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Determinants of E-Commerce Adoption and Post-Adoption of Saudi Enterpr PDF

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E-Commerce Diffusion in High-Income Developing Countries: Determinants of E-Commerce Adoption and Post-Adoption of Saudi Enterprises Mubarak A. Aldwsry A thesis submitted to the School of Computing Sciences of the University of East Anglia for the fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computing Sciences September 2012 © “This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived there from must be in accordance with current UK Copyright Law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution.” ii ABSTRACT The ubiquitous nature of e-commerce in developing countries demands an innovative conceptualisation of its adoption and post-adoption that responds to various contextual circumstances. Despite efforts made to investigate e-commerce adoption in developing countries, the literature suggests that the focus is mostly on a single perspective of a single adoption stage and concentrates on specific locations. To extend our understanding of the phenomenon, an exploratory phase is undertaken through a literature review as well as an exploratory investigation. Consequently, a holistic framework is integrated that includes organisational and environmental factors, in addition to innovation attributes. The framework is empirically validated using a statistically representative sample size of 384 enterprises of various sizes and industries in a high-income developing country from a poorly investigated region. The empirical analysis shows that perceived benefits as well as mimetic pressure are more influential for the adoption of e-commerce and scope of use than the utilisation amongst adopter organisations. In addition to coercive pressure, the readiness of financial institutions, IT industry and the government affect the scope of e- commerce use. For adopter firms, the extent of e-commerce adoption is influenced by business process readiness, government readiness and security. Commitment, especially from top managers, is a key determinant that links e-commerce adoption to the extent of adoption and the scope of e-commerce use. The findings indicate that the proposed models are sufficiently reliable in discriminating not only adopters from non-adopters, but also the extent of adoption and use across the value chain. Together, this research offers a multi-perspective framework of e-commerce adoption and post-adoption in high-income developing countries and identifies the factors that affect e- commerce adoption, and how these effects vary across adoption stages. It presents insight into various issues that influence e-commerce adoption and post-adoption in this little- explored region, which will be of interest to researchers, practitioners and policy makers. Keywords: Innovation diffusion; e-commerce adoption; e-readiness; developing countries; Saudi Arabia. ii i TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables.......................................................................................................................ix List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................xi Chapter 1: Research Introduction.......................................................................................1 1.1 Overview........................................................................................................................1 1.2 Background ....................................................................................................................1 1.2.1 Developing Countries ..............................................................................................2 1.2.2 The Saudi Arabian Context .......................................................................................4 1.3 Problem Statement and Motivation...................................................................................7 1.4 Research Aim and Objectives.........................................................................................10 1.5 Introduction to Research Design..................................................................................... 11 1.6 Research Scope and Delimitations..................................................................................12 1.7 Thesis Outline...............................................................................................................12 1.8 Summary ......................................................................................................................14 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...........................................................................................16 2.1 Overview......................................................................................................................16 2.2 E-Commerce Research in Developing Countries .............................................................16 2.3 Innovation Adoption and Diffusion.................................................................................18 2.3.1 The Adoption of IS/IT Innovations ..........................................................................19 2.3.2 Types of IS/IT Innovations .....................................................................................21 2.3.3 E-Commerce as an Innovation ................................................................................22 2.3.3.1 E-Commerce Definition ..................................................................................23 2.3.3.2 E-Commerce/E-Business Development Stages .................................................24 2.3.3.3 E-Commerce Adoption in Developing Countries ..............................................26 2.4 E-Commerce Adoption Frameworks...............................................................................28 2.4.1 Technological Frameworks .....................................................................................28 2.4.2 Managerial and Organisational Frameworks ............................................................30 2.4.3 Environmental and Cultural Frameworks.................................................................32 2.4.4 Interactionism Frameworks ....................................................................................33 2.4.5 Beyond E-Commerce Adoption ..............................................................................38 2.4.6 E-Commerce Adoption Frameworks: Summary and Critique ....................................38 2.4.7 Knowledge Gap .....................................................................................................41 2.5 Theoretical Development ...............................................................................................42 iv 2.5.1 Innovation Perspective ...........................................................................................43 2.5.2 Institutional Perspective .........................................................................................44 2.5.3 The Readiness Perspective......................................................................................44 2.5.3.1 Micro-level Readiness...................................................................................45 