Government Sponsored Online Platforms for SMEs

Fearing a growing digital divide between small and mediumenterprises (SMEs) and large companies, some governments have triedto encourage SME participation in e-commerce by sponsoring regionalInternet platforms for them. These initiatives are predicated onthe belief that online platforms provide a low-cost introduction toe-commerce, while at the same time delivering benefits to SMEs.However, very little academic literature exists on how to assessthe success, or evaluate the benefits, of these platforms. Thisstudy looks at three such platforms in Western Australia. Itsynthesises existing theoretical perspectives in related areas todevelop a framework to identify critical success factors for theseplatforms, and the benefits that may be derived from them. Althoughthe findings are based on the Western Australian experience, theyhave a much broader application and are relevant to such platformseverywhere. This study is essential reading for those interested inthe subject or involved ingovernment-sponsored regional Internettrading platforms for SMEs, and is particularly useful foruniversity academics, research students and those engaged inregional economic planning.