1. Background

Before the initiative ebigo.de has started the uptake of e-Business applications in Baden-Württemberg was located under the national average of 35%. Only 55% of the SMEs felt sufficiently informed on Internet and e-Business. The ICT network Baden-Württemberg connected with over 400 members from the ICT and media sector also pointed out the need for information and service which match users and providers of e-Business technologies and services.

Another aim was also to close the digital divide between large enterprises and SMEs but also to enable SMEs to exploit the potentials of e-Business solutions.

In consultation with the Ministry of Economics and Ministry of State, MFG conducted a needs analysis and a survey on e-business uptake of SMEs ("E-Business Community"). On the basis of this analysis a concept for an e-Business initiative was then designed addressing the needs and gaps in the region with regard to e-Business. Afterwards, SME associations got the opportunity to assess the concept.

In 2002 the idea for an online platform was born, and the Ministry of Economics initiated the SME initiative ebigo.de. A project board consisted of various regional key stakeholders from the public and private sector (Ministry of Economics, Ministry of State, regional industry association (LVI), regional association of the crafts sector (BWHT), meteko, bwcon, MFG, Chambers of Commerce) were henceforth mandated to promote e-Business in the region of Baden-Württemberg.

The concrete benefit for the partner was the expansion of their partner network and the provision of extensive services.

The following facts and figures illustrate the current state of e-Business uptake in Baden-Württemberg.

Provision of resources for e-Business in Germany

Reference: FAZIT-Enterprise Survey, June/Juli 2006

2. Conditions for eBusiness

Industry structure: Highly innovative SMEs with majority of employees

In Baden-Württemberg 99% of the enterprises are SMEs with more than two thirds of all employees in the region and generate half of the total GDP.

E-Business uptake regarding branches and number of employees

Reference: FAZIT-Enterprise Survey, June/Juli 2006

Problems and hurdles of e-Business adoption for SMEs

Reference: FAZIT-Enterprise Survey, June/Juli 2006

3. Strategies

Overall aims

The overall aim of ebigo.de is providing SMEs of all branches with necessary impulses, information, services and know how on the oppportunities arising from figital value chains"?

Young and innovative as well as established service providers in the field of IT, e-Business, software and multimedia will get the opportunity for networking, marketing, searching for partners and clients and improving their customer relationship.

 

With an e-business initiative such as ebigo.de the region Baden-Württemberg gets the chance to create an e-identity as e-region supported by the regional government, regional initiative medi@ and its follow up initiative doIT

Targets

The services provided by ebigo.de focus on internet services and target SMEs as well as regional actors in the field of e-business support. In addition, further marketing activities are planned in order to raise awareness for the potentials of e-Business.

Instruments

• Internet platform with regional data base
• In cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce their data base were further developed into a standard data base for IT suppliers supported by editorial content management
• Further instruments are print publications / PR, events and consultations.

4. Target Groups

• SMEs: Promoting know-how about ICT and E-Business and the willingness to invest in solutions
• IT-enterprises: Creating new business opportunities

5. Stakeholders

• SMEs
• IT-enterprises
• Regional actors in the field of innovation policy

6. Business models

• Public funding: by Ministry of Economics (2002 - June 2005)
• Public-private funding: by MFG Baden-Württemberg (since July 2005)

7. Marketing and PR | Support measures of multipliers

Showing the relevance of E-Business

ebigo.de communication strategy foots on three pillars:

• Internet
• Print
• Face-to-face consultation

MFG is responsible for the internal and external communication. The main communication channel of ebigo.de is the website with its various features. It allows all key stakeholders to use this platform as a further communication tool.

• The region presents itself as innovative and competitive in the field of innovation policy, SME support and ICT and shows compliance with European and national E-Business / ICT / enterprise policies
• E-Business suppliers introduce their services to a broader audience e.g. via a data base
• SMEs show their good practice and present themselves as innovative enterprise
• MFG provide tailored services to SMEs and present themselves as service-oriented organisation and driver of innovation in Baden-Württemberg
• Intermediaries such as chamber of commerce can link their website with the supplier data base

In addition, the project team visited various national and international conferences such as eBSN workshops in order to promote Baden-Württembergs pioneer activities in the field of e-business policy.

