Paris, 22 December 1998 -
An action plan was launched today by the International Chamber of Commerce to
help small businesses worldwide deal with the threat posed by the millennium
bug.
In an advisory note designed to encourage thorough
preparation for potential end-of-the-century computer date change problems,
ICC warns small businesses that their future could depend on whether they, their
suppliers and their customers are Year 2000 compliant.
"There will be no magic cure for companies
that have failed to prepare. There is no substitute for action," the advisory
note says. Already, the document states, many companies are only doing business
with others who have become Year 2000 compliant.
The ICC advice gives a concise list of steps to
take to achieve compliancy, as well as a list of questions every company should
ask its
elf concerning its Year 2000 strategy.
As a practical tool for those companies who are
keen to move ahead with preparations, the advisory note includes a list of web
links which can help in millennium bug preparations, ranging from the "Small
Business Advisory Website" to the "Mother of all Y2K Link Sites".