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The concept of local e-Government has become a key factor for delivering services in an efficient, cost effective, transparent and convenient way, in circumstances where a) citizens do not have enough time available to communicate with local authorities in order to perform their responsibilities and needs, and b) information and communication technologies significantly facilitate administrative procedures and citizens-government interaction. This paper aims to identify e-services that local authorities provide, and to investigate their readiness for delivering these services. A pilot research has been conducted to identify the offer of e-services by local authorities, along with e-readiness in municipalities of the Pelagonia region in the Republic of Macedonia. The survey was carried out by means of structured interview questions based on a modified model proposed by Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development -web analysis of municipal websites in the region has been conducted, as well. The study reveals uneven distribution according to the age group of users, lack of reliability and confidence for processing the needs and requests electronically by a large part of the population, and improperly developed set of ICT tools by local governments for providing a variety of services that can be fully processed electronically.

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for any national economy through their vital contribution to sustainable growth, economic development and employment. The digital revolution, globalization, and the latest impact and pressure caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have posed even greater barriers and challenges for these enterprises. In order for small and medium-sized enterprises to respond to the new challenges, to participate in the market and gain a competitive position, they need to be different, and this can only be accomplished through an innovative way of working. To foster innovation, strategic changes are needed in the operation of the SMEs, with a focus on the people involved, the ways and methods used in the organizational environment, and the desired innovation results. Connecting to the external environment (networking) and/or using an open innovation system are also fundamental to the success of the enterprise innovation process. Innovative capacity of the businesses is a function of the organization’s culture, resources and networks. The main purpose of this paper is to identify certain strategic factors that contribute to creating an innovative organizational environment and fostering innovation, i.e. increasing the innovation capacity of SMEs in Pelagonia region in North Macedonia.

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