Adoption of electronic supply chain management systems: the mediation role of information sharing

Purpose: Based on structural embeddedness theory and resource dependence theory, this research aims to examine the mediation role of information sharing in the relationship between deendency structures and electronic supply chain management system (eSCM) adoption and a firm's intention to adopt eSCMs. Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire was undertaken from 212 companies based in Mainland China. Three-stage least squares (3SLS) regression was employed to test the research model. Findings: The results from 3SLS regressions showed that the effect of interdependence on eSCM adoption intention is fully mediated through information sharing when relationship duration is either below or about the mean. Interdependence and dependence disadvantage was shown to have significant positive effects on eSCM adoption while the effect of dependence advantage was statistically insignificant. Relationship duration was found to negatively moderate the relationship between information sharing and adoption intention. Originality/value: Through investigating factors of inter-organizational relationships, this study fills the knowledge gap in the traditional paradigms which ignore the collaborative nature of eSCM and analyse related problems based on a single firm's point of view

Influence of E-Commerce on Enterprises’ Brand in Developing Countries. A Case Study of Small to Medium Enterprise (SMEs) in Zimbabwe

Currently, most small businesses use e-commerce as a marketing tool and attach great importance to exchanging information and information about products and services. This study shows that improving internal efficiency and increasing communication are the main benefits of e-commerce for small businesses. By increasing the exchange of information, companies can cover a much larger customer area and attract new customers. Because they are aware of product characteristics, customers are happier and ready to give orders. This study shows that companies are changing a new way of finding customers that will allow them to reduce their advertising costs. At the same time, businesses are experiencing cost savings through better stagnated business. The main obstacles for small businesses are the lack of innovative culture and knowledge. Although some companies still consider the most important cost factor, this is due to the lack of understanding of e-commerce and positive effects. This in turn will lead to an end to the lack of conformity or innovation process. Another major obstacle is the lack of customer demand. In addition, the study shows that many small businesses do not benefit from these improvements, given the nature of the companies or markets that do not promote the innovation process. The results of the study showed that although access to finance could have a positive impact on SME performance, it was not fully exploited for Zimbabwe SMEs. Banks should therefore improve their lending conditions, collateral requirements and the number of years in order to improve performance. The survey results showed that management skills can have a positive and significant impact on the performance of SMEs, but only a small proportion of companies have embraced them. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-20-10 Publication date:October 31st 202

A new perspective of e-trust in the era of social media: insights from customer satisfaction data

Managerial relevance: In this competitive business world, social media penetrates online sales very rapidly. Businesses operating online are required to provide a safe and secured environment for customers to ensure their satisfaction. Our research results confirm that in addition to social media advertising, guaranteed 'e-safety' for customers will help establishing trust between the customer and the online businesses; it is also viewed important for present and future sales. The social media reviews need to be incorporated in managerial decision making. We try to analyse how these reviews are changing over the period of time and what are the ways to enhance customer satisfaction using information on customer expectations. This paper can help service companies to position their websites to compete in the market. Abstract In this era of social media, products and services are sold globally using a few simple clicks online. In such online purchases, trust and familiarity are considered two important driving forces of consumer decision making. While online sales advocate high levels of flexibility and choices for consumers, they also hold the online service provider responsible for ensuring the security of the online user's data. Using a Structural Equation Model (SEM) with data collected from the online service industry, we test the direct effects of 'social media-induced purchase intention' on customer satisfaction. We also test the mediating role of e-commerce/online sales (e-advertisement, e-safety and e-information) on customer satisfaction. In addition to social media advertising and information sharing, we find that a new factor-'e-safety'-mediates the relationship between customer purchase intention and customer satisfaction. Our analysis indicates that online e-trust can be established between the customer and the service company when online purchases are made. At the same time, the quality of online information and e-safety of online payments make the service company trustworthy for future purchases. We relate data analysis directly to managerial decision making to avoid any delay in online customer services in the era of social media

