than 56
percent of private sector employment. The most recent survey conducted
by the Australian Bureau of Statistics demonstrates that there
is still much to do to turn SMEs fully on to e-commerce. The survey
revealed that although most small businesses with a PC were connected
to the internet, only 10 percent were using it for e-commerce.
The latest
Yellow Pages Small Business index also reports that while there
is widespread awareness of the advantages of e-commerce, this
is not being reflected in the number of businesses setting up
an e-commerce system. Indeed, few SMEs have moved beyond the use
of email and, of those SMEs already connected to the internet,
close to half think e-commerce has no place in their business.
This flies in the face of a whole host of studies that show small
businesses who have moved to an e-commerce model are making large
gains in productivity and big savings in operational costs.
The negative
view of e-commerce is probably due to lack of understanding of
the benefits rather than an informed decision. More than half
the proprietors of the small businesses surveyed did not think
they had enough knowledge to take their business forward into
e-commerce.
AUSe.NET
is all about addressing this information void and making businesses
feel more comfortable about embracing e-commerce. It dispels the
widely held myth that such a move is costly by illustrating how
quickly the adoption of new technology pays for itself before
going on to save your business money year upon year, improving
productivity and maintaining your competitiveness.
To find
out more about how AUSe.NET can help your business, go to www.ause.net.
If you want to take part in an AUSEe.NET workshop click on the
AUSe.NET Business Partners link on the same website to find a
list of partners who run the courses in your area.
* Stuart
Finlayson is a journalist at Loyalty Australasia. He can be contacted
at stuart@loyaltyaust.com.au
