Small firm Internet adoption: opportunities forgone, a journey not begun
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
ISSN: 1462-6004
Article publication date: 1 September 2003
Abstract
This paper explores the endeavours of five small firms to develop Web‐based commerce capabilities within their existing operations. The focus is on the strategic acquisition and exploitation of knowledge which underpins new value creating activities related to Web‐based commerce. A normative Web‐based commerce adoption model developed from a review of the extant literature related to electronic marketing, entrepreneurship, and the diffusion of new innovations was empirically tested. A multiple case study design enabled the exploration of contemporary marketing and entrepreneurship issues within the real life context of five small firms. The model aimed to emphasis best‐practice adoption methods emphasizing the value of a firm’s market orientation and entrepreneurial capabilities. A preliminary test of the model’s theoretical contentions lent support to its overall focus, but found that the firm’s existing learning capabilities were diminished during the adoption of Web‐based commerce, and that a lack of vision and prior knowledge produced sub‐optimal adoption outcomes.
Keywords
Citation
Jones, C., Hecker, R. and Holland, P. (2003), "Small firm Internet adoption: opportunities forgone, a journey not begun", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 287-297. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626000310489763
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited