Behind the Headlines: Ignorance isn't bliss for UK SMEs

According to Simon Moores, chairman of the Research Group and one of the guests on this week's Behind the Headlines programme, this sector of the UK economy is suffering from a dearth of relevant information.
He said: "DTI intiatives have only had a limited effect in convincing small businesses to become ebusinesses. But it's all part of a broader disconnect between business and technology."
This week, Compaq launched The Source, a portal aimed at plugging this information gap - but Moores doesn't believe that such programmes solve anything.
He continued: "I'm not that convinced that the involvement of a Compaq or a Dell... will actually be particularly effective. It's a cultural issue more than anything else."
Ed Percival, from Compaq's small business team, agreed that SMEs have not had access to the right information, but believes vendors do have an important role to play in their education.
He said: "What we found in looking at small businesses was a real gap in their understanding of how IT could help their businesses. People are starting up in business fired up by that wonderful idea... but when it comes to doing things simply and well there's an information gap."
But Geoff Petherick, chairman of the Eurim Working Party on Fair Dealing, and a man with experience of running small companies, was astonished that SMEs seem to know so little about fundamental issues like recruitment and regulation.
He said: "I'm staggered... That information is already available. It's the SMEs' responsibility to go out and find it."
For the full programme - which also includes discussion of the role of VCs in modern business - go to the SME Director Channel, or click on the video icon above.