The Short Term Intention of Managers to Adopt Internet Commerce After the Tech Wreck: Directions for Research

Abstract

Electronic commerce has been greeted with much excitement in both the research and wider community over its relatively short lifetime. While many authors have promoted electronic commerce, the “tech wreck” of early 2000 saw a sudden drop in e-commerce uptake. Only a limited amount of research has examined the reasons for the adoption of this technology. This study examines the reasons for commercial technology adoption and applies them to the adoption of internet commerce by Australian companies. The study establishes a set of business reasons for technology adoption, being the desire to gain a competitive advantage, desire to remove a competitive disadvantage, improve communication, reduce organisational costs, improve functionality and a possible bandwagon effect. The study finds that internet commerce adoption may be associated with attempts to attain a competitive advantage, to improve communication. As with many internet commerce adopters, there is evidence of institutional bandwagon effects.