Strategic Alliances and E-Commerce Adoption in Regional SMEs: A Comparative Study of Swedish and Australian Regional SMEs

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of strategic alliance membership on the adoption and nonadoption of e-commerce in regional SMEs. The study was conducted in Karlstad, Sweden and Wollongong, Australia. The study specifically examined whether members of a strategic alliance rated e-commerce adoption factors (criteria for adoption, barriers to adoption, benefits derived from adoption, or disadvantages caused by the adoption of e-commerce) differently to nonmembers. The results showed that membership in a strategic alliance was associated with the rating of importance of e-commerce adoption factors, but only for specific sections of the SME population. The results also showed that these associations are not “universal,” but differ from location to location.