پذیرش تجارت الکترونیک: یک مطالعه تجربی از کسب و کارهای کوچک و متوسط ​​آمریکا

By combining two independent research streams, we examined the determinant factors of strategic value and adoption of electronic commerce as perceived by top managers in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in the midwest region of the US. We proposed a research model that suggested three factors that have been found to be influential in previous research in the perception of strategic value of other information technologies: operational support, managerial productivity, and strategic decision aids. Inspired by the technology acceptance model and other relevant research in the area, we also identified four factors that influence electronic commerce adoption: organizational readiness, external pressure, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness. We hypothesized a causal link between the perceived strategic value of electronic commerce and electronic commerce adoption. To validate the research model, we collected data from top managers/owners of SME by using an Internet survey.

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has been defined in several ways depending on the context and research objective of the author. For this study, we have taken two definitions of e-commerce [44] and [58] and adapted them in a B2C context: “the process of buying and selling products or services using electronic data transmission via the Internet and the www.” E-commerce provides many benefits to both sellers and buyers; e.g. Napier et al. [43] pointed out that by implementing and using e-commerce sellers can access narrow markets segments that are widely distributed while buyers can benefit by accessing global markets with larger product availability from a variety of sellers at reduced costs. Improvement in product quality and the creation of new methods of selling existing products are also benefits [13]. The benefits of e-commerce are not only for large firms; small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can also benefit from e-commerce [52]. In addition, it can “level the playing field” with big business, provide location and time independence, and ease communication [16], [29], [38] and [50]. However, in spite of the many potential advantages of e-commerce, its adoption by SMEs remains limited. For example, a survey conducted by Verizon [20] found that 36% of small businesses established web sites primarily to advertise and promote their business, compared to 9% who established one to sell or market online. Similarly, in a survey of 444 SMEs during 2002, Pratt [47] found that many SMEs were reluctant to conduct transactions on line; more than 80% were only using the Internet to communicate (via e-mail) and gather business information. Does this mean that top managers/owners of SMEs do not realize the strategic value e-commerce to their business or does this mean that they encounter significant barriers to implementing it? Here, we focused our attention on this “understudied” segment of business organizations [19] where research findings on large businesses cannot be generalized; e.g. Welsh and White [66] identified important differences in the financial management of small and large businesses while Ballantine et al. [5] identified unique characteristics of SMEs as lack of business and IT strategy, limited access to capital resources, greater emphasis on using IT and IS to automate rather than informate, influence of major customers, and limited information skills. Similar assertions and findings are given in other papers [14], [18], [32], [40], [46] and [51].

Throughout this study we attempted to build a model that explains how perceived strategic value of e-commerce influences managers’ attitudes toward e-commerce adoption. By studying two different streams of research, we have proposed and validated a predictive model that suggest three factors as determinants of the perceived strategic value of e-commerce and five determinant factors for e-commerce adoption in SMEs. The canonical results reveal a significant relationship between the perceived strategic value of e-commerce variables and the factors that influence e-commerce adoption in SMEs. This means that those top managers who perceived e-commerce as adding strategic value to the firm have a positive attitude toward its adoption. From the canonical analysis, we conclude that the three factors proposed as determinants of perceived strategic value of e-commerce have significant impact on managers’ attitudes toward e-commerce adoption with organizational support and managerial productivity as the most influential. Overall, we expect that the results will help managers’ understanding of the relationship between the perceptions of strategic value of e-commerce and its future adoption.