An electronic information network for SMES
	http://www.altema.com

Final Report : executive summary html version - Pdf version

1. Summary description

The aim of ELINET is to establish the framework of a " services central organisation " combined with an " Electronic Journal ". Its purpose is to offer the whole immaterial resource to maximise the relationship of small and medium sized companies producing fast moving consumer goods (food and clothing trade) with the marketplace.

During 1999, this project will have to be a means of demonstrating to business executives and raising the awareness of the significance, the impact and the operational use of the new information and communication technologies. The project combines three elements :

• the question of market potential, which is the main concern of business managers
• the appeal of the project through the electronic journal
• operational services linked to the " central services organisation ".

This project is run by a pro-active partnership between the network headquarters (RESIS Association), ten French chambers of commerce and industry, the central body of the French CCIs (ACFCI), a technical partner (COREDGE) and several information and data producers (Groupe Liaisons, ORT, Xerfi).

The " Central Services Organisation " aims to continue after 1999 and the experience gained (as regards bringing company management into contact about the new information and communication technologies) will be spread through out the French CCI network.

2. Main Tasks

Task 1: Setting up the project by integrating RESIS’ experience, as well as the partners and the ICT.

1.1 - Meeting for information and exchanges on the project with all the Partners.

The aim of the setting up is to:

• inform the Partners about the detailed work plan resulting from the first task
• develop RESIS Web site so as to make it an operating means within the context of the project
• gather the Management Board which will follow the carrying out of the task during the project

1.2 - Identifying the relays within local CCI Partners.

These relays will be in charge of:

• the communication with managers on the significance of the Electronic Journal and the Services Central Organisation
• a permanent interaction with managers which will consist of allowing managers to ratify the appropriateness between contents and needs/expectations, identifying the usefulness of the Electronic Journal and services as decision-making aids, spotting best practice that is the result of the use of the Electronic Journal and Services Central Organisation

1.3 - Getting in touch with some managers who will be the first users of the Electronic Journal and the Central Services Organisation.

• The companies which will be targeted will come from the food sector, in particular from the sectors studied by RESIS (beverages, prepared meals, meat & poultry, seafood, biscuit-confectionery-chocolate).
  
• The analysis of the expectations has several aspects. It is necessary to:
  • locate useful information
  • identify the concrete components which will encourage managers to use the Electronic Journal and the Services Central Organisation as efficiently as possible
  • assess positive and negative factors that come in the use of Information and Communication Technologies
• Information is essential to:
  • specify concrete means and operational main lines from which it is possible to promote best practice in terms of ICT
  • build up electronic services which will be quickly perceived as very useful by managers.

1.4 - Preparing contents and design of products and services.

The aim is to bring together knowledge, experiences and best practice so as to optimize the quality of products and services which will be in the Electronic journal. The build up of contents and design are based on:

• the capitalisation on RESIS’ experience. This experience takes several forms. It is relating to:
  • the contents and design of products and services which has been made for three years
  • the production methodology of products and services which is based on a three-years experience
  • the " permanent adequation approach " to users expectations, which is RESIS’ fundamental innovation
• the identification of knowledge, experience and best practice relating to contents and design of products and services within the Consular World and the other partners

1.5 - Conceiving and setting up the " electronic tool " prototype.

The aim is to lay the foundations of the technical means, which will be the main means of the project. This includes:

• the identification of the functions which need to be set up (careful attention must be paid to the identification of users’ practices, so as to have an unbiased view and organise a feed back on managers' uses)
• the identification of the existing software
• the working out of the schedule of conditions and its implementation

Task 2: Testing the Electronic Journal prototype and the Services Central Organisation on a sample of 20 to 30 companies

2.1 - Training the relays in the CCI. The aim of the training is to:

• motivate people so that they feel fully part of the project
• give means and principles in order to promote the project to managers
• master the products, the services and the electronic tool
• have the project’s basic process learned to managers (through a permanent interaction between management and relays which will consist of: allowing management to ratify the appropriateness between contents and needs/expectations, identifying the usefulness of the Electronic Journal and services as decision-making aids, spotting best practice that is the result of the use of the Electronic Journal and Central Services Organisation)

2.2 - Setting up a Technical Aid Department for the relays in order to support their activities with SMEs.

This department will be settled within RESIS. It will be a complement to the training (see point 2.1).

2.3 - Launching the production of contents and services which will " feed " the Electronic Journal during the test and lay the foundations of the Electronic Journal in its final version (fifth task).

Careful attention will be paid to the problems relating to the production expenses. The contents and services will mirror as closely as possible to the activities already organized by RESIS and its partners in order to achieve economies of scale and reduce the training tutorial period. At the same time, production procedures will integrate a user-driven approach, which will allow the Electronic Journal’s contents to fit managers’ needs/uses.

2.4 - Analysing the use that SMEs have of the Electronic Journal and giving solutions to problems related to this use.

Given the analysis of consultation and the information collected by local relays and the Technical Aid Department, a daily analysis will be made in order to identify success factors, problems holding up the means’ use and attractiveness, concrete and tangible advantages that the users get from it... This task materialises RESIS’ user-driven approach, which is the heart of RESIS’ experience as well as the project’s definition (permanent awareness of expectation and uses, adaptation of contents and services set up permanently).

2.5 - Identifying the characteristics that the Electronic Journal / Central Services Organisation should possess.

This task consists of synthesising the various aspects of the test period conducted during previous tasks.

