Businesses are becoming more selective in their use of informatio...

Businesses are becoming more selective in their use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), focusing more on core applications such as order fulfillment and less on after-sales support services and order tracking, a Booz Allen Hamilton study for the U.K. Dept. of Trade & Industry said. The 8th international e- commerce benchmarking study examined the adoption and deployment of ICT in the G7 countries and Australia, Ireland, S. Korea and Sweden. Other key findings were: (1) More businesses are measuring ICT benefits, with ICT managers increasingly asked to justify their budget requests. (2) There are significant differences in ICT uptake across sectors. Financial services businesses in general have the highest levels of adoption and connectivity, with businesses in the primary and construction sectors coming in at a much lower rate. (3) Overall levels of ICT sophistication have stayed about the same in many countries. Sweden, Ireland and U.K. lead this year’s sophistication index. The U.S. and Canada have slipped in the index, due partly to declines in their levels of sophistication and partly to the rise in ICT know-how in other countries. (4) Although businesses and staff are generally positive toward ICT, costs remain the major barrier to uptake. In particular, the study said, English-speaking countries, unlike other European countries such as Germany and Sweden, “seem to perceive change as an obstacle.” (5) Internet access levels among businesses are stable, though access speeds continue to rise. By contrast, the report said, adoption of mobile technologies has been slower and has even declined in the U.S. and Canada, possibly due to increased security concerns. (6) Growth in the proportion of businesses using e-commerce appears to have slowed, but among those that use it, online trading has increased. In the U.S., the proportion of businesses using e-commerce fell 11 percentage points. The U.K. fared quite well in the survey, which showed, among other things, that 69% of British businesses use broadband and that DSL connections rose 11% last year. The report highlighted 2 U.K. changing trends -- “strong signs” that the digital divide between large and small businesses is closing, and evidence of a slowdown in wireless and mobile technologies.