Information society and eTurkey – Towards European Union

Infocommunications has started taking an indispensable role in the developing world. Those organisations that adapt themselves to the pressure created by globalisation and liberalisation and step into the postindustrial stage survive. Not many findings of the TUENA work, that analysed what Turkey should do in this aspect, could be put into action.

Despite all pressure from globalisation and liberalisation, the world is not getting to be a unified entity on the other hand. Gathering around intra-national alliances like EU, new “blocks” emerge. Neither technology, nor society on his or her own, is adequate to pave the pathway to the future. As a consequence, the cost of the foreseen transformation to the information society may not be shared equally between the nations. History tells us that an intolerable difference in this aspect is destructive and should be avoided. The social aspects are therefore to be treated together with the economic ones when setting infocommunications policies.

There is a strong need for a longer-term foresight that considers the opportunities the information society presents, as well as the threats. It should focus on how Turkey is going to respond to the global transformation, to create a model, emphasizing on her weak science-technology-innovation links.

In the coming decade we are going to experience how the traditional ways of value creation, working, service providing, organising and managing will fail. Those communities who pursue their policies to adapt themselves to the new concepts in employment, (global) competition and technology, are bound to become leaders in their environment. Infocommunications and biotechnology may perhaps be playing a key role, but it must not be disregarded that opportunities are coupled with threats and complications. There is a single must to cope with this situation: readiness.

In the transformation where for creating competitiveness, natural resources and low labour costs are replaced by organisational and technological capabilities and the rate of transformation increases globally; the digital divide is getting to be the main threat. The threat is that, Turkey may become a default user and follower of the technologies. The threat is that, if not steered carefully, Turkey will not end up as an actor in the value add chain, but as an actor in the consumer chain.

Today, the majority of the world trade takes place on the northern hemisphere. In the near future, the infocommunications services will also be focused there. The digital content will not be made available to all users equally. We must expect the formation of “national” or “regional” digital islands.

One of the ways to stay competitive globally is to make maximum use of the available capabilities and capacities. But doing so, if the innovation strategies are disregarded, it will soon be discovered that the attained competitiveness cannot be sustained. The clue for a successful sustained competitiveness lies in the national innovation system, and how this is run. Essential is that all related parties take place in the steering of innovation policies.

It is not possible to stay out of the transformation where internet and related technologies are dominant and still be competitive. The new eBusiness techniques will have to be rapidly adopted. Even delaying these may be a threat. The question is not “Will eBusiness affect us?”; it is rather “How eBusiness will affect us?”. To enjoy the opportunity, each company must prepare her eBusiness plan right away. One aim of this report is to give insight for the eBusiness plans and to trigger the activity.

For more in-depth analysis, see the

full reporton TÜSIAD’s website.