Summary and Recommendation
2005 APEC Informatization Forum
for Small and Medium Enterprises
August 27, 2005, Daegu, Republic of Korea
1. The 2005 APEC Informatization Forum for SMEs was held on August 27, 2005 in Daegu, Republic of Korea during the 2005 APEC SMEMM period. The forum was organized by Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA) and Korea Information Management Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises (KIMI).
The forum was comprised of three sessions: the opening session, the plenary session and the meeting session for recommendations. The forum was attended by 200 participants including 20 from APEC member economies.
■ Summary of the plenary session
2. Professor Ook Lee, Han Yang University, ROK presented a paper entitled “Informatization Promotion Strategies for SME Management Innovation in APEC in the Digital Economy.”
Business Process Redesign (BPR) and ICT utilization in the APEC region should be speedy and effective in processing and delivery. Enhancement of SME informatization requires the establishment of SME Informatization Frontier Team in providing hard- and soft-ware and the SMEWG-led joint APEC fora efforts to seek a collaborative scheme with other international organizations such as ITU, in order to install high speed broadband in less developed economies.
3. Dr. Philippe Jean from European Commission delivered a speech entitled “Promotion Strategies and Current Trends of SME Informatization in the EU.”
“Go Digital Action Plan,” called “Helping SMEs to go digital” (or “Go Digital Initiative”) was adopted in March 2001, focusing on promoting ICT and e-business friendly policy environment, enhancing R&D toward upgraded SME informatization and exploring and providing ICT Skills.
Evaluation results of the 11 programs from 2001 to 2004 include that skill gaps are more prominent at companies of less than 10 employees, that SME managers are not convinced of the necessity of utilizing ICT, that public institutions are essential enablers for SMEs to go digital, and that e-government is an incentive for SMEs to go electronic.
4. Dr. Eun-Sang Cho, KRIVET, ROK presented a paper with the title “Effective Education and Training Policies for the Informatization of SMEs.”
Urgently needed areas for APEC SME informatization-centered training and development (T&D) are enhancement of informatization mindset, ICT application and networking capacity, and benchmarking of informatization best practices.
SMEWG is proposed taking the initiative in establishing SME Informatization Consortium Network System throughout APEC economies toward ensuring inter-connectivity among the activities with specific reference to upgrading linkage between global standard and local specificity.
5. Dr. Joo-Yong Kim, KIMI, ROK gave his speech on “Summarized Outcomes of the Project: Enabling e-MES Environment through survey and e-Community based capacity building.“
Based on the outcomes from the project, including Informatization Survey, Policy Forum, and Training Workshop, the APEC SME Innovation Center (APEC-SIC) was proposed and approved by APEC SMEWG
. It is critical to invigorate APEC-wide SME informatization growth engine, by building up hubs for “SME Coordination Network” defined in 2004 by SMEWG. He suggested that creating a cooperative mechanism for introducing ICT to SMEs in APEC is an urgent task. To follow up the task, ardent and incessant practical efforts toward SME needs-based human capacity building must be made.
■ Policy Recommendations
6. The forum participants support SME informatization related tasks that will provide establishment of APEC SME Innovation Center, development of models across various levels, measurement and analysis and basis for APEC-wide mobility of SME’s. They also encourage a closing of the information gap amongst policy makers, SMEs, R&D and others
7. They support the creation of an SME Informatization Frontier Team to provide consultative assistance to developing economies. Members of the team will be composed of experts recommended by developed economies and APEC SME innovation Center may play the role of Secretariat.
8. They recognize the urgency of the need to support ICT-enabled SME process innovation encompassing training and development. The innovation task will be in active pursuit towards achieving of the Bogor Goal
9. They support SME informatization consortium network building as part of ECOTECH agenda. The network will ceaselessly pursue the direction of enabling SMEs access ICT skills and knowledge and to expand opportunities for market development action plan with particular emphasis of partnership among government, business, and workers.
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