E-Business Use in Small and Medium-Sized Tourism Enterprises: A Post Adoption Perspective

In the context of ongoing research into e-business technologies in use by Thai SMEs in the travel service sector, this paper starts with an overview of e-business technology impact on the travel sector generally before focusing on the Thai context. Of primary interest in this paper is the user experience from the introduction of new technologies and their post-adoption evaluation. The analysis starts with consideration of the stakeholders in the travel industry and an understanding of the business models, including both the users and the providers of the e-business technologies. Two detailed case studies demonstrate how ebusiness technologies benefit both firms. In each company the decision on the degree of IT integration differs and this is shown to have considerable impact on benefits realised. In the post adoption evaluation, however, each has its own frame of reference. Formal methods of assessment for both SMEs are problematic and not in evidence

eBusiness adoption studies in Thailand

Electronic Business or eBusiness over the Internet enables businesses (whether large or small) to do more than buying or selling their products and services. eBusiness is now including all network based transactions, collaborations, and interactions with customers, suppliers, and business partners.Given the economic dominance of Western economies in fields such as eBusiness, a number of questions arise associated with the suitability of lessons learned in the West to eBusiness developments in Thailand.In particular, the authors have noted that most existing eBusiness adoptions are designed to cater for businesses in Western countries; and this raises the question of whether these adoptions are suited to businesses in Thailand.In this regard, the authors are of the opinion that a study explicitly on eBusiness is required to assist businesses in Thailand to adopt and engage in eBusiness successfully. The research findings provide the foundation for future research aimed at developing a framework to guide businesses in Thailand, to successfully implement the new generation of eBusiness activities, which include sCommerce (Social Commerce) and sBusiness (Social Business)

The First 25 Years of the Bled eConference: Themes and Impacts

The Bled eConference is the longest-running themed conference associated with the Information Systems discipline. The focus throughout its first quarter-century has been the application of electronic tools, migrating progressively from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) via Inter-Organisational Systems (IOS) and eCommerce to encompass all aspects of the use of networking facilities in industry and government, and more recently by individuals, groups and society as a whole. This paper reports on an examination of the conference titles and of the titles and abstracts of the 773 refereed papers published in the Proceedings since 1995. This identified a long and strong focus on categories of electronic business and corporate perspectives, which has broadened in recent years to encompass the democratic, the social and the personal. The conference\u27s extend well beyond the papers and their thousands of citations and tens of thousands of downloads. Other impacts have included innovative forms of support for the development of large numbers of graduate students, and the many international research collaborations that have been conceived and developed in a beautiful lake-side setting in Slovenia

The role of supply chain integration in achieving competitive advantage: A study of UK automobile manufacturers

The competitive nature of the global automobile industry has resulted in a battle for efficiency and consistency in supply chain management (SCM). For manufacturers, the diversified network of suppliers represents more than just a production system; it is a strategic asset that must be managed, evaluated, and revised in order to attain competitive advantage. One capability that has become an increasingly essential means of alignment and assessment is supply chain integration (SCI). Through such practices, manufacturers create informational capital that is inimitable, yet transferrable, allowing suppliers to participate in a mutually-beneficial system of performance-centred outcomes. From cost reduction to time improvements to quality control, the benefits of SCI extend throughout the supply chain lifecycle, providing firms with improved predictability, flexibility, and responsiveness. Yet in spite of such benefits, key limitations including exposure to risks, supplier failures, or changing competitive conditions may expose manufacturers to a vulnerable position that can severely impact value and performance. The current study summarizes the perspectives and predictions of managers within the automobile industry in the UK, highlighting a dynamic model of interdependency and interpolation that embraces SCI as a strategic resource. Full commitment to integration is critical to achieving improved outcomes and performance; therefore, firms seeking to integrate throughout their extended supply chain must be willing to embrace a less centralized locus of control

Customer relationship management practices: the impact on organizational performance in SMEs of food manufacturing industry

