Readiness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Bangkok Metropolitan Area for Digital Economy

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to (1) assess the readiness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME.) for the advent of the digital economy (2) study the adaption of these companies' entrepreneurs toward this new platform. The target population under study were companies in Bangkok Metropolitan area that might have their names registered or not registered with the Department of Internal Trade. Samples included 400 such companies. The outcome of the study revealed that the scores on their readiness for organizational structure, budgeting, technology, and resource were moderate while the score on personnel was high. On the other hand, entrepreneurs' adaptations to build customer relationships and to become business leaders scored moderately while their effort to differentiate their products scored highly. A study of enterprises' readiness for the digital economy showed that enterprises with different sizes of labor and different form of operation did not differ in their readiness. On the other hand, enterprises with different years of operation, amount of capital, and type of business did differ in their readiness for the digital economy at 0.05 level of significance.