Description:
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have long been recognised as important to the economy in terms of their considerable contribution to GDP and employment creation and , as such, have been a priority agenda item for APEC since the 1993 Leaders' meeting in Seattle (Hall 1995.) During the last decade, the rise of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the related rise of service sector industries have significantly altered the course of industry and SME policy from a protectionist approach to a culture favourable to entrepreneurship. In particular, policy makers have been looking at what actions should be taken to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation by SMEs in an increasely connected and global business environment (Audretch and Thurik, 2001).
Description:
Through its impact on transactions, communications and problem solving, the digital economy is increasing opportunities for business and changing the nature of how we work - this may provide an advantage to women entrepreneurs. With women entrepreneurs becoming increasingly important to the economy, there is a growing interest in understanding how to better utilise this important resource. This paper presents the results of a literature review of women’s (e) business training needs in the digital economy. The paper concludes with a discussion on providing women entrepreneurs with the meta-competencies they require to reach their full potential via gender-friendly and evidence-based training models that suits both their work and lifestyle needs.
Description:
Through its impact on transactions, communications and problem solving, the digital economy is increasing opportunities for business and changing the nature of how we work - this may provide an advantage to women entrepreneurs. With women entrepreneurs becoming increasingly important to the economy, there is a growing interest in understanding how to better utilise this important resource. This paper presents the results of a literature review of women’s (e) business training needs in the digital economy. The paper concludes with a discussion on providing women entrepreneurs with the meta-competencies they require to reach their full potential via gender-friendly and evidence-based training models that suits both their work and lifestyle needs.
Description:
In view of the fact that women are playing an increasingly important role in the global economy, this chapter examines business skilling in the digital economy for women in general and women-led small businesses in Australia, in particular. With employability and entrepreneurial capacity of women increasing, so too is their need for a comprehensive skill set is increasing. It is proposed that business courses currently offered do not necessarily consider their target audience or include new economy considerations. This chapter discusses the need for meta-competencies that will allow women in both developed and emerging economies to operate more effectively in a changing work environment and an increasingly digital business environment. For meta-competency efficacy, it is further proposed that evidence-based learning models, gender-sensitive approaches to business learning, and collaborative uses of technology underpin content and (e-)business learning designs.
Description:
In difficult times business operators are looking for clever and affordable ways to grow their enterprises. This paper seeks to make a contribution to a better understanding of proactive environmental and innovation strategies for SMEs and the interaction between demand and supply towards sustainable and innovative business practices. The paper discusses the combined outcomes of the exit survey of a greening small business 2008 pilot program and the entry survey for the 2009 online training and networking version of the program, which fuses environmental, business and ICT- enabled skilling to enhance both SME entrepreneurship and innovation. The study suggests that SME business sustainability cannot be reduced to an oversimplified business case and that pro-environmental strategy adoption and behaviour, and particularly behavioural change, is highly complex. The outcomes of this research are expected to contribute to good practice in environmental and innovation skilling for SMEs, especially skilling that differentiates between supply and demand side skilling and brings together the two sides in a proactive resource acquisition, knowledge transfer and networking environment.
Description:
In difficult times business operators are looking for clever and affordable ways to grow their enterprises. This paper seeks to make a contribution to a better understanding of proactive environmental and innovation strategies for SMEs and the interaction between demand and supply towards sustainable and innovative business practices. The paper discusses the combined outcomes of the exit survey of a greening small business 2008 pilot program and the entry survey for the 2009 online training and networking version of the program, which fuses environmental, business and ICT- enabled skilling to enhance both SME entrepreneurship and innovation. The study suggests that SME business sustainability cannot be reduced to an oversimplified business case and that pro-environmental strategy adoption and behaviour, and particularly behavioural change, is highly complex. The outcomes of this research are expected to contribute to good practice in environmental and innovation skilling for SMEs, especially skilling that differentiates between supply and demand side skilling and brings together the two sides in a proactive resource acquisition, knowledge transfer and networking environment.
Description:
In economically challenging times business operators are looking for clever and affordable ways to grow their enterprises. This paper discusses the role of women entrepreneurs’ in proactively greening their small business. The paper highlights the combined outcomes of the exit survey of a greening small business 2008 pilot program and the entry survey for the 2009 online version of the training and networking program, which fuses environmental, business and ICT-enabled skilling to enhance both SME entrepreneurship and innovation. The study suggests that while reported environmental attitudes between male and female entrepreneurs do not differ significantly, women’s motivations differ from male entrepreneurs in terms of greening their business; and women are more proactive in pursuing green networking opportunities, where they can interact with like-minded businesses, access more clients, source alternative resources and expand their green business networks.