The main communication channel is the internet platform www.ebigo.de. Here information on news, trends and events in the field of E-Business are being provided. The platform gives special advice for SMEs with regard to the potential of ICT for business processes and an efficient ICT uptake. Tailored content is made available online in order to minimize communication barriers between users and suppliers of E-Business solutions. The readers of the website are provided with information on

• Markting / PR
• Procurement
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) / logistics
• Production / R+D
• Accounting and finance
• Human Resources
• Training
• Technology- / IT-Infrastructure
• Sales and service
• Management and Organisation

The following services can be found on the ebigo.de website:

• The ebigo.de database with more than 15.000 ICT service providers from Baden-Württemberg simplifies the search for SMEs in the region. IT service providers present their services to a broader audience. For the partners of the initiative such as the chamber of commences it is possible to directly link their own website with the ebigo.de data base.
• Another feature is a monthly special called "Thema im Fokus". Around one special e-Business topic articles, checklists, case studies, surveys, publication lists will be compiled into one feature. Topics were e.g. Product Lifecycle Management, Enterprise 2.0, Software as a Service (SaaS), E-Recruiting, IT-compliance, Business Intellegence (BI) etc.
• On the online platform it is possible to subscribe to a newsletter (weekly for SMEs / monthly for providers of IT-solutions). Daily news around the topic e-busines are sent as RSS Feed.
• A glossary provides an overview on basic terms and important abbreviations.
• Golden rules of e-business uptake are listed in checklists. After finishing the checklist a tailored briefing and consulting on specific topics the take place.
• Enterprises from Baden-Württemberg are invited to present their best practices and themselves as innovative enterprises on the ebigo-website and explain in what extent e-business has improved their business processes. In a short overview they can introduce 1. their enterprise, 2. discuss how their solved their problem with the help of a specific e-business solution, 3. how they have planned and implemented this solution as well as 4. facts and figures.
• Furthermore, to round it off direct links to interesting E-Business service websites as well as publications lists are made available.
• Print-publications

In addition, print publications are available considering that a great number of SMEs still are reluctant regarding information from the internet and rather rely on printed sources.

Besides classic dissemination channels such as press releases and articles in magazines a special publication feature was developed. The small and handy ebigo.de booklet (DIN A6 format) with helpful tips and checklists is available via internet download or as free print-version. Following topics were published:

• IT security
• Open Source
• Online market places
• Tourism
• Web presence for start ups
• Designing web-accessible web presence
• IT tools for the craft sector
• Data recovery in the context of IT security

For a greater scope of dissemination a CD has also been produced. The CD was available as attachment in selected magazines and is distributed at events such as fairs.

8. Quality Assurance

ebigo.de responded to the information deficit in SMEs and promoted positioning Baden-Württemberg as an attractive location with an higher E-Business uptake than the national average. Regarding the quality and depth ebigo.de is unique in Germany considering the hit rates.

Quantitative data analysis

With regard to the data base over 15.000 IT suppliers are registered at the moment. More than 20.000 queries are recorded. Over 60.000 newsletters were sent since the beginning of the project. More than 67.500 ebigo.de:compact booklets were disseminated. 46.500 CDs were produced and disseminated via two magazines and separately.

• Number of participants in events
• Website
• Page Views
• Visits
• Number of newsletter subscribers

Qualitative data analysis

• Direct feedback
• E-Mail
• face-to-face
• Questionnaires after seminars
• Online questionnaire: More than 2.500 consultations were provided to SMEs.

9. Lessons learned

• Quick implementation – 6 months development, evaluation, implementation – online since Jan. 2003

• Resource-efficiency – 3 years funding (2 full employees, overhead, material for promotion)

• Successful model for a project: Use of different tools to reach the target group

• Strong partner network is one key to success

• Involvement of stakeholders is important for acceptance

• Content is not sector-specific but oriented at the value chain of SMEs like production, marketing, etc. – broader target group

• 3 years funding – rather short operation period

• Limited flexibility concerning the budget – limited possibilities to reduce costs and therefore to extend the operation period

• Success (attention) takes time – especially when one has a small marketing budget

• ebigo.de as a best-practice-project on a European level

Next steps:

• Continuing of project management and content management
• Partnerships and new project ideas
• Identification of new ways of financing

10. Contact

Ms Kirsten Wissing
Project Manager ebigo.de/EPROC
MFG Baden-Württemberg mbH
Breitscheidstraße 4
70174 Stuttgart
Germany

Tel:  +49-711-90715-320 
Fax: +49-711-90715-350
E-Mail: wissingmfg.de