slow and telephone service is expensive. Nevertheless, we observed that the respondents placed a high
priority on face-to-face communications. Several of the firm owners travel extensively in order to
maintain contacts with distant customers and suppliers. Some respondents were also concerned that the
lack of laws governing the use of e-commerce could cause them difficulties. According to one
respondent, the company’s management insists that information sent by e-mail must be followed up with
a fax copy of the same message in order to verify the authenticity of the document and thus assuage fears
of fraud.
One respondent reported using the web ‘always’, while seven were using it ‘frequently’, three ‘seldom’,
and one ‘never’. The firms that were reported to be using web had their own web sites or they were
accessing other firm’s web sites to compare product prices or to obtain information on new styles and
designs. The respondents were skeptical about any complete reliance on computer-mediated
communication suggesting that it is not possible to assess the colour, finishing of products, and quality of
goods, using electronic forms of communication.
Table 6: Frequency of Use of Network Applications, by Type
Application
Always
Frequently
Seldom
Never
E-Mail
4
8
0
0
WWW
1
7
3
1
Extranet
0
1
1
10
EDI
0
2
0
10
Source: Enterprise Level Interviews 2002; N=12
Two firms were reported to be making use of extranets and two others were using EDI. One firm was
using an Extranet ‘frequently’ while the other was ‘seldom’ using it. Both were using EDI ‘frequently’.
5.3 The Use of Internet in Purchasing or Selling Products Internationally
The respondents were asked about the extent of their use of the public Internet for purchasing products
and/or selling their products internationally. Six firms were reported to be using the public Internet to
purchase products and five firms were selling their products internationally using the public Internet (see
Table 6). Most firms that were reported to be using the public Internet were doing so as a result of their
own initiatives, but one respondent reported that a client had demanded that the firm post its product on a
web site. To meet this requirement, the firm registered with e-sokoni, a local e-market place (see Box 1).
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