B2b e-commerce adoption amongst manufacturing smes: evidence from Ghana

Abstract

Electronic commerce (EC) has considerable potential to nurture the growth of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) in developed and developing nations alike. However, e-commerce growths among SMEs in developing countries are still in entry adoption level and not moving beyond this stage. The aim of this study is to examine the factors affecting B2B e-commerce adoption in SMEs in developing countries. A questionnaire survey technique was used to collect data from a sample of 209 manufacturing SMEs in Ghana. This study uses structural equation modelling to investigate how different factors affect different levels of B2B e-commerce adoption. The key findings revealed that each level of e-commerce adoption was affected by different factors from different level of adoption. Also, relative advantage and intensity of competition have a significant effect on adoption behavior in Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs. Implications of the study, limitations and future research directions are also discussed