Abstract
Online technologies are currently the most dynamically developing industry, both in product creation and promotion. The study focuses on their incorporation into the SME (small and medium enterprises) segment, which comprises the most economically stable element of any European economy. This paper aims to identify and evaluate dependency in the area of online technologies and promotion tools use in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) related to company age and export involvement. Most research on SMEs focuses on external influences and factors, while this article reflects the internal environment of business entities, which is the source of this study’s originality. The hypotheses were validated by an empirical study of a sample of 743 respondents (companies and entrepreneurs, including family businesses). The research method was a combination of CATI and CASI, and the research tool was a structured questionnaire. To analyze the survey results, the Chi-square test of independence was applied. The key finding was validation of the dependence between the use of the online tools for manufacturing and promotion and the export focus of companies. Companies operating on foreign markets use a wider range of online tools for their business than companies focused on the domestic market. On the other hand, the presumed significant differences in the use of online tools between young businesses and companies long-term established on the market were not confirmed. Acknowledgment The authors are thankful to the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, University of Technology in Brno and University of Finance and Administration in Prague, Project No.: “TL02000434 Rodinné podniky: generátory hodnoty a určování hodnoty v procesu nástupnictví” for financial support to carry out this research.
Highlights
The use of online and digital technologies in business has been in place for some time
This paper aims to identify and evaluate dependency in the area of online technologies and promotion tools use in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) related to company age and export involvement
Companies operating on foreign markets use a wider range of online tools for their business than companies focused on the domestic market
Summary
The use of online and digital technologies in business has been in place for some time. Academic attention has always been predominantly focused on the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). It consists of the digital integration of all company systems, which results in creating the “smart factory” communicating within itself through digital and online means and availing of artificial intelligence. This applies primarily to their capacity to remain established in a supply-consumption value chain, including servicing and services (Břečková & Havlíček, 2016). A study by Moeuf, Pellerin, Lamouri, Tamayo-Giraldo, and Barbaray (2018) demonstrates that SMEs do not exploit all the resources for implementing Industry 4.0 and often limit themselves to the adoption of Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have