Barriers to the adoption of e-commerce among small and medium sized enterprises: a study on the non-adopters in Malaysia

Search Swinburne Research Bank

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/54257

Check Swinburne's subscriptions for full text availability

Title: Barriers to the adoption of e-commerce among small and medium sized enterprises: a study on the non-adopters in Malaysia
Author(s): Chia Hua, Sim; Jashua Rajesh, Modapothala; Bee Theng, Lau
Abstract: Due to limited research conducted in developing countries, our understanding of the nature and importance of barriers inhibiting E-commerce (EC) adoption among the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been fragmented and incomplete. This paper aimed to improve our knowledge SME-EC development by analysing the factors that discourage firms from using EC technologies. The study which was conducted in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia revealed a lack of or slow uptake of EC technologies among SMEs, and technical, financial and social/ cultural barriers were being identified as having significant influence on the SME-EC development. Among the variable studied, social/ cultural factor, followed by technical barriers were found to play a key role in explaining non-adoption of EC by firms. Results also showed firms’ perceived EC barriers, in terms of technical and social aspects, varied with the education levels of the owners-managers. However, contrary to previous studies, gender differential was shown to be insignificant with regards to perceived EC barriers. Findings also suggest that perceived barriers, in terms of legal aspect varied across the types of business. The study has an implication government authorities engaged in SME-EC development; the findings could be useful for state agencies to drawing more appropriate guidelines and develop a more practical and effective framework in promoting EC adoption among SMEs.
Publication type: Conference paper
Research centre: Swinburne University of Technology. Sarawak Campus
Source: Proceedings of the 2nd International Colloquium on Business and Management (ICBM 2008) in conjunction with the International Conference on Business and Management Education (ICBME 2008), Bangkok Palace Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, 17-20 November 2008
Publication year: 2008
Keyword(s): Developing countries; E-commerce barriers; Malaysia; SMEs
Publisher: ICBM / ICBME
ISBN: 9781605304243
Publisher URL: http://icbme.bangkok.googlepages.com/
Peer reviewed