EL B2B COMO ESTRATEGIA DE DIFERENCIACIÓN. UN ENFOQUE EN LAS EMPRESAS EXPORTADORAS DE DERIVADOS DE CACAO

Companies are facing highly competitive environments where the traditional business model is being replaced by the evolution of new business models focused on digital technology. Therefore, the implementation of new differentiation strategies such as B2B e-commerce creates new opportunities to present their products with greater international reach. Therefore, the variables associated with the websites adopted by cocoa derivatives exporting companies are analyzed as a means to identify whether they are making progress in adopting B2B as a differentiation strategy to compete in the markets. Given the qualitative nature of the research, a descriptive and exploratory case study was chosen based on a sample of 10 companies. The data collected were obtained from the websites of the companies under study. Among the main findings, it is highlighted that the companies are applying strategies encompassed by technological and innovation trends, which represents a competitive advantage over those who do not yet apply them. Finally, it is concluded that the implementation of B2B contributes to differentiate the dissemination of the export offer, strengthening communication and interaction with potential international clients.Las empresas se enfrentan a entornos altamente competitivos en donde el modelo de negocios tradicionales se ve reemplazado por la evolución de nuevos modelos de negocios enfocados a la tecnología digital. Por tanto, la implementación de nuevas estrategias de diferenciación como el comercio electrónico B2B crea nueevas oportunidades para presentar sus productos con un mayor alcance internacional. Por ello se analiza las variables asociadas a las páginas web adoptadas por las empresas exportadoras de derivados de cacao, como medio para identificar si están avanzando en la adopción del B2B como estrategia de diferenciación para competir en los mercados. Dada la naturaleza cualitativa de la investigación, se optó por un estudio de casos de carácter descriptivo y exploratorio basado en una muestra de 10 empresas. Los datos recopilados se obtuvieron de los sitios web de las empresas objeto de estudio. Entre los principales hallazgos, se destaca que las empresas están aplicando estrategias englobadas a las tendencias tecnológicas y de innovación, lo que representa una ventaja competitiva con quienes aún no las aplican. Finalmente,  se concluye que la implementación del B2B contribuye a diferenciar la difusión de la oferta de exportación, fortaleciendo la comunicación e interacción con los potenciales clientes internacionales

Comercio electrónico B2B como estrategia competitiva en el comercio internacional: Desafíos para Ecuador

This paper has the purpose to analyze the use of B2B as a tool of international trade, under the proactive strategy approach that favors competitive advantages. The typology of electronic commerce and its evolution in South America and Ecuador are analyzed. The qualitative approach is used for the development of research. Among the findings are the transformations of business structures and the need for changes in Ecuador to be made in the legal field, business culture and payment system to spread the use of B2B.Este trabajo tiene el propósito de analizar el uso del B2B como herramienta del comercio internacional, bajo el enfoque de estrategia proactiva que favorezca las ventajas competitivas. Se analiza la tipología del comercio electrónico y su evolución en América del Sur y Ecuador. Para el desarrollo de la investigación se utiliza el enfoque cualitativo. Entre los hallazgos se destacan las transformaciones de estructuras de negocio y la necesidad de que en Ecuador se realicen cambios en el ámbito legal, cultura empresarial y sistema de pagos para difundir el uso del B2B

Factors that Influence Potential Success of eHealth Standards Adoption in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: a review.

BACKGROUND: Assessing the potential success of adopted technology, innovation, or standard in a Low and Middle Income Country like Uganda continues to focus on outcomes of adoption. This study aimed to investigate the potential success of eHealth standards adoption that may arise from the adoption process as well as outcomes of such adoption. METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using alternate terms for “eHealth”, “standards”, “adoption” “success” and “theory”. On screening and assessing the quality of publications, only nineteen peer-reviewed publications were included in the review. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis was used to synthesize evidence from the included literature. Thematic analysis was used to develop themes regarding the success of standards/technology adoption. RESULTS: Constructs from the theories of Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Internet Standards Adoption (ISA) were used to extend the Success Model of Innovation Adoption. The Success Model for Innovation contributed to the foundational concepts aligned to categorical factors of the adoption process, organizational, environment, and user context that influence the potential success of eHealth standards adoption in healthcare systems. The study identified 13 factors that contribute to the successful adoption of standards for eHealth. CONCLUSION: Since the review showed that success of standards adoption starts with assessing readiness to adopt the standards, followed by the standards adoption process and assessment of the lasting outcomes, the study proposes a model for assessing the potential success of eHealth standards adoption. The model has pre-adoption, actual adoption, and post-adoption phases. The proposed model and identified factors have not been evaluated and therefore may not in the current form support eHealth standards adoption processes. Future work is needed to evaluate/validate the model and factors of eHealth standards adoption success. Notwithstanding, the study believes any assessment of the success of standards adoption that uses the identified factors over all three phases of the model is comprehensive to present a true picture of any potential success of standards adoption

