Ireland launches e-business strategy for SMEs
Ireland's Minister for Trade and Commerce, Michael Ahern, has announced a new national e-business strategy aimed at encouraging small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) outside of the information communication technology (ICT) sector to use ICTs to maximise their competitive advantage. '[V]irtually all Irish enterprises have access to computers and the Internet. However, we are concerned that they are not deriving the full potential from these technologies,' said Mr Ahern. 'Businesses must now recognise that this is a major competitiveness issue.' The minister urged small companies to adjust to changes which have seen increasing numbers of large companies and private sector organisations purchasing online. 'If firms who supply cannot adapt to this new way of doing business, they will lose out to competitors who can adapt,' he said. When developing the new strategy, the government assessed the current barriers to effective usage of ICTs by SMEs and micro enterprises. It discovered a lack of appreciation of the contribution that ICTs can make to a business, a lack of ICT management skills and lack of time to acquire them, and difficulties in assessing advice and costs. The strategy contains a series of recommendations aimed at overcoming these obstacles.
Countries
Ireland