INVESTIGATION OF THE POTENTIAL FOR THE EMERGENCE OF SMALL BUSINESS IN E-COMMERCE AT THE DOMESTIC & GLOBAL LEVEL
INVESTIGATION OF THE POTENTIAL FOR THE EMERGENCE OF SMALL BUSINESS IN E-COMMERCE AT THE DOMESTIC & GLOBAL LEVEL
The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for the emergence of small business enterprise to compete successfully in e-commerce at the domestic and global level. Specifically the impact of sales volume and economic output of the economy on the ability of the small business was investigated. Study participants were 300 professionals from the business and information technology fields.
Hypothesis one and two were accepted, sales volume of a small business enterprise and the probability that the enterprise will be able to compete successfully in e-commerce at the domestic and global levels were positively related. Hypothesis three and four were accepted, the domestic economic output of the home country of a small business enterprise and the probability that the enterprise will be able to compete successfully in e-commerce at the domestic and global levels were positively related.
Conclusions were the following: that the stage of development of the economy will likely have a greater impact on a company's probability of success in Internet commerce than will the sales volume of the company; companies with annual sales of less than US$10 million will enhance their probability of success in Internet commerce if they restrict their activities to domestic Internet commerce; and companies with annual sales of more than US$10 million but less than US$25 million that also are based in developing economies will enhance their probability of success in Internet commerce if they restrict their activities to domestic Internet commerce.
Scope, Delimitations, and Limitations 5
Introduction to the Literature Review 9
Variables and Operational Definitions 83
Results of Testing Hypothesis...