The Role of Small Business Strategic Alliances in the Adoption of E-Commerce in Small/Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Abstract

Despite advances in Internet technology, small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are reporting relatively low rates of e-commerce adoption. In response to this, government organizations are putting in place a number of initiatives to promote e-commerce use by SMEs. One of these initiatives is the formation of strategic alliances between businesses in order to pool resources and facilitate e-commerce adoption. This chapter examines the role of strategic alliances in e-commerce use by SMEs by presenting the results of a study of 313 Swedish businesses and by comparing the e-commerce adoption criteria, benefits, and disadvantages among those who are members of a strategic alliance and those who are not. The results of the study indicate distinct differences between the two groups in relation to specific aspects of e-commerce.