E-business Usage Research Articles

Determinants of e-business usage by travel agencies in developing countries: a decision tree approach

This study sought to investigate the determinants of post-adoption e-business usage (EBU) by Egyptian travel agencies. The study adopted an integrative model blending two theoretical perspectives; the diffusion of innovation theory and the technology-organisation-environment framework. Besides, the study used the decision tree (DT) method for data analysis and structured questionnaires to collect data from 320 agencies. The results revealed that only 37.4% of travel agencies are using e-business. Relative advantage was the most influential variable on EBU. Organisation size was the least influential variable. When interacting together, the most influential sets of variables on EBU were relative advantage, technological competence, and costs. The study provided important theoretical, managerial, and policy implications for researchers, managers, and decision-makers.

DIGITAL INCLUSION FOR ENTERPRISES, JOBS AND VULNERABLE PERSONS

“Digital transformation of micro-enterprises in Ghana” reports on a study undertaken by Karanasios, Senyo and Effah, associate professors who sought to better understand how resource-poor micro-enterprises in developing countries adapted to COVID-19. They examined how micro-enterprises in Ghana were able to leverage and combine a range of low-cost or free digital technology – such as WhatsApp, Instagram and mobile money – to reimagine their business while managing their resource constraints. They interviewed 47 participants across 34 micro-enterprises, government agencies and technology firms. They also drew upon key reports and data from national and international bodies. Also, the study was driven by the need to improve e-business usage and digital financial inclusion of the MSMEs of the COMESA region. The study aimed to develop and test a framework that augmented digital financial inclusion through e-business usage among MSMEs. The specific objectives were to examine the dynamic trend of e-business adoption among MSMEs of the region, to analyze the factors affecting their adoption of e-business, and to examine the impact of e-business adoption on digital financial inclusion among them. This century is characterized by great innovations in technology. However, not everybody is connected. Gaps persist between individuals when accessing and using various digital technologies. Vulnerable people are more affected. The study aimed at discovering also factors that influence digital inclusion for the vulnerable people in the economies some countries in Africa.

Determinants of e-business usage by travel agencies in developing countries: a decision tree approach

Determinants of e-business usage by travel agencies in developing countries: a decision tree approach

Are digital business and digital public services a driver for better energy security? Evidence from a European sample.

This paper empirically analyses the impacts of the digital transformation process in the business and public sectors on energy security (ES). We employ 8 indicators to represent four aspects of energy security, including availability, acceptability, develop-ability, and sustainability. Digital businesses development is captured by e-Commerce (including e-Commerce sales, e-Commerce turnover, e-Commerce web sales) and e-Business (including customer relation management (CRM) usage and cloud usage). Digital public services development is reflected by business mobility and key enablers. Different econometric techniques are utilized in a database of 24 European Union countries from 2011 to 2019. Our estimation results demonstrate that digital businesses play a critical role in improving the acceptability and develop-ability of energy security, while digitalization in public services supports achieving energy sustainability goals. The use of modern digital technology such as big data, cloud computing is extremely important to ensure the security of the energy system, especially the availability of energy. For further discussion on the role of digital public services, we reveal a nonlinear association between digitalization in the public sector and energy intensity and energy consumption, suggesting the acceptability and develop-ability of energy security can be enhanced if the digital transformation process achieves a certain level.

The Effects of Social Commerce Utilization on Business Performance

Social commerce is one of the most relevant technological innovations in recent years. It has strongly benefited many industries, including tourism. While many studies on social commerce have been conducted from the user perspective, less attention has been paid to the organisational perspective, particularly that of hotel organisations. To help understand the key drivers of hotel social commerce usage and their effects on hotel business performance, this study augments the integrated model of e-business usage and impact with hotel social media characteristics. Using stratified random sampling, data from 146 hotels in Lebanon were collected and analysed with the PLS-SEM approach. The model represents a theoretical advancement by offering an organisational perspective to the social commerce literature. It shows there is a significant impact of environmental, organisational, and innovation drivers and social media characteristics. The findings help hotels assess their existing social commerce utilization and identify aspects in need of more attention and improvement.