The aim is to possess the elements needed:

• for the display of the Electronic Journal and Central Services Organisation
• for the efficient promotion of the project and its concrete forms
• for the setting up of user-driven approach procedures (feed back, permanent adaptation to expectations and uses...). This is related in particular to:
  • the means in itself (contents and ergonomics)
  • the impact of contents and services provided as decision-making aids
  • methods of promotion, assistance and dissemination to managers
  • " information search " means on expectations, uses and best practice. This will lead to the setting up of modifications concerning the means and its methods.

Task 3: Starting up the Electronic Journal and the Central Services Organisation to the SMEs and the Consular World.

The aim of this task is to give enough boost in terms of recognition and motivation to actors so as to give the project its optimal development.

Communication is very significant in this project for two reasons:

• Attractivity plays an important role. The means have to be attractive so that managers can use the ICT in their simplest form (reading the Electronic Journal in its " push " version). We have to communicate the attractivity/benefits of the means to managers.
• The project's ambition as well as the numerous factors to be integrated (technology, contents and relationship with SMEs) make it necessary to obtain as much information as possible on successful practices in this field. To do so, we have to raise the awareness of the project.

This implies 4 additional subtasks:

3.1 - Working out a process for localised communication and defining a standard proximity communication:

The communication to managers will be successful inasmuch as the proximity principle is respected. Localised events will be organised under the management of the CCI (CCI close could co-ordinate their communication). Therefore, it is necessary to develop means and processes, that can be used by every partner.

3.2 - Organising localised events and setting up a " permanent promotion of the project " approach.

The CCI can have a lot of relations with SMEs. They have many means and medium aids at their disposal. Local events are conceived as the starting point of a recognition campaign which will last the whole project long and will use all the communication means set up by CCI.

In order to arouse the interest of managers, the events will be structured with demonstrations, testimonies, case analysis, etc. The contents which will be passed on could be wider than that of the project, because the objective is to make managers aware of the usefulness of ICTs. It will be possible, for example, to resort to experiences from other European projects related to ISPO PROMISE 1998.

In order to gain maximum attractivity, it is important to give a positive image to the project by giving an image of innovation. These events will then be promoted through local media and opinion makers.

3.3 - Organising a national event aimed at the Consular World in order to arouse the interest of French CCI.

This should favour the dissemination of the results of the project in the future and incite to information upload on best practice. This event must be developed as a step towards adapting the Consular World to the information society. This meeting will favour the invitation of other European participants in ISPO PROMISE 1998.

3.4 - Organising the second " Partners' meeting ":

The aim is to have a General Information meeting about the project's progress and to have a discussion with the benefits of hindsight regarding the daily relationships between all partners.

Task 4: Wider spreading of the Electronic Journal by intensive assistance of managers

4.1 - Deepening the training of relays within local CCI and reinforcing the Technical Aid Department to relays.

This training/tutorial has the same aims as during the test period:

• motivate people so that they feel fully part of the project
• give means and principles in order to promote the project to managers
• master the products, the services and the Electronic tools.
• have the project’s basic process learned to managers (through a permanent interaction between management and relays which will consist of: allowing management to ratify the appropriateness between contents and needs/expectations, identifying the usefulness of the Electronic Journal and services as decision-making aids, spotting best practice that is the result of the use of the Electronic Journal and Central Services Organisation).

Its contents will be improved thanks to the acquired experience.

The reinforcement of Assistance will be organised in particular by the setting up of a direct Technical Aid Department to SMEs using the Electronic Journal.

The increase in the number of users could " disturb " the relays who will be in great demand. On the other hand, "older" users as well as the project promoters having acquired methods, which will able to provide a hot line based on well-identified problems/solutions.

4.2 - Working out the assistance needed by the SMEs, considering their needs and expectations:

Today one can not overestimate precise assistance forms that SMEs will ask for. But the general principle is to meet as quickly and as completely as possible their expectations. We will have to learn how to arouse their expectations. We also have to be prepared to answer specific demands considering the various fields covered by the Electronic Journal. The answer to the various expectations will show the concrete contribution of ICTs and their operational usefulness. This should be used as a means to reinforce the " training " role of the Electronic Journal and to start a dynamics of appropriateness of ICTs. This task is fully part of the user-driven approach which is the heart of RESIS’ experience as well as the project’s definition (permanent awareness of expectations and uses, adaptation of contents and services set up permanently).

4.3 - Production of contents and services:

This task is a permanent work that will continue after January 31 2000. It includes various aspects :

• producing new information
• setting up new services or new headings
• meeting the managers’ expectations thanks to the user-driven approach
• updating information regularly...

The project's dynamics, and in particular the various assistance forms to SME's, should constantly enrich this task.

Task 5: Capitalisation of the project’s experience

This capitalisation is the essential precondition to the exchange of experience with other ISPO PROMISE projects which have been accepted, as well as to the dissemination and further development.

Capitalising the project's experience takes several forms:

Capitalisation:

• relating to the means
• relating to products and services
• relating to the process of know-how transfer
• relating to processes of production
• relating to rules, means and methods implemented within the relationships with managers.

This capitalisation must be translated into :

• the definition of a " train for trainers " programme based on the acquired experience, in particular in motivating the relays. This will be organised by the "Consular Academy" (national structure of training, immaterial resources and know-how transfer within the ACFCI)
• the definition of the development plan of the Electronic Journal and the Central Services Organisation. This development plan has to define the continuation and deepening conditions of the project after December 31st 1999. It should focus in particular on the economic aspect (condition for the duration of the project) and on the identification of combined resources which will permit the widening of the services' range.

Meeting of the partners: it will consist of a presentation of the project’s final result. Associated partners and actors from other European projects will be invited. During this meeting, continuation and development conditions of the experience will be discussed.

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