The successful implementation of customer relationship management (CRM) practices is becoming widely accepted within marketing and sales department in manufacturing industry. Moreover, establishing the customer relationships have always been an important aspect of business. Hence, this study aims to explain the impact of CRM practices to organizational performance through a proposed conceptual model in Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) food manufacturing industry. A model developed and empirically tested through survey data obtained from 369 organizations. The results indicated that CRM practices have a significant positive effect on organizational performance. Similarly, the results revealed that enhanced key customer focus and relationship marketing leads to better organizational performance. Market turbulence was found to have a negative moderating effect on the relationship between CRM practices and organizational performance. This paper contributes to existing literature by incorporating CRM practices as a construct in the proposed model. The conclusions drawn have implications for CRM practices of key customer focus, relationship marketing and market turbulence in research literature

Customer Relationship Management Practices: The Impact on Organizational Performance in SMEs of Food Manufacturing Industry

The successful implementation of customer relationship management (CRM) practices is becoming widely accepted within marketing and sales department in manufacturing industry. Moreover, establishing the customer relationships have always been an important aspect of business. Hence, this study aims to explain the impact of CRM practices to organizational performance through a proposed conceptual model in Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) food manufacturing industry. A model developed and empirically tested through survey data obtained from 369 organizations. The results indicated that CRM practices have a significant positive effect on organizational performance. Similarly, the results revealed that enhanced key customer focus and relationship marketing leads to better organizational performance. Market turbulence was found to have a negative moderating effect on the relationship between CRM practices and organizational performance. This paper contributes to existing literature by incorporating CRM practices as a construct in the proposed model. The conclusions drawn have implications for CRM practices of key customer focus, relationship marketing and market turbulence in research literature. Keywords: customer relationship management practices, market turbulence, organizational performance, small and medium enterprises, food manufacturing industr

Adoption of Web 2.0 Social Media eCommerce in SMEs: Conceptualising Theories and Factors for Zambia

The application of Web 2.0 social media in eCommerce and e-marketplaces (ECEMs) in developing countries has been on the increase in recent times especially during Covid19 and beyond. However, it is still unclear what theoretical foundations and factors guide ECEM in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets such as Zambia. Generally, the understanding of eCommerce using Web 2.0 social media applications (WSMAs) in SMEs has lacked rigour over time as focus has shifted to pressing issues such as Covid19. This paper purposes to investigate the theoretical foundations and factors influencing WSMA for new eCommerce era in developing countries with particular emphasis on SMEs in Zambia. The methodological research design employs a qualitative study approach using literature reviews, coupled with content analysis of purposively selected articles. Results show that theories such as TAM, TPB, UTAUT2, TOE, TTF, DIT, among others, have guided eCommerce research in SWMA. Behavioural, technological and organisational factors such as trust, ease of use, after-sales logistics, price flexibility have been prevalent, among others. The paper ends with recommendations and strategies for continued adoption of WSMA by SMEs with similar geographical contexts to Zambian context

Electronic customer relationship management assimilation in Southeastern European companies—cluster analysis

This article aims to investigate the factors influencing the electronic customer relationship management (e-CRM) assimilation in Southeastern European companies. With ICT innovation in mind, a conceptual model is developed, integrating three theories of innovative diffusion. Multivariate techniques, factor analysis, and cluster analysis are applied in order to reduce the number of variables and classify the cases. A discriminant analysis is taken in order to test the reliability of the clustering and to explore the clusters’ characteristics. The relationships between cluster categorization and life cycle phases, along with the size of the firm, are all checked against contingency coefficients. When comparing cluster categorization, the research results show that the significance of technical, organizational, and environmental factors changes depending on the phase of the e-CRM assimilation. The results additionally show that the degree of usage and diffusion of these technologies differs in small to medium enterprises compared to big enterprises. Owing to these findings, which have enabled us to provide insights into the ways in which contextual factors influence the e-CRM assimilation, theorists, and practitioners can see the necessary patterns of action