Determinants of e-business usage in Malaysian service industry

This study examined factors determining e-business usage and its influence on business performance in the Malaysian service industry. It focuses on technological, organisational, and environmental (TOE) model to see how different characteristics of this model would predict e-business usage. Questionnaire survey method was used in collecting primary data, where samples were selected using stratified random sampling to yield 165 verified responses. In assessing drivers of e-business usage, technology competence, web functionalities, firm size, and pressure intensity were found to have significant influence on the extent of e-business usage. Among these, web functionalities appeared to be the strongest factor and had a significant positive path. It showed that higher web functionalities led to higher e-business usage. Other variables which had significant positive relationship to e-business usage include technology competence and firm size. Internationalisation scope, web technology investment costs, managerial beliefs, and regulatory support was also found to have positive relationship to e-business usage, however these relationships are not significant. Meanwhile, pressure intensity was found to have significant negative relationship to e-business usage.

Determinants of e-business usage in Malaysian service industry

Determinants of e-business usage in Malaysian service industry

INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF E-BUSINESS USAGE TOWARDS PERFORMANCE OF SERVICE-BASED BUSINESSES IN MALAYSIA

Ponte Academic JournalOct 2017, Volume 73, Issue 10 INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF E-BUSINESS USAGE TOWARDS PERFORMANCE OF SERVICE-BASED BUSINESSES IN MALAYSIAAuthor(s): Intan Salwani Mohamed ,Govindan MarthandanJ. Ponte - Oct 2017 - Volume 73 - Issue 10 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2017.10.26 Abstract:The current study sought empirical evidence on the effect of E-business usage towards business performance in the Malaysian service industry. Applying the concept of the balanced scorecard, the current study examined the impact of E-business usage towards business performance based on four perspectives of impact on financial, impact on customers, impact on internal process, and impact on learning and growth.The current study also takes into consideration the influence of a moderating variable (E-business experience) to further understand how E-business value creations varied depending on the amount of time spent by companies to engage in E-business. The study focused on online tourism, financial and transportation service sectors in seeking evidences of E-business practices and its implications on the service industry. Results suggested that E-business usage and business performance were closely linked. Research findings had also demonstrated that experience in E-business plays a significant role as a moderator in the usage-performance relationship. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

E-Business Usage in Tourism Industry: Drivers and Consequences

In seeking empirical evidence of E-business practices and its business implications, this study introduced and tested an interactive, comprehensive and multi-dimensional theoretical model in developing country settings. The model assessed the drivers of E-business usage by looking at technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) factors and established a relationship between E-business usage and business performance by measuring business performance based on the three dimensions; impact on financial, impact on customers, and impact on internal business process. Samples were selected using stratified random sampling which yielded 160 valid questionnaires and the structural equation modelling method was used to evaluate the model. In assessing the drivers of E-business usage, technology competence, web functionalities, firm size, and pressure intensity were found to have significant influence on the extent of E-business usage. Also, E-business usage was found to have significant influence on business performance with positive relationship.

E-Business in Construction Industry: Opportunities and Challenges

Background/Objectives: Construction industries are today in faster mode with the advent of ICT and other technologies to enhance productivity and competition. The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the benefits, opportunities and challenges of Information and communication Technology (ICT) and E-Business in Indian construction industry. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This paper focuses on the theoretical framework from previous literatures, magazines, reports and books. The literatures are studied in detail to gain imminent knowledge on E-Business practices in construction industries. Findings: New technology using ICT and E-Business brings changes in construction industries. ICT applications improve work flow and communication in diverse levels of organization. ICT and E-Business are important to both large and small enterprises facilitating integration and collaboration with business partners, suppliers and customers and also to make electronic transactions. It provides service to customers, helps in delivering and receiving purchases and orders at a great speed, decreases the inventory time, cost and reduce obsolescence. In current scenario, Indian construction companies are started adopting speedy communication tools to get efficient work done. System maintenance, security and lack of software knowledge are the few challenges in E-Business usage in construction industry. Application/Improvement: Collaborative and complete coordination is required for the success of E-Business in construction industry.

Adoption of E-Business by Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya: Barriers and Facilitators

The study looks into the internet-based electronic business adoption profile of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as the factors affecting their willingness to adopt ebusiness usage. The study adopted a literature review methodology where a wide spectrum of literature was interrogated. This methodology has its limitation in that there is need to empirically validate the findings through studies in different geographical regions and economic sectors. It is noted that e-business adoption is significantly influenced by its perceived benefits. The benefits are majorly financial. However, based on the literature reviewed, the main barriers to e-business adoption appear to be the unwillingness of managers to be responsible for technological change. Ignorance surrounding the technology is fuelling concerns about security, costs, legislation and interoperability. This paper is presented in the following order: introduction, problem statement, literature review, theoretical framework, methodology, findings, conclusion and recommendations.

