E-commerce practices in the Arabian Gulf GCC business culture: utilisation and outcomes patterns

Abstract

With the growth of e-commerce related activities and practices in recent years, the role of culture in promoting such growth has been brought to question. Cultures that tend to foster e-commerce practices have been labelled as e-cultures. In contrast, cultures that hinder e-commerce growth have been labelled as traditional cultures. Most of our knowledge related to e-commerce applications and frameworks for implementation is based on studies from e-cultures. The study, at hand, examines e-commerce activities and practices in the traditional Arab culture. The results obtained from this study tended to be similar to the results obtained from the US e-culture. Thus, the growth of, or lack of, e-commerce may not be explained solely based on cultural factors. Perhaps, other factors such as informational infrastructure may be more relevant in explaining the acceptability and growth of e-commerce than the cultural context. Research examining the impact of these factors on e-commerce growth is needed towards establishing frameworks for the implementation of e-commerce and guidelines for managers in a global context.