Electronic Commerce Technologies Adoption by SMEs: A Conceptual Study

The use of Electronic Commerce (EC) technologies enables Small-to-Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to improve their efficiency and competitive position. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive framework that gives a multi-faceted account for the phenomenon of EC technologies adoption by SMEs. This paper therefore develops a theoretical framework of EC technologies adoption which is composed of four dimensions: perceived organisational readiness (micro level), perceived industry readiness (meso level), perceived national readiness (macro level) and the perceived environmental pressure. The proposed framework is then used to develop a more specific research model to guide future study in exploring EC technologies adoption by SMEs. The proposed framework and research model will be empirically validated by administering a survey questionnaire among SMEs in a number of developing countries

Modeling the Information Needs of Informal Carers

There is not only a lack of research that conceptualises the information needs of informal carers but also a shortage in research that addresses those needs from the perspective of information systems in the health care system. This shortage of systematic and conceptualised research on information needs of informal carers often prohibits the information providers and developers from knowing what types of information informal carers need to support their roles and tasks as carers and to evaluate how well they are fulfilling the information needs of informal carers. Drawing upon the previous available research on information needs in general and information needs of informal carers in particular, this paper proposes a conceptual model of the information needs of informal carers. The conceptual model illustrates four abstraction groups of information needs of informal carers i.e. recognised demanded, unrecognised demanded, recognised undemanded, and unrecognised undemanded. The paper highlights the potential usefulness of the model

A greener Kuwait: how electric vehicles can lower CO2 emissions

This paper investigates the early adopter market for electric vehicles (EVs) as preamble for mass adoption of EVs as a tool to help Kuwait lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and meet climate policy standards. From interviews and surveys conducted, we found major trends preventing EVs from mass adoption and conclude with a series of recommendations for the Kuwaiti government that would help EV market in Kuwait to develop their mass market appeal, thus lowering current GHG emissions and fulfil international and national commitments towards sustainability. Open-ended interviews were conducted with all automobile dealers in Kuwait selling EVs as well as with 10 current EV owners, in addition to a quantitative 600-participant survey of mostly 18 to 40-year-old drivers of conventional cars. The survey focuses on whether participants were likely to purchase an EV as their next vehicle and under what circumstances. More than half of the participants indicated they were likely to purchase EVs if there were more fast charging stations readily available, if the price of EVs was comparable to conventional vehicles and if gasoline prices increased relative to electricity. Additionally, they would need to have a battery warranty for the duration of the vehicle. Based on the interviews and surveys, the paper presents ten reasons for the current low rate of EV adoption in Kuwait as well as recommendation for improvements

E-commerce technology adoption: A Malaysian grocery SME retail sector study

This is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: S. Kurnia, et al., “E-commerce technology adoption: A Malaysian grocery SME retail sector study”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 68(9): 1906-1918, September 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neo.2016.09.002 This manuscript version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License CC BY NC-ND 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.Electronic commerce (EC) has substantial potential to foster the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developed and developing countries alike. However, EC adoption by SMEs in developing countries has faced many challenges that have not been adequately addressed due to the complex nature of EC adoption in such countries. The aim of this study is to systematically examine the influence of organizational, industry, and national readiness and environmental pressure on the adoption of diverse EC technologies by SMEs in developing countries. A quantitative survey was conducted with retail SMEs within the Malaysian grocery sector to validate the proposed multi-level model. Findings indicate significant influence of environmental pressure on the adoption of various EC technologies. Organizational and national readiness have different influences across diverse EC technologies, while the influence of industry readiness is shown to be insignificant. This study extends the current understanding of the influence of micro-, meso- and macro-level factors and has important implications for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Individually tailored client-focused reports for ubiquitous devices : an experimental analysis

