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Workshop 1 « How to stimulate demand for Internet services ? »
SPEAKER : Anu Lamberg
Summary
RAISING AWARENESS AND MOTIVATION AMONGST SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMES)
NETMATE
A GUIDE TO DO BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET
THE FINNISH MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS is conducting a three-year programme to help small and medium sized companies make friends with opportunities on the Internet.
WHAT is the Internet for? HOW to get started and how to do business on the Internet? WHAT should be taken into consideration? HOW to find a suitable business idea for e-commerce? WHAT kind of risks might there be? WHAT role could the Internet play in a company`s strategy?
NETMATE
BEST PRACTICES
THE NETMATE PROJECT has evolved from the changing needs of companies. Research, studies and practical implementations are all important elements of the programme.
A feasibility study on SMEs as users of the Internet serves as guideline for the programme.
Practical measures may consist of transferring the activities of certain business areas to electronic form. They may also consist of developing the electronic business of newly established companies which have a significant potential on the Net.
The homepages of the programme serve as an interactive communications forum between participating companies.
NETMATE
ON THE NET
THE NETMATE works in close co-operation with other national development projects ongoing in finland.
Besides the Ministry of Transport and Communications the steering committee consist of members of the folllowing organisations:
NETMATE also looks for synenergy with other local, national and Pan-European development programmes.
NETMATE
INTERACTIVE ROAD SHOWS
NETMARKETS, interactive road shows arranged across Finland, are open forums for managing directors and people in charge of electronic business strategy.
NETMARKETS offer information on business opportunities on the Internet. Concrete axamples of how SMEs have successfully converted to e-commerce are highlighted.
COMPANIES attending a NetMarket event have excellent opportunities for personal networking. For example, a company in packaking might find a customer with need for a sales package fot its product.
THE NETMARKET is also a showcase for service providers. Technical software, hardware and net service companies all have an opportunity to present their products and services to SMEs.
NETMATE
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS
THE NETMARKET offers companies an opportunity to obtain information and commit themselves to the programme. Inexpensive NetWorkshop are arranged for groups of companies, as well as for individual companies.
NETWORKSHOPS give company management an overview of how the Internet changes markets and changes ways of doing business. Workshops also outline services for SMEs on the Internet. The NetWorkshop can assist the management to sketch out how to develop its business with the growing importance of the Internet.
A TAILOR-MADE NETWORKSHOP helps to create a vision of e-commerce for a company. It helps to set the goals for a company`s net business. The NetWorkshop consist of information gathering before workshop, the NetWorkshop seminar itself and documentation after the event.
FINNS REACH FURTHER FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD!
FINNS have fully embraced mobile phone technology and are using their phones in buses, trams, trains and almost anywhere they can. Today Finns have more mobile phones than the conventional ones.
FINNS have also enthusiastically taken to the Internet, being one of the leading nations using it. In a country with long internal distances the Internet has proved to be an ideal, cost effective means of communication, especially for small and medium sized companies that seldom have extensive marketing resources. The Internet also offers a significant competitive advantage to those companies with international dealings.
NETMATE programme aims to develop small and medium sized companies as Internet users and hence strengthen their ability to compete in the future.
LIBERALISATION of telecommunications, open competition, modern infrastructure and low priced phone tariffs are the main factors that have accelerated the growth of Internet use. Recent studies (May 1998) show that almost 1.5 million Finns out of the total population of 5 million had used the internet and there are over 100 computers linked to the Internet per 1,000 inhabitants (July 1998). By August 1998 40% of small medium sized businesses had homepages on the Net. This figure is expected to double within two years.
THANKS TO NETWORKING, Finland
is a country at the centre of the world!
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