PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY OF SERBIAN SMEs

Enterprises are at the heart of the strategy launched by the European Council in 2000. They stated that the objective of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth whilst creating more employment will ultimately depend on the success of enterprises, especially Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This still holds true today and is of particular relevance to the acceding and candidate countries within the Central Balkan region, especially in today’s harsh and competitive economic climate. This paper explores how three internationally tried and tested IT based services can provide accessible and low-cost tools supporting growth, competitiveness and sustainability of enterprises within the emerging economies of the Central Balkans. These are Business Basics and Best-Practice Methodologies training delivered via e-learning technologies, Sustainable Business Process (BPM) tools and Data Hosting Services. This paper focuses on the significant benefits that these tools, training methods and services bring to SMEs, enabling greater efficiency and cost-savings, and crucially, how to implement them as rapidly as possible to meet an urgent need.