We describe results of a test of a method for tailoring communications based on the recipient&rsquo;s preferred information processing style and dominant motivational attitude. Results indicate that the greater the match between the style of the report and the individual&rsquo;s attributes, the more informed the reader feels about the subject of the report. This research has been conducted as part of a study into methods to design patient-centred medical using diabetic patients as an exemplar of chronic disease. The long term aim is to use reports personalised to the recipient to better inform patients about their disease and strengthen their motivation to follow the treatment plan.<br /

Driving Factors for Women's Switch to Electric Vehicles in Conservative Kuwait

Electric vehicles (EVs) may constitute the most disruptive and innovative product since the smartphone. Further, there seems to be a relationship between the percentage of women in congress and plug-in vehicles sold in 2021. This study considers the relation between the country with the least number of women in congress and the least EVs sold—the State of Kuwait. This study asks 234 women drivers in Kuwait what policy-level changes would make them switch from conventional Internal Combustion Engine cars (ICE) to EVs. The results showed the following: More than 50% of participants would buy EVs within the next three years if several conditions were met: lower purchase price with government assistance and availability of suitable infrastructure for EVs such as wide availability of fast charging stations, fast lanes, and free parking spaces. More than 40% of participants would start thinking seriously about buying EVs if gas/fuel prices increased by 50–199%; they also thought EVs were safer regarding fire and car crashes. They would pay 6–20% more for EVs that are environmentally friendly and faster than gasoline cars. About 40% of women drivers would be able to charge EVs in their residential areas in Kuwait, but the lack of charging stations remains the biggest obstacle to the mass adoption of EVs. This study also made various suggestions to overcome barriers to EV introduction in Kuwait, such as the increase of fast charging stations, as well as marketing strategies and government initiatives and policies. One key implication is that focused educational efforts are needed to help women owners in Kuwait better understand the benefits and overall potential of EVs

The information needs of information carers: a framework to support a comprehensive understanding

© 2010 Dr. Basil AlzougoolThere has been little research that fully explores the nature and aspects of information needs of informal carers or provides a complete account of these needs. A comprehensive understanding of these needs is important because it is the first step to meeting these needs effectively. This research project set out to identify all the potential aspects of informal carers' information needs that could be used for investigating, understanding and classifying these needs comprehensively. Three main studies were undertaken. The project initially adopted a conceptual approach (study 1) to develop a framework for these aspects. Then this framework was tested, refined and validated using a qualitative approach (study 2), followed by a quantitative approach (study 3). The conceptual study involved analysing critically the existing literature on the information needs of informal carers, as well as related literature on health informatics and information needs more generally. Following this analysis, a conceptual framework was developed that encompassed the potential aspects of informal carers' information needs. This framework divides these aspects into two broad types: (i) the information needs focus, which includes four foci (the persons needing care, the informal carers themselves, the interaction between informal carers and persons needing care, and the interaction between informal carers and other parties) and (ii) the information needs state, which includes four states (recognised-demanded, recognised-undemanded, unrecognised-demanded, and unrecognised-undemanded). The qualitative study involved conducting two separate but related sub-studies (study 2A and study 2B) with nine informal carers of diabetic children as an example of a group of informal carers. Study 2A aimed to confirm or disconfirm the existence of the four foci of information needs of informal carers and to identify any additional foci. Study 2B aimed to confirm or disconfirm the existence of the four states of information needs of informal carers and to identify any additional states. It also aimed to develop items for the questionnaire that was used to measure the information needs state with a large sample of informal carers in the quantitative study. The quantitative study employed a questionnaire with 198 informal carers (above 18 years old) of all kinds. It aimed to test the defined information needs states, to examine whether they were distinct from each other in the wider community of informal carers, and to examine whether they varied in terms of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of informal carers. The existence of the two broad types of aspects of information needs of informal carers was confirmed empirically. This research also showed that informal carers may give priority to some foci over others at different stages during their caring journey, and the occurrence and frequency of the four states may vary among informal carers. Thus the validated framework worked well in portraying a comprehensive picture of the information needs of informal carers in this study. These two different aspects of information needs of informal carers are in turn useful to researchers and practitioners. For researchers, these two aspects provide a new perspective from which to better investigate, understand and classify the information needs of informal carers and information needs in general. For practitioners, these two aspects assist in designing and providing information that may meet the needs of informal carers more effectively

Search or Explore: do you know what you’re looking for?

