Low-tech virtuality : Evidence from SMEs in Hong Kong

Previous research on virtuality has been dominated by discussions of virtual teams, involving either students or organisational employees, with the latter dominated by larger organisations. Little attention has been paid to the SME sector, despite the apparent benefits that could accrue to SMEs that make effective use of virtual collaboration and cooperation technologies. In this paper we report on our investigations into the use of virtual technologies by SMEs in Hong Kong, an economy which is dominated by SMEs (98% of all firms). Drawing on our interviews with nine SMEs, we assessed both their current and likely future usage of virtual technologies. We were surprised to find that most of these SMEs are intentionally low-tech in their attitude towards virtual technologies. We discuss the reasons for and implications of this phenomenon before drawing the paper to a close with a set of recommendations for future research.