It is a dimension of Social Capital Theory used to provide a lens for examining network relationships by analyzing their shared values, beliefs, and norms.
Published in Chapter:
Trust, Social Networks and Electronic Commerce Adoption
Apivut Chakuthip (Griffith University, Australia), Yvonne Brunetto (Griffith University, Australia), Rod Farr-Wharton (University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia), and Sheryl Ramsay (Griffith University, Australia)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-106-3.ch030
Abstract
This chapter uses the structural and relational dimension of Social Capital Theory as the lens for examining the factors affecting a Small and Medium Enterprise’s (SME) intention to adopt electronic commerce (EC), using a one-shot experimental design. The findings suggest that in terms of the network structure, Thai SME owner/managers predominantly use their strong ties (such as family, relatives, friends) when discussing EC adoption issues. Moreover, trust in social networks (both predisposition to and experience of trust) was found to significantly influence the intention to adopt EC. This means that when Thai SME owner/managers are considering exploiting a potential business opportunity, the trustworthiness of the social network member appears to be more important than their credibility. An important implication of the findings is that, in mostly using their strong ties with family and friends, Thai SME owner/managers may not be obtaining accurate information about the benefits and costs involved in EC adoption.