Business Commons^™

Cbd Economic Enhancement Project : Final Report, Beth Walker, Beverley Webster, Anna Wildy

Research outputs pre 2011

The City of J oondalup engaged the Small & Medium Enterprise Research Centre at Edith Cowan University to review the activities of the business community in the Central Business District (CBD) in order to support the City's strategic development plan. This report provides data to inform the future strategic decisions for the City concerning how it will grow and develop its CBD. The project aimed to identify the key indicators of current economic activity within the CBD, which could then be used to assist in the development of a more targeted approach to continuous growth and development strategies for the …

On-Line Training For Smes: Final Report, Beth Walker, Beverley Webster, Sue Stoney

Research outputs pre 2011

This research aimed to explore the appropriateness of on-line training delivery methods for small business owner/managers.

It is widely recognised that training and education are effective ways to reduce small business failure. In Australia, small business accounts for 96 percent of Australian private sector, non-agricultural businesses and they employ 47 percent of the private sector, non-agricultural workforce. Not surprisingly then, encouraging the development of the skills of the workforce has emerged as a major priority for government policy. However, what is also recognised is that many small business owner/managers (SBOs) have limited e-competencies.

Results of this research confirmed this and …

The Investigation Of The Processes Of Is/It Investment Evaluation And Benefits Realization In B2b-Ec Organisations, Chad Lin, Craig Standing

Research outputs pre 2011

ISIIT investments in B2B-EC are used by organizations, as part of their business strategies, to assist in the inter-organization acquisition of goods into the value chain and to provide interfaces between customers, vendors, suppliers and sellers. However, the issue of expected and actual benefits realized from ISIIT investments in B2B-EC has generated a significant amount of debote in the ISIIT literature amongst researchers and practitioners. This research study showed that organizational satisfaction of B2BEC usage had a direct relationship with the adoption of the ISIIT investment evaluation methodology. There was also a tendency for organizations to evaluate less when their …

Developing A Framework Of Training For The Older Small Business Owner : Final Report, Beth Walker, Beverley Webster, Julia Turner

Research outputs pre 2011

This study was conducted as a result of the critical issue of the ageing population and the implications this will have on the workforce. An employment option for older workers is to become self-employed and to start their own small businesses, rather than to continue working in mainstream employment, which becomes increasing difficult as employees age. The option of self-employment may be a viable option for older people as uncertainty of employment tenure in mainstream employment continues to increases over time and is a way to utilise work skills and competencies that have been acquired over years of work experience. …

A Capabilities Analysis Of E-Fulfilment Businesses: Transformation In The Logistics Industry, Janice Burn, Paul Alexander

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper reports on the evaluation of practices of 48 leading e-fulfillment suppliers in the UK. Initial findings suggest that while a comprehensive model of e-fulfilment is validated these organisations are also providing services not previously recognised as e-fulfilment capabilities by the literature. This leads to the development of a staged model of transformation, which implies that the industry will embrace radical change in some sectors and lead to a new definition of e-fulfillment businesses. More in depth investigation leads to a proposed definition, and a methodology to measure the degree of transformation.

Exploring The Use Of Guided Interviews As A Research Tool In A Doctoral Study Of Safe Work Practices Of Young Construction Workers, Susanne Bahn

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper uses the research processes of a doctoral study that investigates young workers learning safe practices within the housing construction industry to explore the use of guided interviews with artefacts as an ethnographic technique to gather qualitative data. The paper identifies how this specifically vulnerable group are subject to the 'Cycle of Abuse'. The complications of gathering accurate data from the 15-19 age group in this industry are discussed, including dealing with low literacy levels, defensive trainers, power of access and high emotions. The paper reviews the use of images within guided interviews and provides a conceptual model. The …

Bridging The Digital Divide With Community Portal Regional E-Marketplaces For Smes: The Need For An Integrated Approach, Denise Gengatharen, Craig Standing

Research outputs pre 2011

In the late 19908 it was perceived that a digital divide existed in Australia between regional/rural and metropolitan areas and between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their larger counterparts. In response, a number of regional community portals and e-marketplaces for SMEs were funded at the federal, state and local government levels. These initiatives were driven by the hope that they would lead to increased online activity and eventually promote regional economic development. A number of these portals and regional e-marketplaces (REMs) are no longer in existence. Of those that remain, some continue to battle with inadequate funding while trying …

The Effectiveness Of Sme Websites In A Buiness To Business Context, Rosemary Stockdale, Chad Lin, Susan Stoney

Research outputs pre 2011

This research analyses the effectiveness of SME business to business websites from a user perspective. An established evaluation instrument (eQual) is used to assess 80 websites in terms of usability, information quality, and interaction and service. The analysis shows that although a significant number of sites reflect little understanding of the attributes of good design or potential benefits to be gained from websites, there are examples of competent and effective website use.

