SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSTRUCTION SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs): IT IMPEDIMENTS FOCUS

SUMMARY Construction Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face numerous impediments preventing their sustainable growth and development. These impediments include: operational factors; financial constraints; limited marketing and human resource management expertise; limited strategic planning; and ineffective Information Technology (IT) implementation. These factors are all contributing to the stagnated growth of these smaller, mostly privately owned companies. In an attempt to enhance the growth opportunities of SMEs, this paper firstly presents a conceptual framework incorporating the above-mentioned impediments. Secondly, the paper hones in on the IT implementation impediments in order to target the IT-specific barriers facing SMEs. Finally, the paper proposes some possible coping strategies to ensure more effective implementation of IT in SMEs.

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