Government Intervention in SMEs' E-Commerce Adoption: An Institutional Approach

Abstract

This study investigates the role of government in the adoption and diffusion of e-commerce in small and medium size enterprises. Institutional involvement, and especially the role of government, has historically been determinant in the adoption and diffusion of technological innovations. King, Gurbaxani, Kraemer, McFarlan, Raman, and Yap’s (1994) framework of institutional factors in information technology innovation is used to analyze what is actually done and what SMEs would like to be done regarding government intervention to foster the adoption and diffusion of e-commerce. The findings show that the government could mostly influence adoption and diffusion through knowledge deployment, subsidies, and mobilization and that a convergence between companies’ wishes and government initiatives is starting taking place.