IT Industry Attraction Project Report

8 December 2000 (Version 1.2) http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/gsrit.ppt by Tomw Communications Pty Ltd for the Great Southern Development Commission. 1

IT Industry Attraction Project Report

Information Technology Enterprise in the Great Southern Region of Western

Australia

An IT Industry Consultancy for the Great Southern Region Development Commission


About the Great Southern Region

Cultural and Tourism Information, from the Western Australian Tourism Commission

http://www.westernaustralia.net/discover/gtsouth/index.shtml




http://www.westernaustralia.net/

http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/index.html



About the Great Southern Development Commission (GSDC) :

Lead agency for regional development in the Great Southern region of Western Australia

Established by the WA Government in 1987 Aims to promote economic and social

development Directed by a community Board responsible to

the Minister Liaises closely with all levels of government,

industry and community organisations

http://www.gsdc.com.au/


http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/gsdc.jpeg


About the Project

Region based on agricultural production IT&T presents both threats and opportunities GSDC consultancy

to facilitate the attraction of a call/contact centres, and other small to medium size IT enterprises to the region

Awarded in March 2000 to Tomw Communications Pty Ltd

Details at: http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr

http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/tor.html

http://www.tomw.net.au/index.html

http://www.tomw.net.au/index.html

http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr







Developing the Concept

How can IT enterprises be attracted to a region of Australia? Qualitative analysis identified resources and

successful enterprises in the region. Electronic mailing lists and newsgroups were

used to collect information and act as a model for promotion of the region.

http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/concept.html


Call Centres & IT

ACA Research define a Call Centre as: ... operation that uses telephone and computer

technology to deliver services to customers. It is comprised of people whose primary dedicated function is to respond to telephone traffic, either inbound or outbound. These Call Centres are structured environments and are physically characterised by the dedication of four or more telephone agents to handle this telephone traffic.

(The Australian Call Centre Location Report, ACA Research, March 1999)

Convergence taking place with IT

http://www.callcentres.net/


East cost corridor attracts most call centres and IT industry

However, bandwidth and government incentives have not been a major determinant in location decisions and the region is unlikely to be able to attract major commercial call centers or IT operations through such incentives.


Web-integrated call centres and small IT businesses

Convince new centres to set up Targeting web call centers Overcome contradiction between low pay

call centres & high pay IT development

ACT Government 1996 The first core element in a sustainable future: achieving economic vitality in Canberra, A Capital Future - ACT Strategic Plan 1996

http://www.act.gov.au/CanberraStrategy/firstele.htm


Examples of online assistance

GSR could emulate: Seattle Chamber of Commerce Nebraska Department of Economic Development

Business Assistance These feature lifestyle benefits for the staff of

companies. But development Australian development

programs are more standardized, so less scope for product differentiation.

http://www.seattlechamber.com/moving/

http://assist.neded.org/

http://assist.neded.org/


Capacity of the region to host a range of IT industries

Market the region as a place where call centres and IT are already done

Use the Internet to answer: What is the Great Southern Region? What activities like mine and people like me are

already there?". Existing IT businesses but invisible:

World Wide Web search engine online Yellow Pages (Telstra)

http://www.goeureka.com.au/textonly/search.php

http://www.yellowpages.com.au/yp/search/search.jhtml


Visit in May-June 2000

Request for information issued request and trip report archived

Telstra Call Centre in Katanning Small IT related businesses

Design Correlations Geo Task (Australia)

DCT suggested call centre development based on local primary industry TreeNote booklets

Albany

John Beaton, Project Manager, Geo Task

http://www.anu.edu.au/mail-archives/link/link0005/0765.html



http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/capacity.html

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/

http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/programs/srd/farmforestry/fftreenotes.htm

http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/programs/srd/farmforestry/fftreenotes.htm


Strategies for Promotion of the Region

Micro and small businesses form the basis of an IT industry.

Web based call centres for high value call centre industry.


Marketing strategy: Organic Local Growth

Telecenters: expand into web based call centres, time shared offices for micro businesses and distance education centres.

