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Businesses are increasingly being transferred in cyberspace

28 September 2013 / 15:09:10  GRReporter
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Access of Greek businesses to the Internet has reached 91%. 1 in 4 companies uses Facebook and other social networks for advertising, while a similar number of firms (24%) provide their staff with corporate mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.), as shown by a study of "Information Society" JSC. The study, which was conducted in the first quarter of 2013, found that companies in Greece consider that both the use of the Internet and their performance there is necessary.

In this context, there is a significant expansion in the use of the Internet in relationships of local companies with the government (one in seven companies submits employer’s contributions and VAT returns electronically) while at the same time promotion of business through the social media is constantly rising. Furthermore, the study showed that there is significant growth in e-commerce in Greece, as well as that most companies are continuing to invest in new technologies despite the crisis.

At the beginning of 2013, one in six companies (or 61%) regardless of its size had its own website which advertised its goods and services. This percentage reaches 78% for companies with more than 10 employees, and one in two of the smaller companies (or 52.4%) has its own website.

In January 2013, 96.5% of Greek companies with more than 10 employees had access to the Internet, and this percentage was 88.1% for smaller firms with less than 10 employees (or an average of 90.9% for the whole country). 3.7% of companies had a corporate blog.

37.8% of larger companies (with more than 10 employees) provide their employees with mobile devices for business purposes, and for smaller companies this percentage is 17%, or 24% for the whole country on average.

As for e-commerce, in 2012, 6.1% of companies took online orders, which accounted for 7.5% of their total turnover. The majority (almost 40%) were in the hospitality industry. On the other hand, 12.5% of Greek companies engaged in electronic procurement, mostly in the field of "scientific, technical and professional activities" (almost 24%).

According to the study, Greek companies are lagging behind European firms in terms of e-learning, since they still prefer more traditional "face to face" methods. Only 8% of companies resorted to the Internet for staff training, and most of them (37.5%) were in the financial and insurance industry.

In terms of investment in new technologies, the sector "information-communication" ranks first in Greece with 65%. As a whole, just over one-third of all companies in all industries (almost 37%) invested in new technologies last year.

On the other hand, almost one in five Greek companies (or 19%) indicated that there were problems with security when using the Internet and that is why appropriate precautions are being taken.

More detailed results of the "New technologies in business" survey, which was conducted randomly among 1,850 companies, are shown in the interactive application on the website of "Information Society" JSC - http://icteval.ktpae.gr/stats/delivery /.

Tags: Internet e-commerce business Information society research
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