Sustainability of Romanian Small and Medium Enterprises Using the Electronic Signature as a Driving Digital Tool

Abstract

The new motto of our society is sustainability through digitalization. The trend towards digitalization of enterprises is indeed a form of sustainable development. Within the European Union, policies are drawn up, and actions are undertaken to contribute to the creation of a sustainable, high-performing economy. Business performance today is also associated with digitalization, i.e., with the use of digital tools. The widespread use of digital tools in the economy also depends on their implementation by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which have a significant weight in the economy of each country member. This study addresses this issue of widespread use of digital tools by Romanian SMEs. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact and relevance of the use of digital tools, more precisely the use of the digital signature, on Romanian SMEs, and what are the impediments to the use of the digital signature for all documents, “on a large scale”, in any situation (a SWOT analysis was carried out that highlights the constraints and limitations, but also the factors that are advantageous and determine the use of the digital signature by SMEs). The research was based on two related studies: the first investigation covers the use cases of digital signature within the community of Romanian SMEs, while the second study reflects on the use of digital signatures by Romanian SMEs, from the perspective of the commercial certified trust service providers from Romania. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used, which provided many interesting results. Thus, it was found that companies with a short and those with a long presence in the market use the digital signature less than those with an average one, and the most important advantage of using the digital signature is the reduction in time, in second place being the reduction in costs. The study also reveals that the biggest barrier to the widespread use of the digital signature is the lack of information and know-how, which is why we considered it appropriate to carry out this study. The results of the study are discussed considering today’s increasingly digitalized context. This study enriches the specialized literature with information on the use of digital signatures by Romanian SMEs.