Incorporate TAFE in the telecenters. Expand UWA satellite campus at AlbanyIT

professionals and IT businesses: motivate to help

Regional Solutions Programme. May help

http://www.albany.uwa.edu.au/

http://www.dotrs.gov.au/regional/solutions


Specific Initiatives:

1. Enhance the GSDC Web Site

2. Involve IT Industry & Professionals

3. Industry Awards and Scholarships

4. Lobby for Telstra Call Centre

5. Expand the Telecenters

6. Use the UWA Albany centre

7. Use Multimedia for marketing



1. Enhance the GSDC Web Site

Highest priority for IT marketing of the region Albany Gateway portal, cross promotion Add an on-line directory of businesses Examples:

ACT Government's Information Industries Development Board.

Directory of the IT Industry in Western Sydney

Gill Sellar, Manager, Albany Gateway


http://www.albanygateway.com.au/

http://www.iidb.act.gov.au/

http://www.itsydneywest.com.au/


1. (a) Make the Region Visible Online

allow contents to be indexed by web search engines and easily found by potential clients:

No registration or a password Ordinary web pages Meta-data, such as keywords, added Links solicited from reputable web sites Bobby accessibility test and W3C Guidelines Train Corporation staff in e-mail promotion

http://www.cast.org/bobby/

http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990505/

http://www.tomw.net.au/nt/intrnt.html




2. Involve IT Industry and Professionals

Local IT industry and professionals are the most valuable marketing tool available

The Australian Computer Society, and similar bodies, encourage and support regionally based chapters.

Chapters provide links nationally and internationally with free promotion for the region.


2. (a) Create an E-Commerce Association

The Electronic Commerce Association of Central Victoria is a non-profit, community-based organisation formed two years ago in recognition of the need to raise awareness about, and to foster the rapid uptake of, emerging technologies by both business and the wider communities. A body with similar aims would benefit the Great Southern Region.

http://www.ecomcv.asn.au/

http://www.ecomcv.asn.au/


3. Have Industry Awards and Scholarships

Industry awards: example Western Sydney Industry Awards.

academic awards to leverage the UWA satellite campus at Albany

http://www.westernsydney.nsw.gov.au/2001/



4. Lobby for Telstra Call Centre

Telstra Call Centre at Katanning is a valuable resource

In the absence of action, the centre will most likely be closed.

Telstra and the Federal Government need to be lobbied


5. Expand the Telecenters

Regional Telecenters, such as that at Katanning, have the potential to provide a range of services to micro-business and SMEs.

Potential to collocate small web based call centres, business centres and business incubators.

Larger Telecentres could be flexibly equipped to provide internet cafe, call centre, computer based instruction and business centre.

http://www.katel.net.au/


6. Use the UWA Albany centre

UWA Albany Centre provides a major marketing opportunity for the region.

One use of the centre would be to host endorsed events. An example is the Get Smart Conference in December 2000 at Central Queensland University, Rockhampton.

Promotion channels for university sponsored events are not available to commercial paying advertisers.

UWA Albany Centre


http://getsmart.cqu.edu.au/

http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/uwaac.jpeg


7. Use Multimedia for marketing

ABC Radio's Multimedia Unit is at ABC Radio South Coast

Carries out experimental and production development of digital content for ABC Radio and ABC TV.

The Unit has facilities for producing video for broadcast and web-based multimedia.

Unique opportunity to showcase the region online to potential investors.

Brad BarberABC Multimedia

http://local.abc.net.au/southcoast


Further Information

This document is: http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/gsrit.ppt

Text at: http://www.tomw.net.au/gsr/ Great Southern Development Commission (GSDC):

http://www.gsdc.com.au/ Prepared by Tomw Communications Pty Ltd

PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, AustraliaA.C.N. 088 714 309http://www.tomw.net.au/

Comments & corrections to: [email protected]

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IT Industry Attraction Project Report

Documents

great southern region

regional development

development act government

region of australia

new centres

centres high pay

centres itaca research

government incentives