About the Australian Electronic Business Network (AUSe.NET)

The Australian Electronic Business Network (AUSe.NET) is a national, not-for-profit organisation that has been formed to encourage small business awareness and adoption of electronic commerce.

AUSe.NET seeks to create awareness among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the benefits and relevance of doing business electronically via the Internet, and to assist small business to get on-line.

The Commonwealth, State and Territory governments were instrumental in the seed funding of the Australian Electronic Business Network that will now be led by Australian industry as a national e-commerce awareness initiative. In May of this year Online Council Ministers agreed that the training courseware developed by AeB.N is a valuable resource for small business development and skills acquisition in basic e-commerce concepts.

The establishment of AUSe.NET with a Board of Directors led by an independent Chairman, Robert Gottliebsen, recently took over responsibility for the governance of the organisation from the joint Commonwealth/States and Territories Business Online AUSe.NET Steering Committee.

About AUSe.NET
AUSe.NET has developed, tested and recently launched a series of workshops and information resources to assist small and medium businesses to adopt and realise the benefits of electronic commerce.

A progressively expanding network of AUSe.NET Business Partners will deliver AUSe.NET Workshops to SMEs throughout Australia. 

International Research 
International research conducted by AUSe.NET into 100 similar initiatives reveals that, in all cases, the corresponding ventures are supported and/or led by governments. All are focused on SMEs and specifically on getting them onto the Internet for business-to-business electronic commerce. The full report "World Wide aWareness" a co-production of AUSe.NET and the National Office for the Information Economy, is available to download at the Home page of this AUSe.NET Online web site.

AUSe.NET Products and Services 
A two initial AUSe.NET Workshops have been introduced to meet the needs of the vast and varied SME market:-

They are interactive workshops for either basic or advanced level SMEs - which introduce electronic commerce to the SMEs and demonstrate its business application. The principle focus is to provide a set of business decision support tools for small businesses, to take the first steps into e-commerce. The advanced AUSe.NET Workshop will provide SMEs already in the first stages with e-commerce, with information relating to action plans for further implementing electronic commerce.

AUSe.NET is already working on industry specific workshops - which are being sponsored by government agencies, large corporations and Internet purchasing industry bodies, and target specific SME segments. These AUSe.NET Workshops will tailor the generic course to specific applications and include detailed case studies.

Unique workshops - will be tailored for specific e-commerce applications on behalf of, and presented by, a particular organisation.

An online resource, AUSe.NET Online, will supplement physical delivery of AUSe.NET's workshops. This will provide: information about electronic commerce and the Internet; links to the major corporate and government Internet sites; and a directory of AUSe.NET Business Partners as well as suppliers and potential clients. 

Distribution Network 
The AUSe.NET will achieve its objective of facilitating the uptake of electronic commerce among SMEs through a combination of products and services which are being distributed physically and ultimately available on-line.

A network of delivery channels is progressively being established to reach the targeted two thirds of Australia's almost one million SMEs. These will include the physical distribution of products and services through a national network of AUSe.NET Business Partners throughout Australia and on-line distribution through AUSe.NET Online.

The national network of AUSe.NET Business Partners will include Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Industry Associations, established training and consulting organisations, accountants, TAFEs and universities.

AUSe.NET has worked closely and cooperatively with a large number of supportive industry associations, and training and consultancy service providers to ensure that AUSe.NET's activities complement what these organisations are already doing for SMEs. This cooperation also seeks to ensure that existing channels benefit through the AUSe.NET's policy to outsource its activities through Associations, training service providers, TAFEs and the multimedia industry in general.

Product Development 
In developing the AUSe.NET Workshops, a thorough review and vendor selection process was undertaken by an independent panel to specify and select a suitable outsourced consortium to develop SME electronic commerce courseware for AUSe.NET. Development of that courseware has been completed, with considerable consultation among potential users and representatives from the business and service provider communities.

A thorough program of piloting and market testing throughout Australia conducted in conjunction with all governments in Australia has been finalised and the network of third party workshop delivery channels is progressively being established among existing public and private sector providers. 

History 
The Prime Minister's Investing for Growth statement in December 1997 specifically identified the Commonwealth Government's support for an initiative focused on creating awareness of electronic commerce and its uptake by small and medium businesses throughout Australia - in rural and remote locations as well as metropolitan centres.

Research principally funded by the Commonwealth identified a number of international initiatives focused on increasing awareness among business of the benefits of using electronic commerce techniques, including the Internet.

Three key benefits of using electronic commerce for businesses are identified as:-

• Improving leverage and productivity of staff
• Protecting and building relationships, and expanding the existing customer community
• Increasing competitiveness - especially in an international context

AUSe.NET Studies focused on reasons why small and medium enterprises in Australia did not seem to be taking advantage of these opportunities. The reasons identified were concerns about technology and the lack of vendor neutral and non proprietary sources of unbiased information to help them understand why to, whether to and how to get involved.

Andersen Consulting and subsequently Pricewaterhouse Coopers, provided input to the process by further refining the scope and mission for the initiative and subsequently developed a business plan for the organisation.

The outcome of that work was accepted by all governments who agreed to provide funding to implement the recommendations.

The key recommendations were:-

• That the initiative become a national, independent organisation, focused on increasing awareness and uptake of electronic commerce among SMEs.
• That a series of business expansion workshop be developed and subsequently delivered through a network of outsourced organisations, including; Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, TAFEs, Universities, Accountants and private sector training and electronic commerce consultancy service providers.
• There was another key condition: While the AUSe.NET initiative involved participation by Commonwealth, and all State and Territory governments, it should be managed and led by independent business interests.

The Commonwealth convened and chaired a series of steering committee meetings which have involved representatives from all State and Territory governments. That steering committee known as the joint Commonwealth/States and Territories Business On-line Steering Committee, has met regularly since September 1997, with all State and Territory governments involved in the process.

The Australian Electronic Business Network (AUSe.NET) is a key initiative of the Commonwealth Government today, under the Ministry for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and is focused on getting small business on-line.

Funding
The Commonwealth, State and Territory governments were instrumental in the seed funding of the Australian Electronic Business Network that will now be led by Australian industry as a national e-commerce awareness initiative. In May of this year Online Council Ministers agreed that the training courseware developed by AeB.N is a valuable resource for small business development and skills acquisition in basic e-commerce concepts.

Individual State and Territory governments will use AUSe.NET Workshops as part their own electronic commerce awareness programmes, as required.

AUSe.NET has received a large number of expressions of interest from corporations in the private sector to provide funds and/or in kind support to the initiative. These organisations are being invited to sponsor the organisation in a variety of ways, including specific activities that AUSe.NET is planning.

The key advantage for corporates in supporting AUSe.NET are the benefits that they will derive from having their SME suppliers and clients accessible via electronic commerce. Trading activity via the Internet has now opened the opportunity for more SMEs to be able to use electronic commerce techniques in their business activities, at a low entry cost.

The Commonwealth, State and Territory governments approved the funding of two major implementation projects this year. These are:-

1. The legal establishment of AUSe.NET as a "not for profit" organisation, limited by guarantee and the development of the governance principles placing control of the organisation with an independent industry led Board of Directors.
2. The development and mass production of AUSe.NET products and services in the form of courseware collateral, to provide business improvement workshops. The content is focused on the business needs of SMEs and provides a decision support methodology for them to access the value to their businesses, of doing business electronically. The AUSe.NET Workshops are now being delivered by a progressively expanding network of private and public sector SME training and electronic commerce consultancy service providers. Collateral for SMEs will assist with access to the Internet and will include a substantial on-line resource.