Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
In addition, Cochrane enjoys the services of Micro Solve, a full-time computer service centre. The
company is itself also an ISP, offering wireless Internet access. As above, it is not always the case that
a full-time computer repair and servicing centre is located within a small community. Should SMEs
require assistance, at least one technology maintenance outlet is available to them.
3.2.2 Cochrane’s Competitive Disadvantage
In the case of ICT, Cochrane’s greatest competitive advantage is also its greatest disadvantage.
Although CTS and Micro Solve provide a n essential service for the uptake of E-business, these
organizations are but two ISPs and one service centre. Given the range of E-business possibilities
available, the market in Cochrane is relatively restricted with respect to specialized services.
Of the specialized services listed in Tables 3 and 4, Cochrane has no application or cloud service
providers, and, very significantly, no web developers. Although most E-commerce functionality can
be facilitated very basically, requiring Internet access to continue operations, the fact that no
registered web designers currently reside in Cochrane is problematic. This is particularly true in a
small community, where face to face communications are important. Many remote or rural business
websites are created by a remote web developer, but in a community where businesses are known
to exhibit a lack of interest in ICT, this poses another barrier.
Additionally, the lack of robust ICT knowledge bases among the population noted in Table 2 poses a
challenge to the feasibility of E-business success in Cochrane. With an aging population (see Phase 1
of the Cochrane Strategic Plan), ICT training will undoubtedly be a necessity.
3.3 Cochrane’s Current Utilization of E-Business Operations
As of February 13, 2014, just over 25% of the Cochrane Board of Trade’s membership provided a
URL to their website on its online directory.182 This is well below the above-noted statistic of 41.1%
of web-enabled Canadian small businesses. This need not be the case.
Some local success stories are indicative of what can be done in the community in terms of Ecommerce. For example, the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat (www.polarbearhabitat.ca) offers potential
visitors a website complete with information on the residing bear and services offered at the habitat,
three separate social media channels, as well as customer and researcher login portals. The site also
offers a fully functional online store where customers can purchase merchandise or annual
memberships.
Another example of a local business tapping into online commerce is Eastview RV
(www.eastviewrv.ca). The site provides visitors with a wealth of information on products and
services, and includes a full online catalogue, social media integration, an advanced website search
feature, and front-page video inclusion. Eastview RV demonstrates effective online marketing and the
value of a well designed, content-heavy website.
182
Cochrane Board of Trade (2014). Business Directory 2014. Available at:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/3f42db_df9ae2bf85884226b44d911ce7430698.pdf
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