Description:
In economically challenging times business operators are looking for clever and affordable ways to grow their enterprises. This paper discusses the role of women entrepreneurs’ in proactively greening their small business. The paper highlights the combined outcomes of the exit survey of a greening small business 2008 pilot program and the entry survey for the 2009 online version of the training and networking program, which fuses environmental, business and ICT-enabled skilling to enhance both SME entrepreneurship and innovation. The study suggests that while reported environmental attitudes between male and female entrepreneurs do not differ significantly, women’s motivations differ from male entrepreneurs in terms of greening their business; and women are more proactive in pursuing green networking opportunities, where they can interact with like-minded businesses, access more clients, source alternative resources and expand their green business networks.
Description:
The increasing demand for technology-enabled public sector services drives state agencies to launch information and communication technology (ICT) projects. The Australian and German state agencies are taking a proactive role towards technological change by employing so-called ICT change agents. These ICT change agents introduce, diffuse, manage and implement ICT within projects. Despite the mobilisation of change agents, there is scant research on the formal and informal roles of these key individuals within public sector projects. This article bridges that gap by providing valuable insights into the activities of public sector ICT change agents. It is based on empirical research from six case studies in Australian and German state agencies. Findings from these studies indicate that public sector ICT change agents position organisations to take advantage of cutting edge technologies by performing a great variety of formal and informal roles. Formal roles are performed in order to accomplish set formal project tasks, while informal roles help to speed up rapid ICT adoption and innovation through the change agents’ informal networks. The findings are delineated in a framework for future research which shows that formal and informal roles impact on the outcomes of public sector ICT projects.
Description:
This paper presents the findings of two surveys conducted on behalf of BREAZE, a Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions community group in the Ballarat region. The research presented in this study was designed to identify the group's effectiveness in supporting its members to achieve zero emissions. Another objective of the research was to identify the knowledge and information needs of the broader Ballarat community in relation to climate change and sustainable behaviours. Survey findings indicate that both BREAZE and wider Ballarat community members are looking for means to reduce their barriers to adoption of pro-environmental choices. Key results also indicate that the Ballarat community has some desire and intention to change their behaviour. There was considerable interest and demand for high quality, clear, in-depth information and working examples on which individuals can base their choices and purchase decisions. The paper concludes with a discussion on future actions to engage the wider community towards more sustainable behaviour.
Description:
This chapter reports on the evaluation of Clever Health, an Australian e-health project. The evaluation took place from mid-2007 through 2010 and consisted of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to capture awareness, expectations, and use of Clever Health components-which included video-conferencing for patient care, professional development, and peer support-and to compare initial perceptions and expectations to perceived changes in awareness and uptake of Clever Health components. The study found that while use of components increased at a satisfactory pace, health services and professionals struggled with change management issues, which, in turn, impacted changing work practices. Findings suggest that it is imperative to address and integrate the human factors of e-health delivery in the rollout of future e-health programs. The study proposes a robust evaluation framework for future telemedicine projects that uses a patient-centred unit of analysis and examines the costs and benefits that accrue for different stakeholders.
Description:
This chapter reports on the evaluation of Clever Health, an Australian e-health project. The evaluation took place from mid-2007 through 2010 and consisted of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to capture awareness, expectations, and use of Clever Health components-which included video-conferencing for patient care, professional development, and peer support-and to compare initial perceptions and expectations to perceived changes in awareness and uptake of Clever Health components. The study found that while use of components increased at a satisfactory pace, health services and professionals struggled with change management issues, which, in turn, impacted changing work practices. Findings suggest that it is imperative to address and integrate the human factors of e-health delivery in the rollout of future e-health programs. The study proposes a robust evaluation framework for future telemedicine projects that uses a patient-centred unit of analysis and examines the costs and benefits that accrue for different stakeholders.
Description:
Food Hubs have been developed to promote sustainability practices in managing regional distribution of fresh produce in a number of countries including the United States and Australia. They have the potential to support the resilience and sustainability of regional food supply chains by improving the local economy, environmental condition, and community well-being. However, despite the potential benefits, Food Hubs face many challenges that threaten their long-term survival. Currently, limited research has been conducted to investigate benefits and challenges of Food Hubs and how Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which is known as one of the key enablers to facilitate sustainable practices, can help address the challenges. In this research-in-progress paper, we present preliminary findings from an on-going research project that seeks to explore benefits and challenges experienced by Australian Food Hubs and the role of ICT in supporting their operations and growth. Our study enhances the understanding of the contributions of Food Hubs to sustainability and the roles of ICT in supporting sustainability practices.