.comUnity: A Study on the Adoption and Diffusion of Internet Technologies in a Regional Tourism Network

Author: Patrice Braun

Published: Tuesday 8th Oct 2002

Researcher: Patrice Braun PhD

Patrice Braun completed her doctoral research in regional connectivity and electronic commerce with a focus on the adoption of e-commerce and e-marketing technologies towards competitive advantage for small and medium size (tourism) enterprises in regional Australia.

This thesis describes the initiation and evolution of an action research project, which investigated the adoption and diffusion of Internet technologies in a regional Australian tourism network. The purpose of the action research study was two-fold: to investigate the nature of the change process when a collaborative network is faced with the adoption of e-commerce; and to determine how the change process differed in the face of incremental change (adding some e-commerce solutions to the network) or radical change (changing the overall business model).

The research evolved out of a portal development consultancy with a regional cooperative marketing committee and provided a unique opportunity to study factors facilitating or inhibiting adoption and diffusion of Internet use by the tourism industry in the region. The study builds on Rogers' (1962, 1995) seminal work on diffusion of innovations and makes a unique contribution to existing diffusion of innovations models by its application of an action-research methodology and its focus on the nature of networks as the unit of analysis.

Rogers defines the main four elements of diffusion as the innovation, communication channels, the social system and time. While the study acknowledges these elements, it extends the traditional diffusion model with contextual moderating components. There was a strong causal relationship between diffusion and network positioning, e.g., place (status and position) in the network and space (the geographic make-up of the network). Diffusion further hinged on network cohesion, actors' trust in, and engagement with the network. Adoption of e-commerce was obstructed by actors’ worldview; lack of time, reflexive learning and commitment to change. Actors’ apathy to transfer, assimilate, coordinate and utilise information across the domain; limited actor access to the ‘old boy’ network; sub-regional industry divergence; and the overall lack of collaborative strategic thinking across horizontal and vertical government tiers precluded innovation and change. The incorporation of contextual moderators such as network position, worldview, trust, time and commitment considerably broadens the traditional diffusion model.

Patrice also holds a Masters by Research degree from James Cook University of North Queensland in information delivery via the Internet for community use.

For further information see the following papers:

Connectivity and e-commerce: Spawning e-business communities of common interest - Action research towards regional growth

Extending knowledge creation in cyber ba - Connectivitiy, networking and regional development in an Australian context

or contact Patrice Braun via email.