Yet sometimes we hear evidence that suggests a better state of affairs. Take the online presence of small businesses in the region. According to Samer Alameddine, Chief Executive of 971pages.com, more than 90 per cent of the 3,000 companies listed on the UAE directory site have an online presence.

This is certainly not representative of all businesses in the UAE: most of the companies on 971pages.com are described by Alameddine as being “more established”, and you would expect a company that is listed online to be more tech-savvy anyway.

However, given the perception that the region’s online world is unsophisticated, 90 per cent is a favourably high figure. Consider the statistics in the West. Research (albeit a couple of years old) by the New Jersey-based Kelsey Group found that of the 25 million small businesses in the US, only 54 per cent have a website. Another set of data by Jupiter Research backed this up. This is encouraging as it shows that small businesses in the UAE – at least those listed by 971pages.com – have woken up to the benefits of online. This is good for the economy. While the cost of setting up a website is negligible, there are associated benefits to going online for almost all businesses. These include everything from selling products online to creating a better relationship with customers and collecting vital marketing data.

The best small business websites will be showcased at this year’s UAE Web Awards, which is sponsored by, among others, Microsoft. Now in its fourth year, the awards – registration for which closes on Friday – is an admirable attempt at what spokesperson Lynne Lawigalw says “serves as an inspiration and, at the same time, reward to online innovators”.

The awards are split into 34 categories – including everything from advertising to sport – and the winners (to be announced on November 29 at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel), are automatically entered into the Pan-Arab Web Awards. The latter receives about 500 entries a year from 10 Arab countries; the organisers are working to expand its reach to accept entries from Iraq and Morocco.

There is no dedicated category for small businesses. While it is tempting to call for such a thing, perhaps bundling the small businesses in with the big local and international players like Algebra Capital, Pepsi Arabia and du (all of which won awards last year) is fitting. 

Just as the internet itself provides a level ground for the smallest business to compete with the largest conglomerate, so the Web Awards allow competition purely on merit, rather than size. For the web is a great equaliser – and there’s everything to play for.