The Process of Trust Formation in E-Business: Insights from Case Studies of Two Small Firms

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate and theoretically explain the process of trust formation in high risk e-business.Methodology/approach: The interpretive case-based approach has been used in this study. Inductive analysis of interview data helped to develop the process model of trust formation in the context of business-to-business e-market transactions by two small firms.Research implications: This research explains how and why trial outcomes influence trust formation. The findings also indicate the importance of the trialing process as a legitimate means of determining trustworthiness of the other party and the e-business platform. These findings add to the existing body of knowledge on trust in e-business and have important implications for further research.Practical implications: The practical implication is that if sponsors of business-to-business e-markets can support initial trials, it would foster trust and lead to more active usage of e-business methods.Originality/value/contribution: This research shows that trust formation in high risk e-business is a dynamic process, influenced by changes in risk perceptions from repeated trial outcomes in initial stages, a departure from prior variance studies with assumptions of static perceptions of risk and trust.

The Extent of E-Business Usage and Perceived Cumulative Benefits: A Survey on Small and Me-dium-Sized Enterprises

Internet-based application (e-business) is well-recognized as a useful mean to extend business efficiency. Owing to the idiosyncratic nature of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), considerable works have been initiated to explain why firms within this sector embrace e-business. Despite extensive research to identify factors that explain the firm’s e-business practice, works are still limited to examining as to what extent the e-business assimilates into business operation. Furthermore, firms would experience varying degrees of benefits by deploying e-business. Therefore, this paper reports intensity of ebusiness usage across various business processes and its relationship with cumulative benefits. A survey of 140 SMEs has revealed the diversity of e-business usage across business processes. A cluster analysis has further proposed three distinct profiles of firms based on the intensity of their e-business usage. Finally, the empirical evidence obtained has also ascertained positive association between the intensity of e-business usage and cumulative e-business benefits. Despite limitations highlighted, this paper provides evidence on the current state of e-business usage across firm operation and its likely impact to the firm operation.

Institutional effects in the adoption of e-business-technology: Evidence from the German automotive supplier industry

This article analyzes the adoption of B2B-e-business technology in German automotive supplier companies during the internet hype period, i.e. in the very early stage of technology diffusion. While from the outset e-business was assumed to be used by companies in order to increase efficiency and reduce costs, some previous IOS research and theoretical considerations suggest that both efficiency and environmental expectations can be important reasons for companies to implement e-business. On this backdrop, the paper analyzes the reasons for e-business technology adoption, focusing on the explanatory value of institutional factors like mimesis, coercion, and normative pressures. Theoretically based hypotheses are developed and tested using regression models with a quantitative data set of more than 1900 companies.The article tries to make an innovative contribution to the field of IOS research, first, by drawing on theories of organizational structuring — new institutionalism, social psychology, and transaction cost economics; second, variation of adoption rationales in different types of companies and different business functions inside a company is taken into account.It appears that the adoption of e-business is explained by external pressures from other customers, bandwagon effects and herding behavior during the e-business hype, and expectations and interests of professionals inside a company. In the ‘core’ areas of a firm, efficiency rationales play an important role, too. The data reveals that the reasons of e-business usage differ significantly by department and company type.

Routinisation of B2B E-commerce by small firms: A process perspective

Prior research on e-business based on the TOE framework and the factor based variance approach have yielded mixed results in that differences exist in terms of the identified technology, organisation and environmental factors and their influence at different steps of the routinisation trajectory. In this research we probe deeper into the routinisation phenomenon and investigate the process in a bid to understand `when' and `why' certain TOE factors become crucial determinants at different stages of the routinisation process. The context of our study is integration of B2B e-markets by four small firms. Our findings from interpretive case studies indicate that changes in organisational characteristic (such as IT infrastructure), environmental characteristics (such as e-business usage in the industry), and perceptions of e-business (risk and benefit) over time influenced movement along the routinisation trajectory. There is evidence that in high risk e-business, the ability to conduct trials with controlled risk is a crucial determinant of progression from initial to continued usage. Also, contrary to the independent effects of the organisation, environment and technology characteristics assumed in prior research, we found that it is the interaction effect of the three factors that determined initial attitude, initial usage and continued usage. Based on our findings we develop a process model of e-business routinisation and discuss the theoretical and practical implications.

