Rhys Stacker

SAM Ward, a 27-year-old Edith Cowan University business student, was last week awarded the prize for Best Western Australian Blog.

THE effects of the tech wreck in April 2000 were still being felt by the world’s IT industry well into 2001.

A UNIVERSITY of WA survey of electronic customer service among Australian businesses has found that less than 50 per cent of companies fail to reply to customer email enquiries.The finding mirrors that of a survey 12 months ago.

MANY small and medium enterprises are failing to keep up with their competitors because they are relying on modems to access the Internet rather than switching to broadband connections.

THE head of a local e-business solutions company believes the time is now right to sell wine online, despite the spectacular failures of similar ventures just 18 months ago.

BUSINESSES should stick to the basics when designing their website and let others make the mistakes, according to the founder and director of a Melbourne-based online media firm.

BUSINESSES should view the implementation of new privacy principles as an ongoing process within their e-business operations, rather than a one-off project.

THE announcement that Pretzel Logic will redevelop Transperth’s website brings public transport users a step closer to receiving schedule information via email, SMS and even WAP.

THE opening of several business technology centres in Perth will give companies access to the latest high-end technology solutions on a pay-per-use basis.

WA auto parts and service company Marlows is merging its TheRide.com website with another WA auto website, Fastlane, to create Fasttorque.

FOR the right businesses, e-commerce can deliver cost savings and generate extra revenue. But for some businesses, particularly at the small to medium enterprise level, e-commerce technology can be a costly mistake.

A DECADE ago, commentators predicted the use of computers in the workforce would allow us greater leisure time.

DESPITE a vote in the European Parliament earlier this week to defeat a ban on cookies, amendments to Australia’s Privacy Act mean there still may be implications for the data-collecting web tools.

FOR a man who was head of Excite.com’s European sales operations during the dot.com crash last year, Carlo Bertozzi’s unwavering enthusiasm for online advertising is surprising.

THE security of a company’s computer system is a business issue as well as an IT issue, and decisions about it need to be made in the boardroom, not the IT department.

IN today’s tough tech environment, the two-minute business pitch has become more vital than ever, a fact discovered by a group of university students last week.

HAVING only just recovered from the upheaval associated with the implementation of mobile phone number portability, Australia’s mobile carriers are set to lock horns in the New Year with the abolition of handset subsidies.

THE effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the already weak market have been blamed for CHROME Global Group’s decision to go into administration last week.

THE Ansett collapse and disruption to air travel resulting from the September 11 attacks on the US have boosted business for video conferencing suppliers and resellers.

AN innovative Perth touch-typing school believes business managers are wasting four weeks each year because they cannot touch type.

CHANNEL 9 Perth has moved a step closer to interactive television, dubbed t-commerce, after adopting an integrated solution package that will enable viewers to purchase products and services via set-top boxes.

WA-BASED biotechnology company pSivida has signed a second collaborative agreement with UK-based multinational PowderJect Pharmaceuticals.

A LOCAL technology company believes it has solved the problem of complicated and unaccountable licensing of business software and content.

TERTIARY computer science and IT students seeking work experience are the latest group to be affected by the economic downturn in the IT sector.

WITH Australia’s political parties fighting another federal election campaign we can expect to see the Internet emerge as a powerful electioneering weapon.

MOBILE number portability, the biggest event to hit the mobile phone industry in years, has provided major headaches for carriers and consumers in the past week.

MANY small and medium-sized enterprises looking to expand and improve their e-business operations should focus on customer relationships rather than technology, according to the author of a new book on e-business marketing in Australia.

THE head of a Leederville Internet and email monitoring software company is concerned some “big brother” workplace monitoring solutions may be breaching the Telecommunications Interception Act.

FOR the past two few weeks Melbourne rail commuters have been receiving SMS messages to alert them of late or cancelled trains during peak hour.

WEST Perth wireless technology developer Cape Range Wireless has announced an issue of low-priced shares to make up for a $4.5 million capital shortfall after merging with US based Arcadian Wireless in July.

THE gulf between sex paraphernalia and e-business solutions may appear wide, but according to one online guru, whatever the product or service, it’s vital the right online marketing strategy is utilised.

THE events in the US over the past week have had a phenomenal effect on telephone and online communication, with telcos and ISPs reporting a massive spike in traffic.