Khong Sin Tan

Internet‐based ICT adoption: evidence from Malaysian SMEs

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the innovative characteristics, benefits, and barriers influencing internet‐based information and communications technology (ICT) adoption among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs)., – A questionnaire‐based survey was used to collect data from 406 managers or owners of SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia., – The results suggest that internet‐based ICT adoption provides a low cost yet effective communication tool for customers. However, security continues to be a major barrier. Finding on cost as a barrier is mixed. The inferential statistics reveal that relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and security are significant factors influencing internet‐based ICT adoption., – The study focuses only on the SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia., – The findings offer valuable insights to policy makers in general and to the SMEs in particular on the significance of the measured characteristics and the associated benefits and barriers of internet‐based ICT adoption., – The study is perhaps one of the first to comprehensively address internet‐based ICT adoption among the SMEs through the use of a wide range of variables.

Internet‐based ICT adoption among SMEs: Demographic versus benefits, barriers, and adoption intention

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the demographic characteristics of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with regards to their patterns of internet‐based information and communications technology (ICT) adoption, taking into account the dimensions of ICT benefits, barriers, and subsequently adoption intention.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire‐based survey is used to collect data from 406 managers or owners of SMEs in Malaysia.Findings – The results reveal that the SMEs would adopt internet‐based ICT regardless of years of business start‐up and internet experience. Some significant differences are spotted between manufacturing and service SMEs in terms of their demographic characteristics and internet‐based ICT benefits, barriers, and adoption intention. Both the industry types express intention to adopt internet‐based ICT, with the service‐based SMEs demonstrating greater intention.Research limitations/implications – The paper focuses only on the SMEs in the southern region ...

An evaluation of e-banking and m-banking adoption factors and preference in Malaysia: a case study

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing adoption of electronic banking (e banking) and mobile banking (m-banking) and to identify customer preferences in choosing either e-banking or m-banking when conducting transactions. The findings from 184 customers indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, convenience, computer efficacy, device features and security influence the adoption of e-banking. Similar findings are obtained for m-banking adoption, except for mobile phone efficacy and device features. The majority of respondents prefer e-banking to m-banking. The results provide banks with prioritisation of determinants for developing appropriate strategies to encourage the adoption of e-banking and m-banking.

Intention to use internet marketing: A comparative study between Malaysians and South Koreans

Purpose – This is a pilot study that aims to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use internet marketing among Malaysians and South Koreans, the two fast developing Asian countries with good internet infrastructure. Many businesses in these countries have leveraged on the rapid growth of World Wide Web by investing in internet marketing due to the anticipation that its acceptance and usage rates are on the increasing trend. However, the extent of intent to use internet marketing remains a question of interest. Design/methodology/approach – This research adopts unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as the underpinning theory to assess the intention to use internet marketing. Data were collected using convenience sampling method from 150 Malaysians and 150 South Koreans through the use of self-reporting questionnaires. The questionnaire was prepared in two languages, English and Hangul to obtain accurate responses. Findings – The findings suggest that different factors affect in...

Factors influencing internet-based information and communication technologies adoption among Malaysian small and medium enterprises

This paper aims to determine the factors influencing the adoption of internet-based Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Based on the extended Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) model, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out to collect data from 406 managers or owners of SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia. Inferential analyses reveal that relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability and security are significant factors influencing internet-based ICT adoption. The findings are discussed and interpreted to provide important implications to the policy makers in general and to the SMEs in particular.

The Applicability of Information Technology Governance in The Malaysian SMEs

IT governance is a relatively new concept in Malaysia. There are limited studies available related to IT governance in Malaysia. Thus, this paper surveys 50 Malaysian SMEs in the state of Melaka in regard to their understanding of IT governance. Results indicate that IT governance is new to them. Findings also show that IT governance performance is related to ownership of decision making and various formal governance mechanisms. Although they know the benefits of IT governance, majority of them do not implement IT governance. The findings are discussed and interpreted to provide implications to companies and Malaysian government.

Effects of Industry Type on ICT Adoption among Malaysian SMEs

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been widely regarded as an enabler to boost the competitive level of SMEs in the business arena. Notwithstanding the many efforts undertaken by governments to promote ICT adoption among SMEs across different types of industries, many of them failed to reap this benefit evenly. This problem is prevalent among the SMEs in the Asia Pacific region and Malaysia is no exception. This paper therefore investigates industry types as a moderating factor that may exert significant effects on the adoption of ICT among SMEs in Malaysia. Based on the extended Diffusion of Technology Innovation model, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted on 406 managers/owners of SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia. The findings suggest that different type of SMEs do affect the strength relationship between some predictor variables and ICT adoption intention. The findings are discussed and interpreted to provide key implications to the policy makers in general and the SMEs in particular.

Effect of Innovation to the Success of Female Entrepreneurs

This ongoing study investigates the characteristics of innovation and its influence as a success factor for female entrepreneurs in Malaysia. It starts by presenting an extensive review of literatures in the area of entrepreneurship, particularly focusing on women entrepreneurs. Purposive sampling, namely snowball sampling method is used to collect data from small and medium enterprises owned by female entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The study examines the associations among Innovation Conviction (ICN), Innovation Mindset (IMT), Innovation Creed (ICD) and the Need for Achievement (NFA). Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out to the gathered data and presented in this paper. Findings indicate that ICN, ICT and IMT are positively correlated with the Need for Achievement among female entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

Active Participation in Online Communities among Varsity Students

This study analyzes the crucial factors affecting university students’ participation in online communities. The study examines the effect of the desire to: (i) connect with each other, (ii) earn money, and (iii) share files, as possible leads in university student’s participation in online community. Statistical analyses were carried out on responses to questionnaires to determine the significant contributor. Data were collected through online and offline means. Five hundred samples were selected upon filtration for data analysis. Results reveal connecting with each other as the most important factor. To facilitate the adoption of university students to online Communities, several factors that community managers can focus on: (a) notifier midget embedded in internet messaging system, (b) points given for participating in online forums, (c) flexibility in the online design and (d) ease of online registration.