An adoption model to assess e-service technology acceptance

As the world today is witnessing the remarkable growth of information and communication technology development and the Internet popularity, the widespread use of the electronic service (e-service) is becoming inevitable. Many e-service projects have been developed but since they are not used by users, they cannot help to improve organizational performance. As the user adoption of an e-service is an essential key for a successful and an effective implementation of any e-service project, there is a need to access the user acceptance of the system. This research developed the E-Service Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) to assess the user acceptance of an e-service technology. According to the literature review in the field of e-service technology and the acceptance theories, this research identified the main factors influencing the acceptance of e-services, namely; satisfaction and quality where the dimensions of these factors were extracted from the previous studies. In order to categorise the dimensions, an exploratory survey was developed and conducted among the university students and then, the Exploratory Factor Analysis was applied using the SPSS Software. Then, a confirmatory survey was designed and tested to test the validity (content and construct) and the reliability of the instrument, before it was used to evaluate the ETAM. The survey was conducted among the e-service users in Malaysia and 426 questionnaires were collected. Finally, the Structural Equation Modelling using Lisrel was applied to validate the casual relations between the constructs and to assess the goodness-of-fit for the ETAM. The result of this study revealed that quality, security and satisfaction significantly influenced the intention to use an e-service and consequently the acceptance of the e-service technology. The ETAM model developed in this study can be used as a foundation for e-service providers to develop strategies to encourage people to use e-service and to increase the usage and the acceptance of e-services in Malaysia. Moreover, the ETAM which explains 71.8% of variance can help to evaluate and predict how users will respond to an e-service before starting to develop an e-service project. This model can also be applied it to improve the provided e-service to increase the usage rate

E-Commerce Adoption by Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

The future survival of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is inextricably linked to their implementation of e-commerce systems. The lack of e-commerce strategies among SME business owners has contributed to a low level of e-commerce adoption by SMEs. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Nigerian SME business owners used to implement e-commerce systems. The population consisted of retail SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria, that have functional e-commerce systems. The conceptual framework supporting the study was dynamic capabilities framework. Data for the study were derived from semistructured interviews of 4 SME business owners/managers and documentation from the case companies. Data analysis entailed coding of the interview transcripts and analysis of documentary data to identify themes. Member checking and triangulation ensured the credibility of the study. The main themes that emerged from data analysis include service delivery strategies, dynamic marketing strategies, and learning and adaptation. The implications for social change include the potential to contribute to increased wealth creation opportunities for the business owners, their employees, and the local communities in Nigeria

Determinantes da compra online de smartphones pelos portugueses

Atualmente, são muitos os consumidores que realizam as suas compras recorrendo ao comércio eletrónico. São, então, vários os produtos e os serviços que os portugueses compram online, nomeadamente os smartphones. E, uma vez que os smartphones são usados por um número elevado de indivíduos, considera-se importante explorar este tema. A presente dissertação tem como objetivo principal identificar os fatores que podem influenciar a intenção de compra online de smartphones pelos portugueses. Assim, a investigação inicia-se com um enquadramento teórico, onde são abordadas as temáticas relevantes e onde é apresentado o modelo de investigação, que possui dez construtos: expectativa de desempenho, expectativa de esforço, condições facilitadoras, valor do preço, hábitos, privacidade percebida, segurança percebida, confiança na marca, credibilidade da marca e intenção de compra online. Segue-se a análise dos resultados obtidos através de um questionário online e, ainda, a validação do modelo de investigação. Este questionário permitiu, então, obter uma amostra válida de 222 indivíduos, tendo sido utilizada uma metodologia quantitativa. A investigação permitiu confirmar o impacto positivo da expectativa de desempenho, do valor do preço e do hábito na intenção de compra online de smartphones e, também, o impacto positivo da segurança percebida na confiança na marca (no website). Porém, não foi possível assegurar o impacto positivo das restantes variáveis. Como existem poucos dados acerca deste tema em Portugal, este estudo pretende dar o seu contributo tanto para a investigação académica como para o comércio eletrónico, identificando-se os determinantes da compra online de smartphones