Factors Affecting Adoption of Electronic Commerce among Small Medium Enterprises in Kenya: Survey of Tour and Travel Firms in Nairobi
Dr. Wanjau Kenneth, Macharia N. Rebecca, Ayodo Eunice M. A.
Abstract
The advent of Internet based electronic commerce offers considerable opportunities for large and small firms across to expand their customer base enter new products and rationalize their businesses by competing in the global economies. SMEs have generally been slow to adopt and evaluate electronic commerce. The SMEs have failed to reach the levels of adoption required to realize the benefits associated with it during formative stages of the enterprises. Many SMEs are unaware of the potential of electronic commerce to enhance their business operations which they consider not applicable to the products and service. This paper is a report on the factors that affect adoption of electronic commerce among SMEs in Kenya with particular reference to Tours and Travel Firms. The specific objectives of the study included determining the effect of leadership styles, resources, infrastructure and competition on the adoption of electronic commerce among SMEs in Kenya. The study used survey research design in collecting the data from respondents and simple random sampling procedure to select a sample that represented the entire population. The study population was three hundred and fifty tours and travel firms. This study found out that the majority of Tour and Travel firms have adopted electronic commerce in their daily transaction. The findings also showed the significance influence of leadership style, resources, infrastructure, competition and positioning on the adoption of electronic commerce.
Full Text: PDF