Small business ahead in e-biz race
The smallest companies in the UK are streets ahead of their medium-sized rivals in terms of developing their IT, networking and internet facilities a study has revealed.
Research conducted by Big Five firm KPMG and the CBI found that medium-sized businesses are in danger of falling behind in developing their websites, improving administration and developing IT solutions tailored for their business.
According to Andy Tinlin, a consulting director at KPMG, small companies realise the opportunities to be had by investing in e-business solutions as they have a short-term decision making process.
Furthermore, the costs of the IT industry fit in well with the way small business operates.
Tinlin said: ‘In the past businesses were compelled to make a huge upfront investment in technology. But nowadays, the costs can be incurred in a more gradual way.’
Larger companies, in contrast, may take longer to make decisions about setting up something like a new inventory systems, and will spend more time on performing a cost-benefit analysis before implementing new IT solutions.
But, Tinlin warned small businesses could become ‘trapped’ if their systems advance beyond those of customers and suppliers.
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