Sir John Harvey Jones tells small business to embrace technology - or go out of business

Former ICI chairman and famed BBC TV 'trouble-shooter' Sir John Harvey Jones, warned small businesses that it was "time to face the stark truth" or be left behind by new technology.

Sir John made his passionate plea during a keynote speech to organisations representing more than 12,000 staff from the East Midlands during the 'Procurement Revolution' conference organised by the LSEP and held at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester.

"The basis for competition in the future relies on speed," he said. "This applies in the public sector, as well as in the private. He added that the "future of any business depends on the imaginative use of IT" (Information Technology.

"In the last two years there has been a revolution in the whole electronic area. I'm absolutely certain that no SME (Small-Medium Enterprise) in ten years time will exist unless they make use of the full opportunities of IT."

The LSEP organised the conference in response to an impending switch by the public sector to an 'e-procurement' way of doing business with private companies.

Prior to the conference, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: "Small and medium sized businesses deserve more business from the public sector. They often deliver an excellent product or service at a great price, but are let down because they don't understand how the process operates. The Procurement Revolution aims to help Leicestershire firms gain more business from the public sector."

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