2.5.3.2 Macro-level Readiness ..................................................................................45 2.5.4 The TOE Framework .............................................................................................46 2.5.5 The Preliminary Research Framework.....................................................................47 2.6 Summary ......................................................................................................................48 Chapter 3: Research Methodology and Design..................................................................49 3.1 Overview......................................................................................................................49 3.2 Underlying Research Paradigm ......................................................................................50 3.3 Research Approach........................................................................................................51 3.4 Research Strategy..........................................................................................................53 3.5 Research Design ...........................................................................................................54 3.5.1 The Exploratory Phase: Framework Development....................................................56 3.5.1.1 Literature Review ...........................................................................................56 3.5.1.2 The Exploratory Study ...................................................................................56 3.5.2 The Explanatory Phase: Framework Testing and Explanation....................................57 3.5.3 Time Dimension ....................................................................................................58 3.5.4 Risk Assessment ....................................................................................................58 3.6 Data Collection .............................................................................................................59 3.6.1 The Mixed-Method Approach .................................................................................59 3.6.2 Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................60 3.7 Sampling Procedure ......................................................................................................62 3.7.1 Target Population ...................................................................................................62 3.7.2 Sample Frame .......................................................................................................62 3.7.3 Sample Participants................................................................................................63 3.7.4 Sample Size...........................................................................................................64 3.7.5 Sampling Techniques .............................................................................................66 3.7.5.1 Probability Sampling Techniques.....................................................................66 3.7.5.2 Non-probability Sampling Techniques .............................................................66 3.8 Data Analysis................................................................................................................68 3.8.1 Qualitative Analysis ...............................................................................................68 3.8.2 Quantitative Analysis .............................................................................................69 3.9 Research Credibility ......................................................................................................69 3.10 Ethical Consideration ..................................................................................................70 3.11 Summary ....................................................................................................................71 v Chapter 4: Exploratory Study and Proposition Raising ....................................................72 4.1 Overview......................................................................................................................72 4.2 The Need for an Exploratory Phase ................................................................................72 4.3 Study Methodology ......................................................................................................73 4.4 Study Plan and Administration .......................................................................................74 4.5 Qualitative Data Analysis ..............................................................................................75 4.6 Findings Presentation ....................................................................................................78 4.6.1 Organisational Profiles and Key Issues on ICT and E-Commerce ..............................78 4.6.2 Innovation Attributes..............................................................................................80 4.6.2.1 Perceived Benefits ..........................................................................................80 4.6.2.2 Compatibility .................................................................................................82 4.6.2.3 Complexity ....................................................................................................82 4.6.2.4 Security .........................................................................................................83 4.6.2.5 Perceived Costs ..............................................................................................83 4.6.3 Organisational Factors............................................................................................85 4.6.3.1 Technology and Human Resources ..................................................................85 4.6.3.2 Commitment ..................................................................................................86 4.6.3.3 Process Readiness ..........................................................................................87 4.6.3.4 Governance....................................................................................................88 4.6.4 Environmental Factors ...........................................................................................88 4.6.4.1 Mimetic Pressure............................................................................................88 4.6.4.2 Coercive Pressure ...........................................................................................90 4.6.4.3 Normative Pressure ........................................................................................92 4.6.4.4 Institutional Trust ...........................................................................................92 4.6.4.5 External Support ............................................................................................94 4.6.4.6 Government Readiness ...................................................................................95 4.6.4.6.1 Regulatory Environment..........................................................................95 4.6.4.6.2 Government Intensives and Support .........................................................96 4.6.4.6.3 Government Requirements ......................................................................97 4.6.4.7 Supporting Industry Readiness ........................................................................98 4.6.4.7.1 ICT Infrastructure ...................................................................................98 4.6.4.7.2 Financial Institutions ...............................................................................99 4.6.4.7.3 IT Industry............................................................................................ 