Electronic Commerce and Australian Small Firms

Abstract

In Australia in 1997 there were around 900, 000 non-agricultural small and medium enterprises (SME'S) that accounted for around one-third of GDP and one-half of private sector employment (DEWRSB, 1999, p.52). The important role of these enterprises in economic activity is now well acknowledged (Bridge, et al., 1998). Also generally acknowledged are the potential benefits of electronic commerce (e-commerce) to SME's. These benefits include increased productivity and reduced costs; creation of new opportunities; and, improved access to national and international markets (Clayton, 1998). This paper merely seeks to examine the extent of SME e-commerce activity by presenting descriptive results from an Australia wide, large-scale survey that complements findings from other papers (Hall, 1999) and surveys (Yellow Pages Small Business Index, 1999).