An investigation into the adoption of electronic commerce among Saudi Arabian SMEs

Sabah Abdullah Al-Somali*, Roya Gholami, Ben Clegg

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Published conference outputChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of e-commerce adoption by SMEs and the world-wide growth of e-commerce, in general there is a paucity of empirical studies that examine the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in the Middle East. In this paper, the authors provide insights into the salient e-commerce adoption issues by focusing on Saudi Arabian SMEs. This research was designed using a qualitative approach through in-depth case studies selected from firms in Saudi Arabia. The findings contribute toward a better conceptual and practical understanding of the main factors driving SMEs to adopt e-commerce. The authors find that the level of e-commerce implementation has yet to mature and customer readiness for Internet shopping must improve before e-commerce reaches the levels of maturity seen in other regions of the world. This study highlights directions for future inquiry and implications for information and technology managers and policymakers in developing Arab nations.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationE-commerce for organizational development and competitive advantage
EditorsMehdi Khosrow-Pour
PublisherIGI Global
Pages126-148
Number of pages23
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-4666-3623-1
ISBN (Print)978-1-4666-3700-9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2013

Publication series

NamePremier reference source
PublisherIGI global

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