100 4.6.4.7.4 Postal and Delivery Services .................................................................. 101 4.6.4.7.5 IT Centres............................................................................................. 102 4.6.4.8 Consumer Readiness..................................................................................... 102 4.6.4.8.1 Consumer Awareness............................................................................. 102 4.6.4.8.2 Consumer Culture ................................................................................. 104 v i 4.6.5 Summary of Findings ........................................................................................... 105 4.7 Major Findings and Framework Refinement ................................................................. 106 4.8 Construct Identification and Proposition Raising ........................................................... 109 4.8.1 Innovation Attributes............................................................................................ 110 4.8.1.1 Perceived Benefits ........................................................................................ 110 4.8.1.2 Compatibility ............................................................................................... 111 4.8.1.3 Security ....................................................................................................... 111 4.8.1.4 Perceived Costs ............................................................................................ 112 4.8.2 Organisational Factors.......................................................................................... 113 4.8.2.1 Technology and Human Resources ................................................................ 113 4.8.2.2 Commitment ................................................................................................ 114 4.8.2.3 Process Readiness ........................................................................................ 115 4.8.2.4 Governance ................................................................................................. 115 4.8.3 Environmental Factors ......................................................................................... 116 4.8.3.1 Institutional Pressures ................................................................................... 116 4.8.3.1.1 Mimetic Pressure .................................................................................. 117 4.8.3.1.2 Coercive Pressure.................................................................................. 118 4.8.3.1.3 Normative Pressure ............................................................................... 119 4.8.3.2 Institutional Trust ......................................................................................... 120 4.8.3.3 External Support .......................................................................................... 121 4.8.3.4 Government Readiness ................................................................................. 122 4.8.3.5 ICT Infrastructure and Supporting Services Readiness .................................... 123 4.8.3.6 Consumer Readiness..................................................................................... 125 4.8.4 E-Commerce Adoption and Post-Adoption ............................................................ 126 4.9 Summary .................................................................................................................... 128 Chapter 5: The Empirical Settings and Data Validation ................................................. 129 5.1 Overview.................................................................................................................... 129 5.2 Research Constructs .................................................................................................... 129 5.3 Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of Research Constructs .................................. 130 5.3.1 The Dependent Variables ..................................................................................... 131 5.3.1.1 E-Commerce Adoption and Utilisation........................................................... 131 5.3.1.2 E-Commerce Scope of Use ........................................................................... 132 5.3.2 Innovation Attributes............................................................................................ 132 5.3.2.1 Perceived Benefits ........................................................................................ 132 5.3.2.2 Compatibility ............................................................................................... 133 5.3.2.3 Security ....................................................................................................... 134 5.3.2.4 Perceived Costs ............................................................................................ 134 v ii 5.3.3 Organisational Factors.......................................................................................... 135 5.3.3.1 Technology Resources .................................................................................. 135 5.3.3.2 Human Resources......................................................................................... 136 5.3.3.3 Commitment ................................................................................................ 136 5.3.3.4 Process Readiness ........................................................................................ 137 5.3.3.5 Governance.................................................................................................. 138 5.3.3.6 Demographic Variables and Organisational Characteristics.............................. 139 5.3.4 Environmental Factors ......................................................................................... 139 5.3.4.1 Mimetic Pressure.......................................................................................... 139 5.3.4.2 Normative Pressure ...................................................................................... 140 5.3.4.3 Coercive Pressure ......................................................................................... 140 5.3.4.4 Institutional Trust ......................................................................................... 141 5.3.4.5 Government Readiness ................................................................................. 142 5.3.4.6 Supporting Industry Readiness ...................................................................... 143 5.3.4.7 ICT Infrastructure Readiness ......................................................................... 