Distance Management of SMEs Using ICT Solutions

Abstract

The paper contains a description of a research conducted in collaboration with some Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program Romanian students, concerning the use and implementation of ICT (Information and Telecommunication Technology), especially in distance managing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The paper is a response to the nature of contemporary business management, with the constantly increasing amount of work, bureaucracy and the necessity to travel on business combined with the need to manage the company being away. In the research the students assumed the roles of the employees and entrepreneurs simultaneously, to gain the perspective from both points of view – supervised by the authors. The aim was to find and test the effectiveness of the available ICT remote management instruments in the context of SMEs. The aim was to create a study of implementation in real-life conditions, considering the advantages and disadvantages of the solutions tested, including possible future trends. The result was a set of recommendations for business people. Apart from the educational value of the research, the unique, dual perspective assumed by the students participating in it, provided them with a practical insight and skills to better understand and make a better use of the conditions of managing and being managed. The results described here both practical and academic value. The resulting recommendations may constitute the basis of positive changes and improvement in the use of advanced technology in business activities. It is worth noting with its international character the study focuses not only on selected Polish enterprises, but the resulting contents reflects the situation in SMEs in the EU as well, thus it may be a starting point for analyzing other regions worldwide.