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Potential and Barriers to Adoption of B2B E-Commerce in SMEs in Transition Economies: Case of Albania

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  • Narasimha Rao Vajjhala

    (American University of Nigeria, Nigeria)

  • Salu George Thandekkattu

    (American University of Nigeria, Nigeria)

Abstract

Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) can benefit significantly from investments in e-commerce and e-business. However, the adoption of e-commerce has been quite slow and limited among SMEs, especially in transition economies. Interviews were conducted with senior managers from 30 medium-sized enterprises in a transition economy – Albania, three from each of the ten key sectors, namely, information and communication technology (ICT), tourism, banking, financial services, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and retailing. The qualitative data coded from the in-depth interviews was analysed using NVIVO® for identifying key themes. Four key themes were identified along with ten subthemes. This study identified the four key themes that can guide the organizational leadership of medium-sized enterprises in transition economies in strategically leveraging e-commerce technology. The four key themes identified in this study include resource constraints, external environmental factors, organizational issues, and resistance to acceptance of new technology. The identification of the key barrier factors will help the organizational leadership in transition economies, such as Albania devise strategies to promote adoption of e-commerce in the SMEs. The findings of this study will help the organizational leadership of SMEs in transition economies identify measures to address and resolve the barriers to adoption of e-commerce. This study also adds value to the limited literature on barriers to e-commerce adoption in the context of SMEs in transition economies. The study offers insights on e-commerce adoption by SMEs, which can be applied to other transition and emerging economies attempting to understand the barriers that might hinder the adoption of e-commerce by the SMEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Narasimha Rao Vajjhala & Salu George Thandekkattu, 2017. "Potential and Barriers to Adoption of B2B E-Commerce in SMEs in Transition Economies: Case of Albania," Management, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 12(2), pages 155-169.
    • Handle: RePEc:mgt:youmng:v:12:y:2017:i:2:p:155-169
    DOI: 10.26493/1854-4231.12.155-169
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ruby Roy Dholakia & Nir Kshetri, 2004. "Factors Impacting the Adoption of the Internet among SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 311-322, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Honey Yadav & Umang Soni & Shubham Gupta & Girish Kumar, 2022. "Evaluation of Barriers in the Adoption of E-Commerce Technology in SMEs: A Fuzzy DEMATEL Approach," Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations (JECO), IGI Global, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Pedro Costa & Helena Rodrigues, 2024. "The ever-changing business of e-commerce-net benefits while designing a new platform for small companies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(9), pages 2507-2545, September.

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