Digital advantage framework for growth and compettitiveness in small and medium enterprises

Abstract

All companies now operate in an increasingly digital world, however, Small and Medium sized Enterprises ( face different challenges when compared with Multinational Enterprises ( Financial resources, use of advanced technology, alliance with universities and organizational culture are amongst the features noted by Mittal et al 2018 where SMEs are considerably constrained when compared to MNEs The lack of a clear roadmap is holding back the progress of SMEs in the digital age When preparing a report for the Irish government, the European Investment Bank 2019 highlighted that digitalisation is not just about acquiring IT equipment and systems It encompasses fundamental business dimensions processes, products and business models They also state that companies that embrace digitalisation tend to experience better access to new markets, increased innovation and improved competitiveness The aim of this study is to understand the requirements of SMEs regarding the implementation of digitalisation, to establish the strengths and weaknesses of what is currently available, and to design an improved framework to cater for the needs of