Global Challenges to SME Digital Adoption: Guidelines for Policy Action

Fan, Maple

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/133321 Copy

Description

Title

Global Challenges to SME Digital Adoption: Guidelines for Policy Action

Author(s)

Fan, Maple

Issue Date

2026-04-14

Keyword(s)

• Digitization
• Digital Transformation
• Tech Adoption
• Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
• Digital Economy
• Publicly funded Information and Communication Technologies

Date of Ingest

2026-05-23T14:38:25-05:00

Abstract

SMEs face barriers to digital adoption, including limited financial resources, time constraints, and misalignment between actors involved in implementation. These challenges are globally significant. According to organizations like the OECD and United Nations, SMEs worldwide encounter similar obstacles to digital transformation regardless of region. If unresolved, these challenges risk deepening inequality, reducing SME competitiveness, and limiting economic growth. Understanding the structural, institutional, and resource-based limitations of digital transformation is essential to modifying existing public policy for digital development to achieve equitable outcomes for sustainable development at a local level. Key stakeholders include SMEs themselves, alongside organizations like the United Nations and OECD, as well as governments seeking to address these barriers. My study is based on textual analysis of academic research, policy briefs, and grey literature to compare these obstacles. It asks the question, how are SMEs navigating digital transformation within a burgeoning digital economy worldwide? What are the factors or challenges to digital adoption among this unique business type? It focuses on distinguishing between performative and genuinely impactful practices in digital adoption for SMEs globally.

Type of Resource

Poster

Genre of Resource

conference poster

Language

eng

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