68P. SMEs, ICT Use And Capabilities: A Panel Discussion

摘要

SMEs are generally seen as being at a disadvantage to larger businesses. They are likely to have a limited availability of resources in terms of time, money and expertise (Wymer and Regan, 2005). Furthermore, small businesses are likely to have a heavy reliance on the expertise and motivations of an owner-manager. In particular, the extent of their technological knowledge and expertise, and their attitude towards ICT seem bound to have a large bearing on the company's ability and willingness to engage with the digital economy (Pavic et al, 2007, Wymer and Regan, 2005). SMEs are often constrained by the lack of skills, managerial capabilities, as well as the paucity of internal and external relationships (with skilled personnel, and partner organisations and networks) that enable them to exploit ICT strategically (Ritchie and Brindley, 2005; Caldeira and Ward, 2002; Knol and Stroeken, 2001; Stroeken, 2001). Indeed the need to build ICT-related capabilities and competencies within SMEs was specifically identified by a variety of studies (for instance, see Observatory of European SMEs, 2003). Many countries around the world, both developed and developing, have also been implementing a variety of policy mechanisms to promote the use of ICT by SMEs, often with mixed results (OECD, 2004). When SMEs adopt ICT, many seem to confine their use to operational rather than strategic purposes. Although the work of Levy, Powell and Yetton (2001) shows that SMEs can behave strategically when it comes to ICT adoption, they also point out that the vast majority of literature on ICT adoption by SMEs point to the operational nature of these investments, driven as they often are by cost and efficiency considerations (Hagmann and McCahon, 1993; Yetton at al, 1994). It may be that owing to poor capabilities, SMEs are often missing out on opportunities to innovate using ICT and to behave strategically. As both markets and technologies have undergone rapid transition over the 1990s and 2000s, we need to revisit current practices within SMEs in relation to ICT use. This highly interactive panel aims to explore these issues surrounding the adoption and use of ICT by SMEs from various national contexts.