Role of information communication technology in the growth and development of small and medium scale enterprises in Ghana – case study of some selected small and medium scale enterprises in the Tema Metropolis

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2012
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Abstract
This study identifies the roles of information communication technology (ICT) in the growth and development of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana using case study of some selected SMEs in Tema metropolis in the Greater Accra region. The objectives of the study were to understand the current ICT usage in Ghana and how it has contributed to the growth and development of SMEs in Ghana; identify the preferred ICT tools for communication among SMEs and explored how ICT benefit SME relationships and interactions and find out why some SMEs are not using ICT in their business. SMEs were conveniently sampled using simple random sampling to ensure that at least they are using one of the major ICT tools – Mobile Phone, Fixed Line, Internet or Postal Box in its business. Most of the SMEs are dominated by men. Furthermore lots of the SMEs are found by people who are in their youthful stage indicating the inclination of the youth towards the adoption of information communication technology in their business. The study found out that ICT has contributed in the growth and development of SMEs by decreasing cost of communication and transaction, enhancing better relations among SMEs, their customers and fellow SMEs and enhancing SMEs to penetrate other markets without any geographical limitation. Furthermore, almost every SME owner in Ghana have a mobile phone and prefers to communicate to the customers and supplier via mobile telephony than fixed line or any other ICT tools mentioned in the study. Though ICT awareness and the benefit of the internet to the SMEs seem to be high among SMEs owners in Ghana, patronage and usage of ICT is still low. Perceived high cost of hardware and software infrastructure, lack of applicability of the technologies ICT offers to their work, and lack of end user adoption of technology are some of the reasons why some SMEs do not use ICT in doing their business.  
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A Thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters of Business Administration.
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