E-Business usage across and within firms in the UK: profitability, externalities and policy

Using data from the third UK Community Innovation Survey we model the usage of e-business across and within firms in the UK in the year 2000 as a single observation upon an integrated process of inter- and intra-firm diffusion. The intra-firm dimension is a significant extension to standard analysis. The model estimates indicate that the pattern of e-business usage reflects the heterogeneity of firms in terms of size, other innovative activity and labour force skills (generating differences in the payoffs to use) as well as market and non-market intermediated externalities. The policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Factors Affecting the intensity of e-business Usage and Performance in Daedeok Valley and Hsinchu Science Park Venture Firms

Factors Affecting the intensity of e-business Usage and Performance in Daedeok Valley and Hsinchu Science Park Venture Firms

Innovation diffusion in global contexts: determinants of post-adoption digital transformation of European companies

Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory and the technology–organization–environment framework, we develop an integrative model to study the determinants of post-adoption stages of innovation diffusion, using enterprise digital transformation as an example of technology-enabled innovations. We specify four innovation characteristics (relative advantage, compatibility, costs and security concern) and four contextual factors (technology competence, organization size, competitive pressure and partner readiness) as determinants of post-adoption usage, and postulate usage as an intermediate link to impact on firm performance. We test the proposed model using a dataset of 1415 companies from six European countries. We find that the innovation needs to be used extensively in value-chain activities before its impact can be realized. Among the innovation characteristics, we find that compatibility is the strongest driver, and security concern outweighs cost as a usage inhibitor. Among the contextual variables, technology competence, partner readiness and competitive pressure significantly drive e-business usage, and the structural inertia of large firms tends to slow down its penetration. Collectively, these results indicate that innovation diffusion can be better understood by including both innovation characteristics and contextual factors, whereas earlier literature has traditionally treated the two separately. Finally, we evaluate an international dimension among European countries and tease out important boundary conditions that would not have been evident in a single-country dataset. Our results show that careful attention must be paid to the economic and regulatory factors that may result in uneven innovation diffusion even among developed European countries.

Post-Adoption Variations in Usage and Value of E-Business by Organizations: Cross-Country Evidence from the Retail Industry

Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature and the resource-based theory, this paper develops an integrative research model for assessing the diffusion and consequence of e-business at the firm level. Unlike the typical focus on adoption as found in the literature, we focus on postadoption stages, that is, actual usage and value creation. The model thus moves beyond dichotomous “adoption versus nonadoption” and accounts for the “missing link”—actual usage—as a critical stage of value creation. The model links technological, organizational, and environmental factors to e-business use and value, based on which a series of hypotheses are developed. The theoretical model is tested by using structural equation modeling on a dataset of 624 firms across 10 countries in the retail industry. To probe deeper into whether e-business use and value are influenced by economic environments, two subsamples from developed and developing countries are compared. The study finds that technology competence, firm size, financial commitment, competitive pressure, and regulatory support are important antecedents of e-business use. In addition, the study finds that, while both front-end and back-end capabilities contribute to e-business value, back-end integration has a much stronger impact. While front-end functionalities are becoming commodities, e-businesses are more differentiated by back-end integration. This is consistent with the resource-based theory because back-end integration possesses the value-creating characteristics of resources (e.g., firm specific, difficult to imitate), which are strengthened by the Internet-enabled connectivity. Our study also adds an international dimension to the innovation diffusion literature, showing that careful attention must be paid to the economic and regulatory factors that may affect technology diffusion across different countries.

E-business in the New Zealand Tourism Industry: An Examination of Implementation and Usage

This article presents the findings of a web-based survey examining the extent of e-business uptake in the New Zealand tourism industry. It provides a snapshot of both the implementation and usage of e-business. The survey extends the earlier research on New Zealand e-business by Clark et al. (2001) and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (2000), focusing specifically on tourism. This study shows that the tourism industry is committed to the establishment of e-business, and recognises the competitive advantages of this. It also appears to be adopting e-business more quickly than other industries, reflecting the industry’s service and information bases. While this sounds positive, concern must be expressed at the superficial level of implementation of e-business, particularly from SMEs which constitute a large portion of the economy. The New Zealand tourism industry respondents seem to be basic users of the technology, rather than ‘champions’ of e-business. Unless the simple adoption of ICT can be developed into a sustained and dynamic acceptance of e-business, the New Zealand tourism industry risks missing the opportunities provided by the global marketplace, and thus, becoming increasingly marginalised.