Lataa Tiedosto
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Anne Matilainen, Kaj Zimmerbauer, Terttu Poranen (eds.) The Role of Information Technology in Mediating External Information to the Rural Micro Enterprises – Regional Literature Reviews of Northern Ostrobothnia and Central Finland Reports 5 1 The Role of Information Technology in Mediating External Information to the Rural Micro Enterprises – Regional Literature Reviews of Northern Ostrobothnia and Central Finland Rural Business Information Exchange System (RuBIES) Project Anne Matilainen Kaj Zimmerbauer Terttu Poranen (eds.) Seinäjoki 2005 2 Publisher University of Helsinki Seinäjoki Institute for Rural Research and Training Kampusranta 9 FIN - 60320 SEINÄJOKI Tel. +358-6-4213 300 Fax +358-6-4213 301 www.helsinki.fi/ruralia/seinajoki ISBN 952-10-1105-X (PDF) ISSN 1795-8407 3 Foreword This literature review is a part of the research carried out in RuBIES (Rural Business Information Exhange System) project in 2004–2005. The aim of the transnational project is to provide assistance and support to remote rural businesses to improve their access to relevant busi- ness information and thereby improve business efficiency and decision-making. The project covers four Northern European countries (Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Scotland). Regional literature reviews present in details an overview of the state-of-the-art concerning the use of ICT in rural small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in two case regions, Northern Ostrobothnia and Central Finland. The aim of the regional reviews is to get a comprehensive understanding of the situation and to find out possible special characteristics of the regions, especially focusing on RuBIES project themes. In the literature reviews there are short descriptions of the rural SME profile in the regions and overview of the current situation concerning the knowledge and use of ICT and e- expert services. In addition they give a short overview of regional policy support and development activities aiming to enhance the use of ICT in the rural SMEs in the regions. The literature reviews also list the main e-expert services of the regions offered to rural SMEs. RuBIES project is funded by Interreg III B, Northern Periphery Programme. National co-financiers in Finland are Ministry of Interior and Councils of Central Finland and Northern Osrobothnia. More information of the project is available in the RuBIES web pages (www.rubies.eu.com). 4 Contents Summary .................................................................................................................. 6 Regional Literature Review, Northern Ostrobothnia Tarja Löytynoja (University of Oulu, Oulu Southern Institute) 1 Enterprise Culture of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Northern Ostrobothnia ....................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Northern Ostrobothnia and SME Profile in the Region .................................. 9 1.2 Development Programmes and Activities for the SMEs ............................... 15 2 SMEs and ICT ..................................................................................................... 20 2.1 The Use of Internet and ICT in Northern Ostrobothnia ................................ 20 2.2 Functions Supported by ICT in the SMEs and Benefits of ICT ....................... 22 2.3 Barriers of the ICT Utilisation ...................................................................... 23 2.4 Policy Support and Steering of the Use of ICT in the SMEs in the Region ..... 25 3 SMEs and e-Services ......................................................................................... 27 3.1 Existing e-Expert Services in Northern Ostrobothnia .................................... 27 3.2 Advisory, Supporting and Education Services in the Region ......................... 29 3.3 The Use of Expert and Advisory Services by SMEs ....................................... 31 3.4 Attitudes towards, Images of and Trust to the Expert and Advisory Services 33 4 ICT Know-How of the SMEs and Challenges in Development of Knowledge .. 34 5 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 39 References .............................................................................................................. 41 Appendices Appendix 1. e-Expert Services for SMEs (nature-based enterprises) in Northern Ostrobothnia ..................................................................................... 47 Appendix 2. Advisory, Supporting and Education Organisations for SMEs (nature-based enterprises) in Northern Ostrobothnia .......................... 56 5 Regional Literature Review, Central Finland Jaana Auer, Juha Kuula (Jyväskylä Polytechnic, Institute of Natural Resources) 1 Enterprise Culture of the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Region.79 1.1 Central Finland and SME Profile in the Region ............................................. 79 1.2 Development Activities in the SMEs in the Region........................................ 83 1.2.1 Development programme of food processing SMEs 2001–2006 ....... 83 1.2.2 The preliminary study of broadband in sparsely populated areas of Central Finland ................................................................... 83 1.2.3 Central Finland’s countryside know-how (Maaseutu osaa) project ..... 84 1.2.4 Successful rural enterprise project .................................................... 84 1.2.5 ICT for entrepreneurs project ........................................................... 84 1.2.6 Developing the information society skills of rural entrepreneurs in Karstula, Kivijärvi and Kyyjärvi ...................................................... 85 1.2.7 Developing ICT- and information skills project in Kinnula .................. 85 1.2.8 Tailored training in Central Finland ................................................... 85 2. SMEs and ICT .................................................................................................... 86 2.1 Use of ICT in the SMEs and functions supported by ICT ............................... 86 2.2 Attitudes towards the Use of ICT ................................................................ 90 2.3 Benefits of ICT to the Rural SMEs ................................................................ 91 2.4 Barriers of the ICT Utilisation in Region ........................................................ 91 2.5 Policy Support and Steering of the Use of ICT in the Region......................... 92 3 SMEs and Existing e-Expert Services in the Region ........................................ 94 4 ICT Know-How of the SMEs............................................................................. 96 4.1 The Present State of Know-how and Awareness of the Possibilities Offered by ICT Solutions ............................................................................. 96 4.2 Developing Know-how, Challenges and Development Needs ....................... 99 5 Challenges and Conclusions .......................................................................... 101 Sources ................................................................................................................. 104 Appendix 1. Development Companies, Associations and Educational organ isations Related to Rural SMEs in Central Finland ................... 106 6 Summary Regional literature reviews present an overview of the use of ICT in rural small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nothern Ostrobothnia and Central Finland. These two regions provide excellent examples of regions consisting mainly of rural areas, but having also well- developed urban areas. The region of Central Finland is situated according to it’s name in central part of Finland. The main city of the Central Finland region is Jyväskylä, which is influencing strongly also to the surrounding municipalities (Jyväskylä region). The population of Central Finland is very strongly concentrated to the Jyväskylä region. In 2003 over a half of the inhabitants of the Central Finland lived in this sub-region. Even though the population has been increasing in Jyväskylä region, it has decreased in every other sub-region. Northern Ostrobothnia, on the other hand, is the second northernmost province in Finland, extending across the country from the Gulf of Bothnia coast to the border with Russia. It can be regarded mostly as core or peripheral countryside. However, the principal city, Oulu, is the second most important population centre in the country after Helsinki area. The population is strongly concentrated to the Oulu region. In 2004 approx. 54 % of the total population of Northern Ostrobothnia was living in Oulu region. Both of the most important cities of these two regions have created some of their growth by concentrating on information technology and high technology relating to that. Even though there can be estimated to be some kind of lack of small business tradition in both of the regions due to their historical development, especially in rural areas the most of the companies in both regions can be defined as small or even micro enterprises. Also in both regions the there were a lot of regional variations in occupational as well as entrepreneurial structure. When reviewing the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia and Central Finland more in details concerning the utilisation of ICT in rural enterprises, they seemed to follow quite well the national trends. In Northern Ostrobothnia approx 85–90 % of the enterprices used Internet in their businesses and the figure