Internationally, SMEs in developed economies, such as those found in North
America, Europe and parts of Asia, have attained a much higher level of e-readiness
than those in developing countries. SMEs in developing economies face numerous
problems, some of which have already been outlined. A further obstacle to SMEs’
is their level of information readiness – their ability to determine their information
needs and leverage the resources available, including ICT, to meet those needs. SMEs
require various kinds of information to survive in the competitive global business
environment, from start-up information to information about the day-to-day operations
of the business. Most of the information sought may relate to legal assistance,
market information (e.g. trends and prices), policy changes and legislation, technical
assistance, and access to credit, among others. In order to satisfy these needs, SMEs
require different information resources, such as the Internet, brochures, regional
libraries, correspondence with colleagues in other enterprises, and participation in
workshops and seminars. The information obtained is put to use in planning and
policy formulation, understanding market trends, carrying out market intelligence
surveys and more. In their endeavor to access relevant information for their operations,
SMEs face further information seeking obstacles, such as inadequate skills,
lack of access to information, and the inability to interpret the information received
and put it to effective use.