Professors who offer a postgraduate research course with a focus on e.commerce and SMEs should consider using this book. Like the Burgess book "Managing Information Technology in Small Business" (Stephen Burgess, IDEA, 2002) this is another must read for someone new to IS research in SMEs. The two books complement each other as this book focuses on e.commerce, while the Burgess book covered a broader range of research topics, although about half of it was devoted to e.commerce.
– Paul Cragg, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
This book provides important information about various issues faced by SMEs in adopting electronic commerce. It covers a comprehensive range of topics and serves as a useful resource for researchers and practitioners interested in the challenges faced by SMEs in leveraging electronic commerce for business efficiency and competitiveness. It is a must read for those interested in SMEs and electronic commerce. It also helps to synthesize current research on electronic commerce and SMEs with contributions from many countries around the world.
– Thompson Teo, National University of Singapore
In the aftermath of the hype surrounding Electronic Commerce in previous years, it is encouraging to see worldly, yet theoretically robust, works addressing the present and future of Electronic Commerce in an objective manner. The book addresses an area of eCommerce application that has been largely overlooked and under-researched in previous literature: how can small and medium enterprises exploit eCommerce capabilities to reap benefits comparable to those enjoyed by successful eCommerce implementations in large organizations. The book will be extremely useful to managers seeking to understand critical success factors, as well as barriers to adoption, of eCommerce by SMEs, and to researchers investigating the future of eCommerce in the small sector economy.
– Dr. George M. Giaglis, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
Dr. Al-Qirim has categorized 20 chapters into 9 interesting sections which covered different important electronic commerce topics in SMEs in different countries in the world: electronic commerce research issues, social & cultural impacts, critical success factors, developing countries, supply chain, opportunities & threats and ASPs. I found the issues and the themes raised in this book extremely useful to students, researchers and professionals interested in this important area of research. I commend Dr. Al-Qirim for this contribution to the IS field.
– Dr. Majid Al Mashari. Editor of Business Process Management Journal
This book will be essential reading for anybody interested in SMEs and e-commerce. The large variety of research topics, geographical settings and research methodology makes it a MUST.
– Ada Scupola, Roskilde University
Al-Qirim has brought together a rich collection of research that I think adds a great deal to our body of knowledge about this sector. For a long time the needs of SMEs in this area have been misrepresented but this book helps to set the record straight, while suggesting opportunities for improvement. This book will challenge your understanding of the role and value of e-commerce for small and medium-sized businesses as it generates as many new questions as answers. I recommend this book as essential reading for anyone who really wants to learn how to help SMEs innovate with e-commerce, but without the hype!
– James Dellow-IT Consultant-Australia
This is a remarkably international text in an age dominated by Western views of eCommerce, presenting an astonishing array of national and cultural perspectives on eCommerce in SMEs. It provides an excellent introduction to the topic for students and researchers alike. It should also be of significant value to eCommerce practitioners who seek to learn more about eCommerce opportunities.
– Robert Davison, City University of Hong Kong
This book provides a valuable insight into central issues concerning the transformation of companies in the SME sector for the networked economy. It will be a great resource to both Information Systems researchers and practitioners working with SMEs.
– Dag H. Olsen, Agder University College, Norway
SMEs make up the lion's share of businesses in most economies. However, there has typically been a lack of research into e-commerce impacts, much tending to favor corporations or start-ups. It is therefore good to see a book dedicated to this topic.
– Stuart J Barnes, School of Information Management, Victoria University