Robert MacGregor

A basic model of electronic commerce adoption barriers: A study of regional small businesses in Sweden and Australia

Purpose – To develop a basic model of e‐commerce adoption barriers to small businesses located in regional areas of developed countries.Design/methodology/approach – An empirical survey of 477 small businesses in Sweden and Australia about e‐commerce adoption and implementation. The data was analysed using correlation matrices and factor analysis to derive a model of e‐commerce barriers.Findings – E‐commerce adoption barriers to small businesses in regional areas in both Sweden and Australia can be grouped according to two distinct factors: e‐commerce is either “too difficult” or “unsuitable” for the business. The model derived is based on these factors.Research limitations/implications – Limitations – inability to derive industry specific conclusions; standard limitations associated with mailed survey instruments; further qualitative research is necessary. Research implications – “first of its kind” model of e‐commerce adoption barriers to small businesses located in regional areas; consolidated understa...

Electronic Commerce Adoption Barriers in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Developed and Developing Countries: A Cross-Country Comparison

Today, electronic commerce (e-commerce) has been utilised as a rapid vehicle to transform the world into an information society. In the business environment, e-commerce has made considerable inroads not only into large organisations but also the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, SMEs are not adopting e-commerce with same speed as their larger counterparts. This slow growth has been attributed to various adoption barriers, which have been well documented in numerous research studies. While several recent studies have begun examining the relationship between the perceptions of adoption barriers in developed economies, the relationship between the perceptions of these barriers has not been fully examined in developing economies. This paper examines the correlation and underlying factors of barriers to e-commerce (as perceived by SME owner/managers) in a developing economy (Indonesia). It then compares these with SME owner/manager perceptions from a developed economy (Sweden). The study showed that there are differences in the groupings and priorities of barriers to e-commerce between the two locations. Most importantly, however, was the finding that while Swedish respondents were more concerned with technical issues, the Indonesian respondents were more concerned with organisational barriers.

Factors associated with formal networking in regional small business: some findings from a study of Swedish SMEs

A number of recent studies have suggested that, for small businesses to compete with their larger counterparts in the electronic commerce environment, many are collaborating in a network arrangement. This study examines whether factors such as business size, business age, business sector or market focus are associated with decisions to collaborate in a network or remain outside such arrangements. The study showed that small businesses, with fewer than ten employees, were more likely to be part of a formal network of small businesses. The results also showed that the age of the business, the number of suppliers, the existence of a marketing strategy and the educational level of the CEO were significantly associated with decisions to become part of a formal networking arrangement.

Perception of Barriers to E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs in a Developed and Developing Country: A Comparison Between Australia and Indonesia

Despite the proven potential of e-commerce in the small business sector, studies have shown that larger businesses have reaped the benefits, with SME adoption remaining relatively low by comparison. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption in SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. These barriers have been well documented in numerous research studies. While these studies have gone some ways to determine the nature and role of barriers to e-commerce adoption, there is a suggestion that as most have been conducted in developed economies, their value for developing economies remains in question. This article compares the perception of barriers to e-commerce adoption in a developed and a developing economy. Two hundred forty-seven non-adopters in Australia are compared to 96 non-adopters in Indonesia. The data shows that the perception of importance of barriers to e-commerce adoption differs across the two locations.

The Role of Strategic Alliances in the Ongoing Use of Electronic Commerce Technology in Regional Small Business

A number of recent studies have suggested that for small businesses to maximise the benefits and minimise difficulties when adopting electronic commerce, they should be involved in some form of strategic alliance (network) with other small firms. This study compares the benefits gained and the difficulties encountered by SMEs that were part of a strategic alliance and those that were not. The results show that while difficulties are minimised by involvement in a strategic alliance, there are no significant differences in the benefits gained.

The Effects of Strategic Alliance Membership on the Disadvantages of Electronic Commerce Adoption: A Comparative Study of Swedish and Australian Regional Small Businesses

Despite the proclaimed advantages of small business strategic alliances, little research has been carried out to determine whether these structures “cushion†the disadvantages arising from e-commerce adoption for member businesses. There has also been a lack of research into comparing e-commerce use in those small businesses that are members of a strategic alliance to those that have opted to remain outside such arrangements. This article aims to correct the situation by presenting the findings of a study of 177 regional small businesses in Sweden and Australia that investigated the impact of strategic alliance membership on disadvantages associated with e-commerce adoption. The results of the study indicate that e-commerce disadvantages are often dissipated through a strategic-alliance structure more easily than through a single self-directed unit. However, the cushioning effects of a strategic alliance membership are not uniform and they differ depending on organisational factors such as the size of the business, the market focus, and the business sector.

Barriers to e-Commerce adoption in SMEs: a comparison of the perception of barriers in a developed and a developing country

Despite the proven potential of e-commerce in the small business sector, studies have shown that larger businesses have reaped the benefits, with SME adoption remaining relatively low by comparison. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption in SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. These barriers have been well documented in numerous research studies. While these studies have gone some ways to determine the nature and role of barriers to e-commerce adoption, there is a suggestion that as most have been conducted in developed economies, their value for developing economies remains in question. This article compares the perception of barriers to e-commerce adoption in a developed and a developing economy. Two hundred forty-seven non-adopters in Australia are compared to 96 non-adopters in Indonesia. The data shows that the perception of importance of barriers to e-commerce adoption differs across the two locations.

E-learning barriers in the United Arab Emirates: preliminary results from an empirical investigation

E-learning is relatively new to the United Arab Emirates. Most tertiary institutions have allocated ICT resources to provide alternatives to the previously used teacher-centred “chalk and talk” approach to learning and teaching. However we have not yet developed a comprehensive understanding of the application of e-learning methods and resources in the tertiary education sector in the UAE. This paper describes a collaborative research project which empirically investigated the perceived barriers to e-learning for students studying at tertiary institutions in the UAE using an online questionnaire. The paper analyses the associations between e-learning barriers and students’ age and gender. The ease of use, usefulness and satisfaction with e-learning are also examined in relation to e-learning barriers. The preliminary research findings presented here will inform faculty who are integrating technology in their teaching and the tertiary institutions encouraging the use of e-learning as an integral part of the learning environment.

Small business clusters and their role in prioritising barriers to e-commerce adoption: a study of two approaches to cluster development

In the last decade there has been renewed interest in the role of clusters as tools for boosting regional competitiveness. This has been especially evident with the advent of e-commerce and initiatives by governments throughout the world encouraging the adoption and use of the technology. This paper investigates two approaches to cluster development and e-commerce adoption and their effect on the level of importance placed on barriers to e-commerce adoption by regional small businesses. The results show that not only does membership/non-membership of a cluster affect the perceived importance of barriers to e-commerce, but that the cluster approach itself also affects the priorities placed on e-commerce adoption barriers.

A Profile of Australian Regional SME Non-Adopters of E-commerce

Abstract The sluggish pace of e-commerce adoption by regional SMEs in Australia is well documented and has been attributed to various barriers faced by the SME. The association between these barriers and business profile factors is not so well understood. This paper presents a study of 247 non-adopting regional SMEs. The study shows that it is the organisational barriers, rather than the technical barriers, that appear to be uppermost in the minds of owner/managers where e-commerce adoption is concerned. The data also shows that the gender of the owner/manager, together with the market focus of the business, are associated with the rating of importance of barriers to e-commerce adoption.