E-Commerce Capability: An Assessment of the Facilitators by Chinese Firms

Abstract

Drawing upon IT (Information Technology) diffusion theory, this study developed a research model for studying e-commerce capability at firm level, incorporating 6 factors. The model examined the influence of the six factors and two control variables on e-commerce capability measured as aggregation of function-based business processes implemented electronically in value chain from a business process perspective. Data gathered from 236 traditional brick-and-mortar firms in China were employed to validate the model using statistical analysis approach. Hypotheses were designed and tested, and facilitators and their contributions to e-commerce capability were identified. The results suggested that four factors and two control variables tended to be the facilitators shaping e-commerce capability, while production size did not appear to influence e-commerce capability significantly. The results and findings help to facilitate e-commerce deployment, and provide theoretical foundations for future research.