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DIAGNOSTICS
The emergence of the Internet created new skills and also new trades are being born.How can a higher level of interactivity between the Public Sector and the SMEs be achieved? What is the optimum range and type of activities that can be carried out for the SMEs?
Typical weaknesses of SMEs are:
A large number of marketing and training issues arise. Not enough training projects or educational programmes are available for the SMEs. In fact training is being identified as one of the most important factors to sustain a greater level of awareness.Financial overheadsLong production cycles
Risk of obsolesce
There has been a strong debate on whether Public Sector Organizations should act as Service Operators, since in some cases they seem to substitute the Private Sector and even perform as competitors.
The creation of a modern enterprise is relatively easy, but keeping the employees is a more difficult task.
There is a strong need of finding ways to fund innovative services and attempts of firm creation through Internet.
SMEs are generally reluctant to share information between them.
The role of the Public Authorities is not always clarified and also the procedures that link the government with the SMEs are usually complicated and hard to follow.
We need to clearly identify and enhance the provision of business support services.A few things that can prove beneficial are:
The identification of the barriers faced by SMEs can help us promote a growing awareness and initiate a consultancy advice on how to adopt the Internet more efficiently.Rapid network accessNetworks with higher transmission capabilities
Convergence in technology
Competitive market prices
Structure of an overall environment regarding various legal issues, taxation policies, etc.
New authoring tools
The SMEs should tailor their offers according to their customers’ demands and try to supply integrated solutions through Internet.
There must be taken into account that for most of the SMEs, a specific and personalized business solution has to be prepared and offered, in order to satisfy each need and ensure an acceptable approach.
We should strive to maintain a balance between the quality of the content provided and the services offered.
There should be an effort to promote the publication and dissemination of electronic newspapers and other web-based approaches so as to make SMEs more sensitive to these new forms of informative means.
Encouragement of the SMEs to define their future strategies in terms of their web presence.
Promoting the use of tele-learning and tele-working methods among the SMEs could improve the business environment and exploitation of essential technologies, thus facilitating access to new techniques of work and electronic trading.
Good IT infrastructure guarantees a competent information handling and delivery.
It is important to train and educate those in charge of SMEs who learn best by examples from their peers. Training courses should be organized and especially specific courses for consultants. A greater effort should be given on educating the SMEs on these emerging new types of businesses, in order to make the most out of the existing software and network tools.
There should be more concentration on value added services (i.e. safety guarantee systems and new types of usage of the Internet).
Good practices and solid proposals can ensure concrete actions.The goal is to reach the full potential of guidelines regarding issues that concern consumer protection, copyright material, patents, etc.
Constant contact with other SMEs facing similar obstacles and problems is essential in order to benefit from each other’s experiences.
The initiatives to be implemented should conform with the need to allow for instant exchange and update of information and always in interaction with the Public Authorities, whenever possible.
Attention should be drawn on providing the SMEs with abundant information of strategic nature (especially on market related info).
Technology awareness and experienced work-force, play a key role to the SMEs in order to confront the future competition.
A general observation is that there is no SMEs resistance to accept Internet-based services but there is a difficulty, first to get to the firms and ask them to try it.
New tracking systems should be developed as well as new sets of tools that will be cheaper and more easily accessible. New easy to use interfaces should be established between SMEs and clients.
There should be a close co-operation of all parts to be involved so as to keep the procedures as simple as possible and also to discover new ways of working together.
Gateways of assistance and advice services need to be set up and also the training should not only address specific marketing actions but the whole of the business (i.e. from billing to payment and delivery).