ISME's cautious welcome to Enterprise report

ISME, representing small and medium-sized businesses, has given a cautious welcome to the Enterprise Strategy Group report issued today.

ISME said that, at the very least, the exercise recognises the importance of developing an integrated enterprise policy for the future.

ISME chairman Robert Berney cautioned: "It is a bit of a 'curate's egg' in that while it recognises the role of the SME indigenous sector, there are very few specific initiatives recommended to specifically tackle areas of concern to the sector.

"The overall tenet of the document is a 'one fits all approach', which is very much at variance with the requirements of smaller businesses whose needs are different with those of big business. This is the singularly most disappointing aspect of the report."

ISME called for the introduction of a small business task force similar to the one that existed in the early 1990's set up after the reporting of the Culleton report.