TODAY'S GRADUATES will fuel the growth in demand for Web services among small and medium-sized enterprises, says Wilson Wong Ka-wo of Apac Interactive. But he expected a marked upturn in the way SMEs viewed the internet over the next three to five years.
'The city's graduates live in the Web world. They are the managers of tomorrow. They know the internet and what they can get from it. They will set up their own companies or move into middle-management roles and they will insist on websites and online services,' said the 37-year-old managing director.
He also believed graduates would help develop the market, especially Hong Kong's fledgling e-booking and e-shopping segments. He said firms working in the entertainment industry had already snapped up these features because they catered for young people who were eager and not afraid to chat, book and shop online. It was these young people who would help educate SMEs and shift the way Hong Kong does business.
Mr Wong said most SMEs still did not trust the internet and preferred to do business face to face.
'The fact that graduates will soon be making the business decisions means we will see a shift. People will no longer be suspicious of doing business on the Web. E-commerce in Hong Kong will really start to take off.'
The integration of these graduates in the local business scene would hopefully shift the perception of Web designers, professionals who do not always get the respect they are entitled to in Hong Kong.