E-commerce and entrepreneurship in SMEs : the case of myBot

Purpose:The adoption of e-commerce in Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) is a much-researched topic in developed and developing nations. The application of mobile devices, and social media networks (SMN) such as Facebook has revolutionised the e-commerce adoption process in SMEs. However, research into this area is still developing and there is a dearth of knowledge on how SMEs in developing countries enact and apply this phenomenon. This paper explains how e-commerce entrepreneurship using SMN is conceptualised and applied in SMEs, and highlights factors that influence this e-commerce innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach:An interpretive and qualitative case study approach was adopted as a methodological foundation in a firm pseudo-named, myBot. The study employed Contextualism theory as a meta-theoretical framework to conceptualise and analyse the e-commerce entrepreneurship process in the firm. The study employed face-to-face semi-structured and unstructured interviews with the manager as primary means of obtaining in-depth information. Further information was obtained through website content analysis and document analysis of the firm’s reports and observations. Findings:The results unearth a socially-constructed feature of e-commerce entrepreneurship that draws from myBot’s manager’s innovative ability to use Facebook and e-mail to increase sales through its niche market. Factors that propelled e-commerce entrepreneurial activities using Facebook include trust, commitment and innovativeness. Originality/Value:The study provides a theoretical lens into the understanding of an ecommerce entrepreneurship process using a Contextualism theory. The paper showcases how e-commerce using Facebook can be portrayed in a developing country context. Keywords:E-commerce, Entrepreneurship, SMN, Contextualism, SMEs, Interpretive, Case study

THE ADOPTION OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE (E-COMMERCE) BY SMALL MEDIUM ENTERPRISE IN MAKING FINANCING DECISION

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is a very important strategic tool that fascinates many companies to turn their traditional business strategy into e-commerce technology. Nowadays, the use of e-commerce is growing among business organizations throughout the world. It’s not only limited to large companies, but also includes Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The reason why businesses are moving towards of using e-commerce systems because this technology is very cost effective and can make day-today business operations are much more easier. However, some of the SMEs are still underexploited on the potential of e-commerce. Therefore, this paper will be focusing on the discussion about the adoption of E-commerce in small and medium sized business based on the financial decision-making. Journal, case study and articles have been used to support all the discussion and argument on the research problem.&nbsp

Diffusion of Innovation - the adoption of e-commerce by small to medium enterprises (SME\u27s) - a comparative analysis

This paper explores the issues that influence the diffusion of innovation as it relates to the adoption of e-commerce by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It seeks to identify factors facilitating and inhibiting such adoption across contexts – regional, small city and large city. This analysis is cross cultural so the impact of differing economic and cultural issues also will be identified in this research. Whilst it is generally accepted that the strategic use of information technology (IT) is vital in the marketplace, the rate of such uptake between small and large businesses varies. This research seeks to identify the reasons for this variation. It is critical to understand such factors so that steps can be taken to redress inequity of uptake that might be identified. The paper endeavours to explore factors that are needed to facilitate and encourage IT adoption and so positively influence user acceptance and use of IT innovations in SMEs. Reasons for such uptake as well as strategic approach to the adoption of e-commerce, and variations regarding same also will be considered. The paper examines existing theory as it pertains to the diffusion of innovation acknowledging the perspective of regional and urban SMEs in various cultural contexts. Empirical investigation exploring this diffusion, the rate of and approach to the uptake by SMEs is planned using a case study methodolog

E-commerce technology adoption framework by New Zealand small to medium size enterprises

This paper attempts to highlight a framework for the adoption of electronic commerce (EC) technologies in New Zealand with specific interest in the small to medium-size enterprise (SME) sector of the economy. The main thrust of the research was to develop the framework for EC adoption by the New Zealand SMEs and hence study the accelerators and impediments to the adoption and diffusion of EC technologies. The paper shows how IS/IT adoption and diffusion theories and practicalities can be explored for developing the proposed EC adoption framework. It is argued that results from research case studies based on the framework are able to identify the factors influencing and leading to the adoption of e-commerce technologies by the New Zealand SMEs

Determinant Factors of E-commerce Adoption by SMEs in Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesia

The aim of this study is to investigate those factors that influence SMEs in developing countries in adopting e-commerce. This study is motivated by the fact that the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs, especially in developing countries, is still very far behind the adoption by large companies. Yet to be able to survive in the new economic era, which is the information era; businesses, including SMEs, are forced to adopt e-commerce. Non-adopters will be left behind by the adopters. In addition, studies regarding e-commerce adoption by SMEs are rarely found. Therefore, the results of this study provide a timely understanding of e-commerce adoption by SMEs in developing countries. The model developed in this study is based on the TOE framework. Eleven variables are proposed as the factors that influence SMEs in adopting of e-commerce. These are organized into four groups, namely: technological factors, organizational factors, environmental factors and individual factors. Based on a survey of 292 Indonesian SMEs, it was found that perceived benefits, technology readiness, owners’ innovativeness, owners’ IT ability and owners’ IT experience are the determinant factors that influence Indonesian SMEs in their adopting e-commerce

Research on the Application of E-commerce to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): the Case of India

SMEs account for a large proportion and play an important role in the development of each country in the world, including India. The globalization will bring many advantages for enterprises however SMEs will face fierce competition at the local, national and International level. In order to maintain and promote the important role of SMEs in the context of increased competition, SMEs have to change and adopt new technologies. E-commerce and digital technologies are bringing opportunities to help SMEs improve their competitiveness, narrow the gap with big enterprises thanks to their fairness and flexibility of the digital business environment.       According to UNIDO (2017), India is one of the countries successfully applying e-commerce to SMEs. Contributing to this success is the important role of the Indian government. Therefore, this paper focuses on researching the application of e-commerce to SMEs in terms of the role of government in promoting and creating an ecosystem for SMEs and e-commerce development

Fuzzification of quantitative data to predict tumour size of colorectal cancer

Regression analysis has become more popular among researchers as a standard tool in analyzing data. This paper used fuzzy linear regression model (FLRM) to predict tumour size of colorectal cancer (CRC) data in Malaysia. 180 patients with colorectal cancer received treatment in hospital were recorded by nurses and doctors. Based on the patient records, a triangular fuzzy data will be built toward the size of the tumour. Mean square error (MSE) and root mean square error (RMSE) will be measured as a part of the process for predicting the size of the tumour. The degree of fitting adjusted is set between 0 and 1 in order to find the least error. It was found that the combination of FLRM model with fuzzy data provided a better prediction compared to the FLRM model alone. Hence, this study concluded that the tumour size is directly proportional to several factors such as gender, ethnic, icd 10, TNM staging, diabetes mellitus, Crohn’s disease

Online grocery retailing in Jordan: Future perspectives

Electronic commerce (e-Commerce) has been considered as the way of conducting business transactions online. The use of e-commerce technologies is widely accepted around the world since it offers organizations many opportunities to improve their performance. However, it is still skeptical that using this technology will come up with positive expectations. This study aimed at identifying the possible benefits and barriers that may affect the Jordanian grocery retailers’ decision to adopt this kind of technologies