Electronic Commerce Technologies Adoption by SMEs: A Conceptual Study

The use of Electronic Commerce (EC) technologies enables Small-to-Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to improve their efficiency and competitive position. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive framework that gives a multi-faceted account for the phenomenon of EC technologies adoption by SMEs. This paper therefore develops a theoretical framework of EC technologies adoption which is composed of four dimensions: perceived organisational readiness (micro level), perceived industry readiness (meso level), perceived national readiness (macro level) and the perceived environmental pressure. The proposed framework is then used to develop a more specific research model to guide future study in exploring EC technologies adoption by SMEs. The proposed framework and research model will be empirically validated by administering a survey questionnaire among SMEs in a number of developing countries.

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