The use of Mobile Phones by SMMEs in a Developing Economy: The Case in South Africa
نویسندگان
چکیده
SMMEs are seen as an important avenue for promoting the economic development in South Africa. With the high prevalence of mobile phones in the country, these devices are seen as a means of leapfrogging the typical technological development path and providing SMMEs with the benefits of mobility and Internet access. A nationwide survey was conducted amongst SMMEs in South Africa to gain an understanding of: their characteristics including the demographics of the owner/manager and characteristics of the business, the use of mobile phones in the business, the relevant skills of the SMMEs’ owner/managers, their means of Internet access, and their business operations challenges. The main findings indicated that despite relatively high levels of education, and despite strong uptake of mobile phones, their usage was very basic and the true benefits of mobile telephony and Internet access were not being realized by the SMMEs. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made to address the situation.
منابع مشابه
Sustainable Information Exchange and Market Access: Use of Mobile Phone in the Marketing of Food Crops by Farming Households in Rural South East Nigeria
The place of information in addressing market access and participation limitation, which hinders farmer’s welfare and poverty reduction efforts in many developing countries, cannot be over-emphasized. This study therefore examined the use of mobile phone in the marketing of food crops among farming households in rural south east, Nigeria. A multi stage sampling procedures was used in the select...
متن کاملThe Pattern of Mobile Phone Use and Prevalence of Self-Reported Symptoms in Elementary and Junior High School Students in Shiraz, Iran
Background: The use of mobile phone by children is increasing drastically. Children are likely to accumulate many years of exposure during their lives. Furthermore, as nervous systems in children are developing, children may be at a greater risk compared to adults. In this light, some scientists have suggested that the use of mobile phones should be restricted in high-risk groups such as childr...
متن کاملUnderstanding the roles of different stakeholders influencing the use of mobile phones to access agricultural information: A Case of Kilolo and Kilosa Districts, Tanzania
The study investigated the roles of different stakeholders influencing the use of mobile phones in accessing agricultural information in Tanzania. While information is becoming an important ingredient in agriculture, farmers in Tanzania suffer the problem of lacking access to agricultural information. Promisingly, mobile phone technology has become the most valued infrastructure which gives peo...
متن کاملA Unified Approach towards E-commerce Adoption by Smmes in South Africa
E-commerce has been identified as an enabler of economic development/growth in developing countries. This is due to the preponderant role that e-commerce plays in developing world as a catalyst towards improved customer service [4]; expansion of market reach [11]; improved customer relationship and communications [15,16] and supply chain integration [9]. In the South African case, the currently...
متن کاملNetworks and e-commerce in South Africa
In a globalised networked economy, the sufficient utilisation of networks can be an important competitive advantage. Globally, the marketplace is restructuring itself for the new fast, intense unknown. In the past businesses struggled to position a strategy of solving existing problems. In the networked economy the focus is on finding new opportunities. Social capital is the intellectual capita...
متن کامل