144 5.3.4.8 Consumer Readiness..................................................................................... 145 5.3.5 Summary of Research Constructs.......................................................................... 145 5.4 Study Methodology ..................................................................................................... 146 5.4.1 Survey Design ..................................................................................................... 146 5.4.2 Survey Piloting .................................................................................................... 147 5.4.3 Survey Administration ......................................................................................... 149 5.5 Data Validation ........................................................................................................... 152 5.5.1 Missing Data Analysis.......................................................................................... 153 5.5.2 Assessing Underlying Assumptions ....................................................................... 156 5.6 Demographic Analysis................................................................................................. 158 5.7 E-Commerce Scope and Utilisation .............................................................................. 159 5.8 Assessing Possible Biases ............................................................................................ 160 5.9 Summary .................................................................................................................... 162 Chapter 6: Quantitative Data Analysis............................................................................ 163 6.1 Overview.................................................................................................................... 163 6.2 Measurement Model.................................................................................................... 163 6.2.1 Initial Reliability.................................................................................................. 164 6.2.2 Measurement Validity .......................................................................................... 166 6.2.3 Exploratory Factor Analysis ................................................................................. 166 6.2.3.1 Factor Extraction .......................................................................................... 168 6.2.3.2 Factor Rotation............................................................................................. 170 6.2.4 Construct Validity and Reliability ......................................................................... 174 v iii 6.2.5 Summated Scale .................................................................................................. 177 6.3 Structural Model ......................................................................................................... 177 6.3.1 Data Validation .................................................................................................... 178 6.3.2 Research Models and Findings ............................................................................. 180 6.3.2.1 E-Commerce Adoption ................................................................................. 181 6.3.2.2 E-Commerce Utilisation ............................................................................... 187 6.3.2.3 E-Commerce Scope of Use ........................................................................... 191 6.4 Summary .................................................................................................................... 194 Chapter 7: Discussion of Findings................................................................................... 195 7.1 Overview.................................................................................................................... 195 7.2 Discussion of Findings ................................................................................................ 195 7.2.1 Innovation Attributes............................................................................................ 197 7.2.2 Organisational Factors.......................................................................................... 199 7.2.3 Environmental Factors ......................................................................................... 202 7.2.4 Discussion Notes ................................................................................................. 207 7.3 Summary .................................................................................................................... 208 Chapter 8: Research Conclusion ..................................................................................... 209 8.1 Overview.................................................................................................................... 209 8.2 Research Summary ..................................................................................................... 209 8.3 Contributions to the Body of Knowledge ...................................................................... 212 8.4 Research Implications ................................................................................................. 215 8.4.1 Managerial Implications ....................................................................................... 216 8.4.2 Policy Implications .............................................................................................. 218 8.5 Limitations and Future Work........................................................................................ 222 8.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 223 References....................................................................................................................... 225 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 246 Appendix A: Exploratory Study: Supporting Letter from the Academic Advisor ................... 247 Appendix A: Exploratory Study Guide ............................................................................... 248 Appendix B: Research Constructs and their Measurement Items .......................................... 251 Appendix C (I): Questionnaire Survey – English Version .................................................... 255 Appendix C (II): Questionnaire Survey – Arabic Version..................................................... 261 Appendix D: Correlation Matrix ........................................................................................ 267 Appendix E (I): Construct Reliability: Initial Reliability...................................................... 273 Appendix E (II): Construct Reliability: Final Reliability...................................................... 