عوامل تعیین کننده انتشار کسب و کار الکترونیکی: آزمون انتشار چشم انداز فن آوری

Based on the technology diffusion theory and the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, this study develops a research model to study the determinants of e-business diffusion. The research model examines the influence of technological context (IS infrastructure and IS expertise), organizational context (organizational compatibility and expected benefits of e-business) and environmental context (competitive pressure and trading partner readiness) on e-business diffusion. E-business diffusion is characterized by two dimensions: internal integration and external diffusion. Data gathered from 163 IS executives in large Taiwanese firms were employed to test the relationships between the research model constructs using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Among the TOE factors, the results reveal that IS infrastructure, IS expertise, expected benefits of e-business, and competitive pressure are important factors shaping e-business diffusion. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Electronic business (e-business), or the use of Internet-based technologies to conduct business, is recognized as an important area for information technology (IT) innovation and investment (Sauer, 2000). Firms are increasingly attempting to incorporate e-business into their existing information systems (IS) applications and business processes, and build Internet-based technologies for transacting business with trading partners (Kowtha and Choon, 2001; Moodley, 2003; Yang et al., 2005; Teo et al., 2006). Developing e-business capability is an important undertaking because it is not only rapidly chaining the way that companies buy, sell, and deal with customers, but also becoming a more integral part of its business strategies (Abu-Musa, 2004). E-business diffusion becomes a significant research topic because it enables the firm to execute electronic transactions along value chain activities (including sales, customer services, procurement, information sharing and coordination with trading partners) (Straub and Waston, 2001; Zhu and Kraemer, 2002). E-business is different from previous traditional technological innovation, such as management IS and electronic data interchange (EDI), which were used to improve the efficiency of IS functions and supports batch exchange of structured procurement documents (Moore and Benbasat, 1991; Iacovou et al., 1995). In contrast, e-business represents a new way to integrate Internet-based technologies with core business potentially affecting the whole business (Zhu, 2004). Hence, successful e-business diffusion is considered as one of the most significant IT innovation in contemporary organizations. On the other hand, drawing upon the technology diffusion perspective and the context of Web technologies, most studies focused on Web technologies have differentiated internal integration and external diffusion, concentrating on the permeation of the diffusion process in extended firm value chain (Rogers, 1995; Gonsalves et al., 1999; Ranganathan et al., 2004; Zhu and Kraemer, 2005). Since this study is primarily concerned with e-business diffusion, it is an Internet-based IS used by a firm to integrate internal business activities, processes, and IS and conducting business transactions with trading partners. Hence, to conform to the practice in academic research, this study uses the terms “internal integration” and “external diffusion” to represent the e-business diffusion. Early research on e-business emphasized how companies derived competitive advantage, and primarily focused on case studies of a small sample of organizations (Martinsons, 2002; Ihlstrom and Nilsson, 2003). Some IS studies have examined the influences on Internet-based IS acceptance, adoption and use primarily based on research on technology acceptance model (Carayannis and Turner, 2006; Cheng et al., 2006) and innovation adoption theory (Kendall et al., 2001; Oh et al., 2003; Russell and Hoag, 2004). These studies indicated that perceived innovation characteristics (perceived usefulness, ease of use, and compatibility) may influence decisions regarding Internet-based IS acceptance, adoption and use. There have been some empirical studies (Zhu et al., 2003; Xu et al., 2004; Zhu and Kraemer, 2005; Bayo-Moriones and Lera-Lopez, 2007) that have examined the factors influencing e-business adoption and value creation, primarily based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework. They have primarily assessed technology adoption and performance, yet have not examined technology diffusion processes. To the best of our knowledge, very limited empirical research has been performed to evaluate the technological, organizational, and environmental contexts that influence the use of e-business within and outside the firm. This study fills this gap; the objectives of this study are as follows: (1)To identify a comprehensive set of determinants of e-business diffusion based on the TOE framework. (2) To examine the influence of technological, organizational, and environmental contexts on e-business diffusion in terms of both internal integration and external diffusion. (3) To provide valuable guidelines to policy-makers and practitioners in implementing e-business and accelerating e-business development.

As contemporary organizations increasingly attempt to improve their performance in value chain activities by using the Internet-based technologies, it becomes a significant undertaking for firms to diffuse e-business innovation to share information, facilitate transactions, improve customer service and strengthen coordination with trading partners. Hence, it is important to understand the determinants of e-business diffusion. Using e-business as an example of more general technological innovations, this study develops a research model to examine the influence of six contextual factors on two dimensions of e-business diffusion (in terms of internal integration and external diffusion). The results and findings not only help top management and IS executives to facilitate e-business deployment, but also provide theoretical foundations for future research. The major contributions of this study are: (1) Through instrument development and hypotheses testing, the results showed that technological resources (e.g., physical IS infrastructure and intangible e-business know-how), expected benefits of e-business, and competitive pressure were three key determinants of both dimensions of e-business diffusion–internal integration and external diffusion. Trading partner readiness was other key determinants of the extent of external diffusion of e-business. These results reinforce some of the past findings of technology diffusion, IS implementation, and partner relationship literatures. Therefore, to ensure effective e-business diffusion, top management and IS executives need to ensure not only that appropriate technology is considered and adopted, but also that the firm continuously adapt itself to the internal learning requirements and new environmental changes. (2) Focusing on internal integration and external diffusion of e-business, this study is more different than the literature that examined IT diffusion with an adoption versus non-adoption focus (Fichman, 2000). This study emphasizes that it is imperative for firms to pay as much attention to the integration of e-business in internal organizational activities and IS applications as to the interorganizational diffusion of Internet with their trading partners. Seeking to further our understanding on the e-business diffusion, this study proposes a more comprehensive model that features TOE factors as determinants regard to e-business integration and diffusion. The research model can be used as a theoretical framework for studying other types of technological innovations.