1996 - European Telework Week

Telework 96
2.5. Telework and Small Business Networking
2.5.1. Introduction
Small and medium sized businesses are now widely recognised as holding the key to
future economic growth: that growth will only come through if the SMEs make
maximum use of the potential offered by telematics and if they make that use at the
earliest possible time.
This report summarises the outcomes of six projects undertaking RTD and
demonstrations concerned with small business networking in the context of telework. A
brief combined summary might run the risk of seeming to trivialise individual projects,
so more details of each of the six projects (EBNET, EVONET, RECITE, RITE, SBN and
TESSE) are appended individually. In total, the six projects made a significant
contribution to the understanding of SME networking as a practical activity, both in
terms of facilitating increased activity, and also of making the benefits flow to SMEs, to
regions and to the EC generally.
Two projects (EBNET and TESSE) dealt with the international networking of SMEs in
the generic sense: both developed activities in mentoring and netware brokerage, and
each considered conceptual frameworks for the subject, EBNET developing quantitative
measurement techniques (i.e. addressing the question “how much” for networking) and
TESSE in terms of value chain analysis (a topic also looked at elsewhere by the
ACCORDE project). EBNET produced important outcomes in distinguishing the
characteristics of micro-SMEs (>10 individuals), and TESSE demonstrated how
individuality may be accommodated in networking.
Two further projects (SBN and RITE) considered the relevance of inter-networking for
SMEs, and specifically of Internet usage and maximise the potential value of its use as a
business tool. SBN surveyed this subject against the background of EDI and the use of
Value Added Networks; RITE established a regional Internet server network both as a
means of supply and as a means of structuring access to information for those from
outside a region. SBN showed how “soft-EDI” could benefit SMEs, while RITE gave
clear indications to SMEs and to regions on ways of increasing their marketing weight.
Finally, two projects concerned themselves with appropriate technologies and technology
implementations for SMEs; EVONET considered what products were available in the
market for networking SMEs, and especially for individual mobile professionals,
creating solutions for existing products and also designing anew; and RECITE applied
existing technologies in harsh real-world environments showing how to gain real value
from innovative applications of existing products. EVONET created innovative and
successful techniques based on computer linked voice telephony; RECITE showed
particularly exciting potential for the combination of GSM data and notebook Pcs.
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