ABDUL RAUF B ABDUL WAHID (810528)

Blanket approaches to promoting ICT in small firms: some lessons from the DTI ladder adoption model in the UK DTI ladder adoption - To prove effective for a wide range of small firms, extended and modified so that it reflects more fully the requirements and experiences of firms of various sizes and geographical locations, and in particular of those organisations that exhibit more entrepreneurial or sophisticated usage of ICT. Smaller companies will face difficulty and problem if they attempt to integrate ICT into their firm without management of company and their staff having relevant knowledge and adequate human resource capacity to support new technology. The importance of human capital for ICT acquisition and development should be explicitly recognised in this model and it may also prove useful to replace the current stages of adoption with more suitable stages of small firm understanding. This is particularly important during initial stages, as the commitment of management of company and their perception of ICT benefits appear to be crucial to the successful adoption and development of new ICT technology in this type of firm. Small firms were identified as possible targets for support as they are most likely to benefit from ICT, through their focus on specific market and their tendency to develop and maintain close relationships with both customers and suppliers. In this context, new ICT resources could provide small firms with key competitive advantage and facilitate the search for underdeveloped and intrinsically lucrative outlets in both the domestic and the international market. In practice, however, this holistic model appears to be applied indiscriminately to target all existing small firms in the UK. As with previous initiatives, early indications would suggest that that this blanket approach will ultimately fail to match government targets and DTI expectations. Using blanket approaches to describe the small business sector as a homogeneous group, rather than a heterogeneous and complex mix of economically active units, have invariably resulted in significant under-utilization of available human and financial resources. The conclusion of ICT-related initiatives it is very important to recognize the complexity of specific needs, strategies, ideas and core capabilities that coexist in this sizeable sector of the economy. There is an acute need for further quantitative and qualitative research on this important topic. More empirical research is needed

at micro-economic level to facilitate a better understanding of the complex processes and differentiating factors that affect ICT adoption levels and its impact upon small firm competitiveness. Through recognition of inherent diversity and complexity, the routes for optimum support for ICT adoption could become clearer to all interested parties including owner or managers and their workforce. Without better understanding, the drive for ICT adoption and development will not successfully contribute to small business competitiveness either in home markets or in the emerging Global Village. Furthermore, a better understanding of the complex issues underlying the Information Revolution would ensure the most effective utilization of external support in an economic sector that is notorious for its scarcity of human and financial resources