Nazir, Muhammad Arsalan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5416-9010 and Roomi, Muhammad Azam (2021) Barriers to adopting electronic commerce for small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging economies. Emerging Markets Journal (EMAJ), 10 (2). pp. 44-55. ISSN 2159-242X (Print), 2158-8708 (Online) (doi:10.5195/emaj.2020.203)

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Abstract

With the availability of the Internet as an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool, electronic commerce (e-commerce) has received much attention in many Western and developed countries. However, it has been given little attention in emerging economies, and therefore e-commerce adoption has been particularly difficult for Small and Medium�sized Enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this review paper is to explore several types of barriers that influence the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in emerging economies. An exhaustive review of the literature was conducted on the subject. It further evaluates and extends Tornatzky and Fleischer‟s (1990) Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework by adding a micro-level context - that of the entrepreneurial (individual) characteristics of owner-managers‟ to examine various contextual challenges SMEs face in adopting e-commerce in emerging economies. The paper examines a number of new dynamic and contextual barriers identified in the study, grouping them into four themes: technological, organizational, environmental and extended "entrepreneurial (individual) characteristics of owner managers‟. The paper sets up a new conceptual framework and has established a holistic view of contextual barrier themes for the coming years. In addition, this theoretical model provides us with the new barriers related to „entrepreneurial (individual) characteristics of owners/managers‟ and „local business institutions in supporting e- commerce‟ that influences the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in emerging economies. Based on this extended framework, future areas of research can be determined, and owner-managers of SMEs, new entrepreneurs and government authorities in emerging economies will be able to identify emerging concepts in e-commerce.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	SMEs, entrepreneurship, e-commerce, technology, emerging economies
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > Executive Business Centre
Last Modified:	19 Feb 2025 20:15
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/49725

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