Social Influences' Effects on Malaysia's SMEs' Public Electronic Procurement Usage

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the acceptance of public electronic procurement (PEP) in the post introduction phase. The PEP introduced in the year 2000 and served to link up stakeholder of public procurement from various government agencies with Malaysia's private company. The research set out to examine factors including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, social influences, and hesitation with direct relationship of perception in using public e-procurement. Unified technology acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) variables were used. This study tends to have a direct relationship from the four factors in using PEP as modified original UTAUT set-up. To advance contribution in theory and future research, this study trying to refine the original UTAUT model from behavioural intention to actual usage of information system (IS) into a direct measure of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) perception in using PEP. This study formalised an alternative theoretical model for explaining UTAUT framework using Smartpls 3. Hence, the studies of technology acceptance are a major stream of research in the information system. This paper found that social influences together with performance expectancy and effort expectancy are influencing usage of PEP among Malaysian's SMEs. The findings suggest that social influences play the highest influences in the Malaysia's SMEs perception in using PEP.