The main reasons for the lack of use of high-speed digital networks appeared to be lack of awareness
about newer technologies and concerns about the higher cost of their use. One respondent attributed his
preference for modem-based analogue communication to the fact that his Director, the principal decision
maker on ICT adoption, was unaware of the availability of high-speed connections. He said that when the
firm was connected four years ago, modem-based analogue communication was the only option available.
Another respondent from another firm observed that although the technology was being updated
regularly, the system administrator has not advised the Directors about the potential advantages of highspeed connections and the employees were satisfied and comfortable with the use of their modem-based
analogue connections.
The Director of another firm indicated that he did not know about high-speed connections and was
satisfied with a modem-based analogue connection because it was meeting the firm’s needs. The other
reason that the respondents seemed to prefer modem-based analogue to high-speed connections was
related to the cost of equipment to support high speed networks. One Director indicated that his firm was
not willing to invest in the equipment required to obtain high-speed connection to a network. Another
believed that such equipment would be more difficult to maintain than the analogue equipment.
5.1 Garment Firms E-commerce Network Access
The firms in the study had several options for obtaining network access. The first and easiest was the
public Internet, which provides access to foreign company web -sites and to specialised trading sites.
However, other options included the use of Intranets, Extranets, and Wide Area Networks (WANs).
Intranets are effectively internal min-webs (Flood 2002) that typically hold directory information,
company documentation, and information on employee benefits that may be open to all employees. Parts
of a company intranet may be secured and used to transmit financial data and other records from one
office to another creating a form of intra-company trade. For example, an integrated textile company may
‘sell’ fabric from its textile mill to its clothing factory and the company intranet may be used to execute
the transaction.
Extranets link company-specific networks enabling business partners and suppliers to share corporate
data. This may be a major benefit, especially for small companies upstream in the supply chain, that can
participate in electronic trading at low cost (Mansell and Wehn 1998). Business intelligence extranets use
query, reporting, and analysis software running on a web server (Whiting 2002), and information may
include brochures, annual reports, and various forms. A web interface may be used to retrieve data, which
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