E‐business and small Ghanaian exporters: Preliminary micro firm explorations in the light of a digital divide

Abstract

Purpose

The digital divide is supposed to place disadvantaged economies like Ghana in a position where using information and communication technology for development might not be an immediate reality. The purpose of this current study is to argue that the adoption of e‐business practices has benefit for small Ghanaian exporters' organizational improvement, and begin a first‐level investigation in that regard.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was exploratory and focused on a sample of active, non‐traditional exporters in Accra. This sample represented the best typology of small export firms in Ghana that had been regular exporters from 2000‐2004. In all, 60 firms responded to questionnaires on e‐business and exporting. Analysis of the data was mainly by means of descriptive statistics.

Findings

One‐way ANOVA analysis revealed that the export firm internationalization (measured by export intensity) has no bearing on the level of e‐business involvement or perceptions of the strategic value of e‐business. However, export firms who were more involved in e‐business had a higher perception of the usefulness of e‐business to their export operation. One‐way ANOVA analysis also revealed that for the export firms involved in some e‐business activity, the more internationalized they were, the more importance they attached to e‐business as providing some sort of organizational improvement leverage.

Practical implications

Given the exploratory nature of this study, more research is needed to study internal and external barriers to e‐business adoption by these firms, as well as the relationship between e‐business adoption and performance.

Originality/value

One of the first e‐business studies focusing on export firms on the disadvantaged end of the digital divide.

Citation

Hinson, R. and Sorensen, O. (2006), "E‐business and small Ghanaian exporters: Preliminary micro firm explorations in the light of a digital divide", Online Information Review, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 116-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520610659166