Conference paper
The e-readiness of the Australian timber and wood sector
ITS Africa-Asia-Australasia Regional Conference: ICT Networks - Building Blocks for Economic Development, 2nd (Perth, Australia, 28-Aug-2005–30-Aug-2005)
Curtin University of Technology, Communication Economics and Electronic Markets Research Centre
2005
Abstract
This paper explores the issues surrounding the e-readiness of the Australian timber and wood products industry. A business organisation's e-readiness is a measure of its e-business environment, and a collection of factors that indicate how amenable a business is to information communications and technologies (ICT) based opportunities. A survey tool was developed and used to assess a number of factors including the extent of usage of ICT within the Australian timber sector, the sector's general business environment, the degree to which e-business is being adopted by the sector, the availability of services to support e-businesses, and the extent to which the business organisations within this sector are moving to e-business. This paper presents an overview of the statistical analysis of the survey responses. The analysed data provides a snapshot of the current level of e-business capacity within the timber sector. The analysis of the survey data also identifies barriers, real or perceived, that limit the move by the timber sector to e-business. This timber sector is characterised by two tiers. Tier 1 players are few in number, being national/global players well versed in strategy, management practices and ICT. Tier 2 players on the other hand tend to be small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operators. SMEs are characterised by lower levels of resources generally, including financial resources, technical expertise and tend to focus on operational issues rather than taking a strategic view. In Australia, the tier 2 players also tend to be located in regional and rural areas. The survey results indicated that there is a considerable lag in the use of ICT within tier 2 operators.
Details
- Title
- The e-readiness of the Australian timber and wood sector
- Authors
- Jacqueline Blake (Author) - University of Southern QueenslandWayne Pease (Author) - University of Southern Queensland
- Conference details
- ITS Africa-Asia-Australasia Regional Conference: ICT Networks - Building Blocks for Economic Development, 2nd (Perth, Australia, 28-Aug-2005–30-Aug-2005)
- Publisher
- Curtin University of Technology, Communication Economics and Electronic Markets Research Centre
- Date published
- 2005
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2005 The Authors.
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; USC Business School - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448856802621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
- Research Statement
- false
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