| Summary: | The Internet is portrayed by the media, academia and IT professionals as a new frontier that will transform and revolutionise the way business is conducted globally. The contribution of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is extremely important to the economy of many countries and their contribution cannot be over-emphasised. SMEs account for more than 50% of private-sector employment in the UK and currently are contributing most of the private sector employment growth. Information technology, particularly the Internet, has the potential to radically change the way business is conducted, offering a competitive edge and a gateway to the global marketplace. Although much has been claimed about the potential benefits of the use of the Internetin businesses, there appears to be little evidence at present to indicate the actual level of usage in SMEs. In order to address this, this paper presents the results from a survey of UK SMEs between March and June 1999. The survey gives a current picture of how SMEs are using the Internet and its technology, including the benefits, the issues and the impact of use on business activities.
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