Diffusion Of Innovation - The Adoption Of E-Commerce By Small To Medium Enterprises (Sme's) - A Comparative Analysis, Wayne Pease, Michelle Rowe

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper explores the issues that influence the diffusion of innovation as it relates to the adoption of e-commerce by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It seeks to identify factors facilitating and inhibiting such adoption across contexts – regional, small city and large city. This analysis is cross cultural so the impact of differing economic and cultural issues also will be identified in this research. Whilst it is generally accepted that the strategic use of information technology (IT) is vital in the marketplace, the rate of such uptake between small and large businesses varies. This research seeks to identify the …

2005 Survey Report On The Wellbeing Of The Professions: Policing, Nursing And Teaching, Institute For The Service Professions, Edith Cowan University

Research outputs pre 2011

This report assesses the wellbeing of the professions of policing, nursing and teaching in Western Australia. The findings are derived from surveys of how individuals think about their occupations, their colleagues and employers. The level of wellbeing affects the ease of attracting and retaining staff and the quality of delivered services.

We present and discuss summary results of responses to questionnaires sent in 2005 to 5,180 police, 6,000 nurses and 9,000 teachers. Each of the professions is here regarded as a single group. The number of respondents is sufficient to allow many more detailed analyses to be performed and reported …

The Relevance Of Information Systems (Is) Research Publications To Is Practitioners' Key Concerns, J. S. Fall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The primary aim of the research was to determine if, and if so how, the topics published in information systems (IS) journal articles were related to the key issues reported to be of concern to IS managers. The secondary aim was to determine what proportions of the journal articles were investigating closely-related and distantly-related information, , " - technology (IT) phenomena. The research covered 1376 -articles published in nine highly rated journals for the seven-year period 1995-2001. The journals chosen for the research included five US-academic journals, two European academic journals, and two practitioner journals. -'The' primary data source for …

Issues Faced In The Post-Tsunami Recovery Of Small And Medium Tourism Enterprises In Galle District, Sri Lanka : An Exploratory Study, Acushla M. Felix

Theses : Honours

This study identifies the issues faced in the post-tsunami recovery of the tourism industry by Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises in the Galle District of Sri Lanka. Similar to many other countries, Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises form a significant proportion of the Sri Lanka Tourism Industry. However, the significance of this sector of the industry was apparent only subsequent to the tsunami. While Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises account for a diverse range of businesses providing products or services for tourist consumption, this study includes only three such categories, namely; hospitality enterprises; souvenir providers and nature-based enterprises. Further, this …

An Examination Of Facilitators And Inhibitors To Knowledge Sharing In A Policing Environment : Lessons From Intelligence-Led Crime Management Units Of The Western Australia Police Service, Vince Hughes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The objective of this research project was to gain an understanding of the inhibitors and facilitators to knowledge sharing within a policing environment. Although it did not begin with the intention of applying interverntions of any kind, in the course of the thesis it became clear that a form of action research was being employed. Initially, I presented my research proposal as a hermeneutic examination of the facilitators and inhibitors to knowledge sharing in the Western Australia Police. However, somewhere along my research journey I realised that rather than me simply collecting and analysing data from and about my colleagues, …

A Systems Approach To An Into Organizational Communication Within The Fire And Emergency Services Authority Of Western Australia : An Action Research Study, Ellen Jones

Theses : Honours

Research suggests that a rapidly changing environment due to advancing technology, globalization, expanding world markets, changing populations is resulting in the need for a change to workplace practices. Emerging issues due to an aging population and the anticipated shrinkage of the workforce with the retirement of the baby boomers is indicating the need for the development of new skills. Through a real-life case study, this thesis looks into the aspects of organizational life that impact on effective communication. Through an action research approach implications are drawn from a systems theory view of communication. Action research and systems thinking enables the …

An Exploratory Study Of The Factors That Impact On The Application Of Online Learning At The Department Of Planning And Infrastructure Of Western Australia, Alex C. Scholz

Theses : Honours

There is a growing necessity in today's globalised and dynamic business environments for learning systems to be capable of generating the continuous learning needs of the workforces within them. In adapting to their changing environments learning workers are not only required to continuously gather new information but also to transform it into understanding within their local contexts. Much praise has been placed on the capability of new learning technologies such as online learning in supporting organisations learning processes. However, relative limited research has been undertaken on how these new learning technologies support workers in learning processes, how these new learning …

