Title: Community banks in Australia: an innovative approach to social and economic wealth creation?

Authors: Graeme Byrne, Maureen Rogers, Earl Jobling, Rhett H. Walker, Lester W. Johnson

Addresses: La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, VIC, Australia. ' La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, VIC, Australia. ' La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, VIC, Australia. ' School of Business, La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, Vic. 3552, Australia. ' Melbourne Business School, The University of Melbourne, 200 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia

Abstract: Community banks in Australia are a recent new phenomenon. Their ownership structure and operational model, however, suggest an innovative approach to social and economic wealth creation is different from that typical of community and cooperative banks elsewhere in the world. In this paper, we explain and discuss distinctive features of these community banks and how their business model may be adapted elsewhere.

Keywords: community banks; cooperative banks; social capital; collaborative relationships; demand aggregation; economic wealth creation; social wealth creation; Australia; innovation; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2005.007002

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2005 Vol.5 No.5/6, pp.495 - 507

Published online: 02 May 2005 *

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