276 ix List of Tables Table 1.1: Digital divide between developed and developing countries.......................................2 Table 1.2: Key indicators of ICT sector in Saudi Arabia ..........................................................6 Table 2.1: Types of IS innovations .......................................................................................22 Table 2.2: Some studies adopted the TOE framework to examine Internet-based innovations...35 Table 2.2: Contextual factors of the TOE framework in some e-commerce/e-business studies ..36 Table 3.1: Strengths and weakness of data collection techniques and their use in this research .61 Table 3.3: Types of triangulation and their applications in this research ..................................70 Table 4.1: Profiles of the participating enterprises .................................................................79 Table 4.2: Recognised benefits of the participating enterprises ...............................................80 Table 4.3: IT Sophistication of the participating enterprises ...................................................86 Table 4.4: Summary of e-commerce issues and concerns in this study .................................. 106 Table 4.5: Summary of major e-commerce findings at different level of analysis................... 107 Table 5.1: Construct reliability for the pilot study................................................................ 148 Table 5.2: Summary of distribution of 800 questionnaires and 434 responses........................ 152 Table 5.3: The number of cases with respect to their missing data percentages ...................... 152 Table 5.4: Summary statistics of the extent of variables’ missing data................................... 154 Table 5.5: Summary statistics of demographic characteristics of participants and enterprises . 158 Table 5.6: Summary of e-commerce utilisation and scope of use .......................................... 159 Table 5.7: Testing possible biases: top managers vs. non-top managers................................. 160 Table 5.8: Testing possible biases: IS respondents vs. non-IS respondents............................. 161 Table 5.9: Testing possible biases: paper responses vs. online responses ............................... 162 Table 6.1: Initial reliability of the study constructs .............................................................. 164 Table 6.2: KMO and Bartlett's test ..................................................................................... 168 Table 6.3: Total variance explained .................................................................................... 169 Table 6.4: Communalities of research items........................................................................ 169 Table 6.5: Final rotated component matrix of factor analysis................................................ 171 Table 6.6: Summary of factor loadings according to Comrey and Lee’s (1992) classification . 172 Table 6.7: Summary of smallest within-factor (intra-factor) correlation in the scale ............... 174 Table 6.8: Summary of K-count to test discriminant validity ................................................ 175 Table 6.9: Correlation matrix of research variables.............................................................. 176 Table 6.10: Construct reliability and validity ...................................................................... 176 Table 6.11: Summary statistics and normality tests.............................................................. 179 Table 6.12: Collinearity statistics ....................................................................................... 180 Table 6.13: Variables in the equation and classification table for the baseline model .............. 181 Table 6.14: Variables in the equation and classification table for the first block model ........... 182 Table 6.15: Variables in the equation and classification table for the second block model....... 183 Table 6.16: Test of parallel lines......................................................................................... 188 x Table 6.17: Goodness-of-fit test ......................................................................................... 188 Table 6.18: Model fitting information................................................................................. 189 Table 6.19: Results of ordered logistic regression analysis ................................................... 189 Table 6.20: Classification table of e-commerce utilisation ................................................... 190 Table 6.21: Goodness-of-fit test ......................................................................................... 192 Table 6.22: Model fitting information................................................................................. 193 Table 6.23: Results of e-commerce scope of use analysis..................................................... 193 Table 7.1: Summary of the impact of research factors on e-commerce adoption stages .......... 196 List of Figures Figure 1.1: Introduction to research design ........................................................................... 11 Figure 1.2: Organisation of the thesis ...................................................................................15 Figure 2.1: Diagrammatic representation of the literature review............................................17 Figure 2.2: The innovation diffusion process ........................................................................18 Figure 2.3: E-business stages of growth................................................................................25 Figure 2.4: Technology acceptance model (TAM) .................................................................29 Figure 2.5: Theory of planned behaviour (TBP) ....................................................................31 Figure 2.6: Preliminary framework for e-commerce adoption in developing countries .............48 Figure 3.1: Research design.................................................................................................55 Figure 4.1: Phases of thematic analysis ................................................................................76 Figure 4.2: Conceptual framework for e-commerce adoption in developing countries............ 110 Figure 4.3: Broadband subscriptions in developed and developing countries......................... 124 Figure 5.1: Summary of the distributed and returned questionnaires ..................................... 151 Figure 5.2: Overall summary of non-ignorable missing data ................................................ 153 Figure 5.3: Examples of the distribution of study variables .................................................. 157 Figure 6.1: Conceptual framework for e-commerce adoption in developing countries............ 172 Figure 6.2: Observed groups and predicted probabilities...................................................... 185 Figure 7.1: The impact of research constructs on e-commerce adoption stages ...................... 197 Figure 8.1: Summary of the research findings ..................................................................... 215

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picture to motivate solutions and highlight recommendations that would help in guiding .. limited to Internet-based commerce, as it does not include non-Internet activities, such as. EDI. Given e-commerce definition adopted in this research, e-commerce E-commerce evolution: a Golf region review.
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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.