But other experts say such generalizations ignore the advances that some countries within the region have already made. In Mexico, which started working on the problem in 1997, a commission named by President Ernesto Zedillo last June drew up a national Y2K program that has won special recognition from the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The United Nations also named Mexico one of eight countries to organize regional responses to the techno-challenge. Mexico's program has especially put fire under the feet of public agencies and services, while the country's private companies have been slower on the uptake. A commission survey of private companies last year found that while most businesses were aware of the issue, few were doing anything about it.
Unhappy clients mean lost business.