8,216 research outputs found

    Policy Issues of e-Commerce Technology Diffusion in Southeast Nigeria: The Case of Small Scale Agribusiness

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    The benefits brought about by the emergence of e-commerce, e-business and other Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) applications have not been fully explored in the developing economies of the world. The less developed economies are still struggling to catch up with ICT application as opposed to its heavy deployment in the developed economies. Empirical evidence suggests that ICTs and other related technologies are increasingly emerging in the communities of the developing economies such as Nigeria. Rural actors engaged in the Agricultural industries (Agribusiness) feel that the implementation of ICTs can influence the development of new business processes and the way existing processes are organised. In the Southeast of Nigeria, which is a typical example of a less developed community, the impact of e-business technologies has yet to be determined. This paper identifies two classical traditional agribusiness supply chains and hence reports on the impact of e-commerce technology diffusion along the equilibrium of the supply chains, focusing on the elimination of intermediary actors from the chain. It provides an assessment of the Governments’ policies and strategies on e-commerce adoption for the sustainability of small-scale agricultural businesses. The paper examines the politics surrounding ICT implementations by actors engaged in the agribusiness sector. This research has motivated The South East State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to give closer attention to their earlier policy of making Nigeria an ICT-enabled country

    Exploring the fit between CSR and innovation

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    An exploration of the fit or space between CSR and innovation is presented, based on the RESPONSE project, a 15-month study involving 60 SMEs throughout Europe. The main practical output of the project was the Social Innovation model, yet a conceptual understanding of CSR and innovation is best advanced through the three hypotheses that constitute the conclusions of the project: H1) The diffusion of CSR should be modelled on the diffusion of innovation; H2) CSR implementation and innovation can be configured to form a virtuous circle; and H3) There is a maturity path toward true integration of CSR and innovation. These three hypotheses inform, respectively, on the background, results and development of the project. H1 is framed within the context of the original European Commission call and proposal; H2 ties in with the Social Innovation model; and H3 is discussed in the light of a short case involving a high-performing SME. Since the hypotheses were the result of the project, we do not attempt to prove them here, but discuss their significance, with the idea that further research and community development will fully evaluate their accuracy.Corporate social responsibility; innovation; small and medium-size enterprises;

    Adoption and Use of Corporate Wikis in German Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

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    In recent years, corporate wikis have been increasingly adopted in enterprises. However, little research is devoted to theadoption and use of wikis in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are of high social and economic importance.The purpose of this paper is to examine the usage of enterprise wikis in SMEs and potential concerns that may hinder thediffusion of wikis in SMEs as well as other reasons for their reluctance to adopt wikis by conducting a survey of GermanSMEs. Findings indicate that a majority of SMEs do not intend to adopt wikis in their organization for various reasons.However, firms that have already introduced wikis seem to clearly benefit despite a number of concerns that might have anegative impact on the use and diffusion of wikis. Based on our results, we derive several implications for SMEs, inparticular with respect to how to overcome these obstacles to adoption and diffusion of wikis

    Diffusion of ICT Innovation and E-Business Adoption in Agribusiness SMR\u27s: A Developing Country Perspective

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    This paper describes how a UNIDO ICT centre innovation acted as a catalyst for ICT adoption and e-business innovation among Small and Medium sized Agribusiness Enterprises in Southeast Nigeria. Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoI) has been applied to investigate the diffusion process of technology. However, the adaptation of Social Network Theory in the diffusion of innovation studies is comparatively recent and still at a very developmental stage. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Small Agribusiness Enterprises in Southeast of Nigeria. This paper argues that the balance between effort utilised in technology design and the effective diffusion of such innovation must be redressed. Greater emphasis must be placed in instituting end-user social networks as an antecedant that will enable end-user engagement and hence enable effective diffusion of the technology innovation through such end-user networks. The importance of sustaining the diffusion process of information and communication technology (ICT) innovation in order to facilitate the implementation of e-business in small and medium sized enterprises is a major challenge. This paper concludes with the finding that the potential adopters’ conceptual and contextual knowledge of the innovation is a major factor in the adoption and diffusion process. The continuous sharing of information about the innovation through social networks constitutes the main success factor enabling the sustainability (maturation) of the technology

    An ecosystem approach to knowledge management: Case studies of two Australian SMEs

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    This study is centred on the premise that knowledge is personalised information which can be enriched through the process of learning, then shared and applied to practical situations to attain value. To highlight the complex nature of knowledge management (KM) as a set of practices and aimed to enhance collaboration, the concept of a Collaborative Leaning Ecosystem (CLES) is presented as holistic approach toward improving practical learning environments. In view of the pressing need for better KM in small-to-medium (SME) enterprises, the CLES framework is used to examine the KM positions of two Australian SMEs. Viewing each case as an 'organisational ecosystem', the holistic assessment of each SME exposes certain KM inefficiencies unique to the firm, which are addressed through a set of actionable KM strategies for improving the relationships among the components interacting within each organisational ecosystem

    Revisiting IT readiness:an approach for small firms

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    Drawing from the literature, this paper offers an empirically validated framework for examining IT readiness in small firms. A conceptual framework of IT readiness for small firms is developed and validated empirically using a quantitative survey of 117 UK manufacturing small firms to identify distinct clusters of firms according to their states of IT readiness. The survey responses are grouped according to three distinct profiles that display varying degrees of IT readiness depending upon their strategic motivation, IT processes, project management and technology complexity. The novelty of the conceptual model differs from the prior literature on IT readiness by explicitly recognising the potential effect of IT maturity on the capability of the firm to respond to opportunities in its external environment. The paper also distinguishes between internal IT processes and project management skills
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