This paper explores the distinctions between searching and exploring when looking for information. We propose that, while traditional search engines work well in supporting search behaviour, they are more limited in assisting those who are looking to explore new information, especially when the exploration task is ill-defined. We ran a pilot study using two systems: one based on a traditional database search engine, and the other – a highly innovative, engaging and playful system called iFISH – that we designed specifically to support exploration through the use of user preferences. We looked for evidence to support the concept that exploration requires a different kind of interaction. The initial results report a positive response to our exploration system and indicate the differences in preferences amongst users for systems that match their searching or exploring behaviours

Attitudes of Drivers towards Electric Vehicles in Kuwait

Although researchers have started to examine the landscape of electric vehicles (EVs) around the world, very little research has examined this phenomenon in Kuwait. In addition, limited research has explored it among drivers. Kuwait constitutes a very promising market for EVs because there is a need to lower GHG emissions and improve the air quality in Kuwait. This study therefore explored the attitudes of conventional car internal combustion engine (ICE) drivers towards EVs in Kuwait, particularly identifying attributes, features, enablers, and barriers of EVs that are considered important by potential consumers in Kuwait. This study utilized a mixed method approach in terms of quantitative data and qualitative data from a sample of 472 drivers to accomplish the main objectives of this study. The study showed that more than half of participants would buy an EV within the next 3 years, and they would buy if several conditions were met. That includes a cheaper purchase price with the assistance of policies controlled by the government along with the availability of suitable infrastructure for EVs relating to charging stations, fast lanes, and free parking spaces. More than 40% of participants would also seriously start thinking about buying an EV if the gas/fuel prices increased by between 50 and 199%. More than 40% of participants thought that EVs are safe in relation to fire and car crashes. Furthermore, approximately half of participants would pay 6–20% more for an EV that is both environmentally friendly and much quicker than gasoline cars. In addition, participants would also prefer EVs over gasoline cars in the future for their environmental, economic, and technological values. More importantly, the study yielded many significant findings, such as the demanded and preferred features of EVs and reflections on the readiness of the Kuwaiti market

How to Cross the Chasm for the Electric Vehicle World’s Laggards—A Case Study in Kuwait

Ever since the discovery of oil in 1938, the State of Kuwait has increasingly sought out international brands in the car market due to the high purchasing power of Kuwaiti nationals. However, the makers of electric vehicles (EVs) have not been able to penetrate this market, with the exception of innovators and early adopters. The phenomenon in disruptive innovation theory—called “Crossing the Chasm”—regarding a mass market appeal has not yet occurred in Kuwait. Through deep interviews with 12 Kuwaiti owners of EVs and automotive dealers who sold either EVs or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), 10 key reasons for this phenomenon have been previously revealed, which were used to develop an extensive questionnaire. A total of 472 car drivers aged from 18 to 30, identified as the “early majority”, completed the questionnaire to achieve the objective of identifying the factors required to create a mass market for EVs in Kuwait. The results demonstrated that potential customers highly preferred three different types of attributes of EVs: environmental, financial, and technological. There were significant differences in the identified attributes preferred by Kuwaiti individuals for EVs in terms of the number of cars owned and the sector of employment. Moreover, the results of our study indicate that potential customers are very willing to buy EVs in the future, considering both their financial and infrastructure attributes. There were further significant differences in the identified necessary conditions to buy EVs in terms of educational level and monthly income. This study discusses a variety of valuable promotional tactics, which may be implemented in conjunction with public incentives and policy changes in the State of Kuwait. This information is considered useful for marketers and designers who wish to tap into this lucrative market, which is significantly different from that in the global North