SMEs Readied For e-Business In Sultanate
By Maya Salleh

Bandar Seri Begawan - Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which account for 97 per cent of all business establishments in Brunei, are the crucial players in the country's economic development.

They provide an important avenue for His Majesty's Government's diversification initiative and strive towards lessening the country's reliance on oil and gas.

SMEs thus have become the main focus in sustaining the economy of the country and many efforts and strategic plans have been put forward and implemented in order to develop and strengthen their growth.

One of the challenges confronting the development and growth of the SMEs in the Sultanate is the acquisition and application of the emerging information and communications technologies like computer and Internet as effective tools to improve productivity and business operations.

Information and communications technology is fast transforming the global business environment and thus businesses including Brunei SMEs must embrace it or risk losing the competitive edge.

Recalling an observation made in 2002 by Warner Manning, the former CEO of HSBC and Chairman of the eBusiness Programme Executive Committee (EBPEC), in a presentation on `Private Sector e-Business Strategy and Implementation Plan for Brunei', said, "Most businesses are not e-business ready.

He further said that only 1,300 companies out of approximately 6,000 private firms operating in Brunei use personal computer in their operations.

“On average, two office staff in each firm are available to take on IT projects. However, they do not currently possess the IT skills or experience required to develop and implement an e-business solution."

To rectify this shortcoming, the Brunei e-Business Forum will bring together Brunei SMEs to discuss the challenges and opportunities of e-Business, to assess the country's e-Business uptake and how e-Business adoption by SMEs can lead to reduced costs and increased competitiveness and productivity.

The Forum, which carries the theme `Business Growth Through e-Business: Challenges and Opportunities for Brunei SMEs', will be the third programme in the series of `Partnership Programme for Nurturing Brunei SMEs.

The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and Baiduri Bank Berhad are supporting the forum. It is jointly collaborated by the Embassy of Japan and Asialnc Forum.

The Brunei e-Business Forum will be held on August 25, bringing together participants from the private sector, government departments and ministries as well as educational institutions especially those who are involved in IT.

The forum will be facilitated by a guest speaker, Yasunobe Shin, who is the Director of the Board of StanfordJapan Centre-Research at the Stanford University.

He is expected to address the three sessions of the forum: session 1: Outlook of IT Industries and IT Policies in Japan: `How Japan has dealt with the revolutionary impact of Information Technology'; session 2: New Trends and Approaches on e-Business: Challenges and Opportunities; and session 3: Adoption of e-Business Technology by Brunei SMEs: Where Are We Now?

Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Zakaria bin Datu Mahawangsa Hj Sulaiman, Minister of Communications, has confirmed his attendance for the forthcoming forum where he will be delivering the opening remarks.

Interested parties are encouraged to visit the website of Asia lnc. at www.asiaincforum.com for more details on the e-Business forum. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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