The Relationship Between Corporate Social Performance And Financial Asset Characteristics, Ingebjørg Kristoffersen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores the theoretical and empirical evidence for a relationship between corporate social performance (CSP) and financial characteristics. An empirical analysis is performed to examine the Australian evidence for such a relationship, from a financial asset perspective. CSP data provided by Corporate Monitor Pty. Ltd. are used in the analysis. Specifically, available measures of environmental, social and governance performance of 237 Australian companies are compared with selected financial asset characteristics, including firm size, book-to-market value, financial performance and risk, covering the period between July 1997 and August 2003. Evidence of relationships is sought using bivariate correlations, group comparisons and …

An Improved Model Of Structural Changes Resulting From Use Of E-Commerce, Nick Lethbridge

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

not available

Investigating Information Management Weaknesses In A Local Government Organisation: A Critical Hermeneutic Ethnographic Case Study Of Internet Documents From Information Warfare And Legal Perspective(S), Edward E. Andre

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In this thesis I develop an approach to analyse and interpret internet documents belonging to a particular organisation in a State of Australia. My intention in the research is to find ways to protect a local government organisation from litigation and other threats due to weaknesses in information management on the internet. Based on Gadamer's (1985) approach to the interpretation of text discourse, this thesis is a critical hermeneutic ethnographic case study of one local government organisation investigating internet docunents from information warfare and legal perspective(s).

A Comparative Analysis Of Locally Owned Banks In The United Arab Emirates, Catherine Budd

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

All UAE banks perform the dual role of intermediaries 'for both the money and capital markets. They are entering a crucial stage of banking" development towards global competition with new banking laws imminent and the Basel II Capital acc6'rd being , , effective by December 2006. Within a challenging climate of financial transparency and limited data availability, .this research provides a benchmark and a unique league table of efficiency performances between 1998 and 2003 for comparative analysis between local banks in the UAE for present and future operational policymakers and researchers. This study offers an analysis and insight into UAE …

From A Slave To A Critical-Thinker-Artistic-Writer: Emancipating A Professional's Anthill Using Action Research Professional Practice With Information Systems Professionals As The Crux: Gnothe Se Auton Non, J Regrette Rien Die Lichtung And All The World's A Stage, Edmond G. La Vertu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The diagram shown in figure 1 gives an impression of this thesis around the key words slavery, enslavement, emancipation, freedom, power, critical thinker, and artistic writer. The text at the centre reads "my rich model evolution during this thesis." On rereading the text, I wonder if it is referring to my own evolution during the research, which could be described as "rich model," or the evolution of the rich model that encapsulates, and in one sense is, the chief contribution of the thesis.

That I use this sentence and this impressionistic diagram to begin this abstract should signal to you, …

The Role Of Communicative Creativity In Starting Regional Trade Relationships With China: An Action Research Practitioner Case Study, David W. Maguire

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Action Research project studies the role of information management and knowledge generation in establishing overseas political and trade activity to assist regional development in Australia. It is the work of a researcher whose background in information management ranges across more than 30 years working in the newspaper and regional economic development industries. It applies a hybrid term called “communicative creativity” – distilled from Wieman’s (1963) Doctrine of Creative Interchange and Habermas’s (1984) Theory of Communicative Action – to the researcher’s professional practice of facilitating the development of two entities – the economic development organization and its method of facilitating …

The More We Sell The Happier We Are: Comparison Of Responsible Alcohol Service In Trained And Untrained Establishments In Perth, Nevil Alexander

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigated whether training licensees and approved managers of Perth pubs and taverns resulted in more Responsible Alcohol Service (RAS). Specifically it investigated whether apparently intoxicated customers were refused service. Trained and untrained premises were compared using two methods. Quantitative data was gathered by observers posing as intoxicated customers (pseudo-drunks) while qualitative data was collected during interviews with management, staff, and patrons of trained and untrained premises. No significant difference in the service of alcohol to intoxicated patrons in trained or untrained premises was found. The interviews revealed no distinction between the attitudes and beliefs of management, staff, or …

Accountability And Efficiency And The Decision Of Whether To Appoint The Incumbent Audit Firm To Provide Non-Audit Services, Colleen Hayes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

not available

Communicating Effectively Across The Cultural Barrier : A Cross-Cultural Study Of The Sydney And Atlanta Hotel Industries, Danielle Lacey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study aimed to look at the importance of cultural awareness across the hospitality industry as a whole and the industry's response to this issue. The research set out three hypotheses based on one main research question. The research question postulated was: What guest services are Sydney and Atlanta hoteliers providing to meet the needs of guests from different cultural backgrounds? The research was carried out using a descriptive qualitative research design, additionally a cross-sectional time frame was used. The research was conducted within the hotel population in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, and in Sydney, New South Wales. …