Title:	E-BUSINESS ADOPTION TRAJECTORIES OF SME’s IN SCOTLAND
Author(s):	Colin Combe
ISBN:	972-8924-06-2
Editors:	Nitya Karmakar and Pedro Isaías
Year:	2005
Edition:	Single
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	298
Last Page:	302
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	The Scottish Executive has been active in encouraging small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) to engage with e-business as part of their aim of developing the knowledge economy in Scotland. However, there have been few empirically-based studies undertaken that enhance understanding of the extent of e-business adoption among SME’s or, more pertinently, the adoption trajectories that SME’s follow as part of their e-business strategy. This paper addresses the gap in understanding by focusing an investigation on the e-business adoption trajectories of SME’s in Scotland. The objective of the study is to use a staged model to determine the current and intended adoption trajectories of SME’s in Scotland using a questionnaire survey. As Dosi (1982) noted, technological trajectories tend to suggest a sequential increase in innovation. In a study of e-commerce adoption of SME’s in the UK, Daniel et.al (2002) postulate that e-business and e-commerce can be viewed as “clusters of separate innovations” and extol the benefits of using a staged model as a basis for analysis. Specifically, the staged model sets a framework for determining progressively more complex e-business applications. From this it is possible to discern trends in e-business adoption. This attribute underpins the suitability of the staged model in determining e-business adoption trajectories. The analysis that follows articulates the gradual process of e-business adoption of SME’s in Scotland and provides a valuable insight into the evolution of e-business in Scotland. Firstly, however, it is useful to address the previous literature on the concept of e-business adoption.
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