Member Article

Businesses say technology levels the playing field for regions

SMEs believe technology is making businesses in the UK’s regions more competitive, helping bridge the north south divide and reducing London’s historic advantage, according to new research from Brother UK.

The company, which has its headquarters in Manchester, has published ‘Regional Attitudes to Growth and Competitiveness’, a research project that surveyed 600 small and medium sized firms across the country, with the results analysed by Prof Robert Huggins, Director of the Centre for Economic Geography at Cardiff University.

The report aims to uncover why some SMEs are more competitive than others and how firms across the UK can overcome the barriers that they feel are preventing them from achieving their goals.

It found that only one in ten firms say the competitiveness of their region has declined in the last five years.

Nationally, 57 per cent said technology was the key driver of their region’s competitiveness, with nearly two thirds (60 per cent) of respondents in the comparatively rural south west and east of England regions holding this view.

Prof Huggins said: “There are a number of challenges SMEs will face in the future if they are to embrace the opportunities available to them.

“These challenges are often accentuated for SMEs in regions with less competitive business environments.”

He added: “It is now time for SMEs to develop stronger formal plans with regard to effectively managing and investing in the connectivity and networks required for sustained and improved competitiveness.”

Many SMEs are already heeding Prof Higgins’ warning.

Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of firms which believe in technology’s ability to improve regional competitiveness have adopted remote working and 75 per cent have introduced flexible working.

Phil Jones, managing director of Brother UK, said the advantages of technology like broadband, web conferencing, smart phones and tablets could not be overstated in making remote workers more efficient.

He said: “With these growing numbers of SMEs adopting new business practices designed to boost flexibility and agility, and with growing awareness of how new technologies can underpin, support and enable this type of agile approach, small businesses look set to achieve big things in the year ahead.”

And firms in the regions did not believe they were at a geographical disadvantage.

On average, respondents outside of the South East were evenly split on whether their business would be more or less successful if it were in London (29 per cent v 30 per cent).

More than a third said it would be neither more nor less successful.

Phil Jones said: “We believe that every UK business should have the opportunity and appetite to compete on a level playing field.

“It is crucial that businesses have the confidence to invest in their futures.

“Many firms already recognise that technology can help make them more agile and efficient and they have taken steps to equip themselves for growth.

“At Brother, we are determined to increase awareness of how technology can underpin and enable the kind of agile approach that is paying off for so many SMEs.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .