Technology Fears: Barriers to the Adoption of Business-to-Business E-Commerce

This research presents a qualitative study of the difficulties encountered in the adoption of B2B (business-to- business) electronic commerce. It is concerned with an initiative that was intended to help SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) in Singapore adopt an Internet-based electronic marketplace. Drawing on the theory of technological frames, the study traces the case over 13 months and analyzes the early adoption problem in three time periods. Consideration is given to why the technology provider failed to gain the commitment of adopters even though all of the favorable conditions were present. Inductively, the results indicate four key issues that explain the adoption difficulties: lack of familiarity (with B2B e-commerce), risk aversion, lack of trust (among trading partners), and incongruent cultural practice. The results suggest that unless the technology fears of adopters are acknowledged, the technologistís well-intended programs may be met by adoptersí negative responses and may lead to the failure of IOS (inter-organizational systems) adoption. The proposed conceptual basis has implications for both research and practice as enterprises are rapidly venturing into the evolving forms of B2B e-commerce in Asia

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

The Development Impact of Information Technology in Trade Facilitation

The main purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview and context of the country studies on Information Technology (IT) for Trade Facilitation (TF) in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).Impact of Information Techonology, Trade Facilitation, SMEs

Profiling research published in the journal of enterprise information management (JEIM)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse research published in the Journal of Enterprise Information Management (JEIM) in the last ten years (1999 to 2008). Design/methodology/approach – Employing a profiling approach, the analysis of the 381 JEIM publications includes examining variables such as the most active authors, geographic diversity, authors' backgrounds, co-author analysis, research methods and keyword analysis. Findings – All the finding are in relation to the period of analysis (1999 to 2008). (a) Research categorised under descriptive, theoretical and conceptual methods is the most dominant research approach followed by JEIM authors. This is followed by case study research. (b) The largest proportion of contributions came from researchers and practitioners with an information systems background, followed by those with a background in business and computer science and IT. (c) The keyword analysis suggests that ‘information systems’, ‘electronic commerce’, ‘internet’, ‘logistics’, ‘supply chain management’, ‘decision making’, ‘small to medium-sized enterprises’, ‘information management’, ‘outsourcing’, and ‘modelling’ were the most frequently investigated keywords. (d) The paper presents and discusses the findings obtained from the citation analysis that determines the impact of the research published in the JEIM. Originality/value – The primary value of this paper lies in extending the understanding of the evolution and patterns of IS research. This has been achieved by analysing and synthesising existing JEIM publications

A meta-analysis of relationships between organizational characteristics and IT innovation adoption in organizations

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Information & Management. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Adoption of IT in organizations is influenced by a wide range of factors in technology, organization, environment, and individuals. Researchers have identified several factors that either facilitate or hinder innovation adoption. Studies have produced inconsistent and contradictory outcomes. We performed a meta-analysis of ten organizational factors to determine their relative impact and strength. We aggregated their findings to determine the magnitude and direction of the relationship between organizational factors and IT innovation adoption. We found organizational readiness to be the most significant attribute and also found a moderately significant relationship between IT adoption and IS department size. Our study found weak significance of IS infrastructure, top management support, IT expertise, resources, and organizational size on IT adoption of technology while formalization, centralization, and product champion were found to be insignificant attributes. We also examined stage of innovation, type of innovation, type of organization, and size of organization as moderator conditions affecting the relationship between the organizational variables and IT adoption

Studies in Trade and Investment: The Development Impact of Information Technology in Trade Facilitation

The main purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview and the context of the country studies on IT in TF in SMEs. Following this introductory clarification of the differing views about the importance of IT in TF, where the interests of SMEs lay and how these interests are promoted, section A summarizes the different country studies covering several aspects of IT in TF. Section B derives some implications from the country studies. Section C introduces the contents of the succeeding chapters.Trade facilitation, ICT, IT, SMEs

Studies in Trade and Investment: The Development Impact of Information Technology in Trade Facilitation

It is important to lay out a framework for understanding how trade facilitation (TF) affects the movement of goods, and where information (IT) fits in. This relationship, in turn, sets the stage for locating small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in international transactions. There is an increasing amount of substantial literature on TF and equally wide knowledge of IT. While it is not the intent of this chapter to survey these materials, to the extent that they are relevant to the following discussion, they will be referred to appropriately. Section A of this chapter elaborates on TF and the wide range of instruments that have been used and analyzed while section B details some actual experiences in the use of IT in TF. Section C examines small and medium-sized enterprises and IT in TF. Section D summarizes this chapter and considers the implications for inclusive growth.Trade facilitation, ICT, IT, SMEs,

Which B2B e-business model to adopt: the case of Taiwan agribusiness firms

The research reported in this paper investigated the reasons which led Taiwanese agribusiness firms to adopt specific e-business models. Initially, the study was based on a prior study conducted in the context of Australian agribusiness firms. Its relevance lies in the importance of agribusiness to the economies of both nations and because whereas Australia has developed a reputation as an efficient exporter of agribusiness products, Taiwan needs to develop export markets for its agribusiness produce as it is facing increasing competitive pressure in such global markets, particularly with its entry into the WTO. Findings enhanced the preliminary model as two additional factors, the influence of buyers and suppliers and the influence of government agencies, were found to also influence the selection of e-business models