<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>UTas ePrints - Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises</title> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/javascript/auto.js"><!-- padder --></script> <style type="text/css" media="screen">@import url(http://eprints.utas.edu.au/style/auto.css);</style> <style type="text/css" media="print">@import url(http://eprints.utas.edu.au/style/print.css);</style> <link rel="icon" href="/images/eprints/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/images/eprints/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> <link rel="Top" href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/" /> <link rel="Search" href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/search" /> <meta content="Marshall, Peter" name="eprints.creators_name" /> <meta content="McKay, Judy" name="eprints.creators_name" /> <meta content="Peter.Marshall@utas.edu.au" name="eprints.creators_id" /> <meta content="jmckay@ict.swin.edu.au" name="eprints.creators_id" /> <meta content="article" name="eprints.type" /> <meta content="2007-11-05 02:17:51" name="eprints.datestamp" /> <meta content="2008-01-08 15:30:00" name="eprints.lastmod" /> <meta content="show" name="eprints.metadata_visibility" /> <meta content="Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises" name="eprints.title" /> <meta content="pub" name="eprints.ispublished" /> <meta content="280000" name="eprints.subjects" /> <meta content="public" name="eprints.full_text_status" /> <meta content="electronic commerce, IT evaluation, benefits management, small and medium enterprises" name="eprints.keywords" /> <meta content="This paper outlines and analyses the behaviors of small and medium enterprises with respect to the evaluation of electronic commerce investments, and the subsequent realization of the anticipated benefits from those investments. The responses of executives who participated in the study suggested that on-going involvement in electronic commerce did not come cheaply. Nonetheless, our study suggests that there were generally ad hoc approaches to evaluation of the proposed electronic commerce investments, almost non-existent post-implementation reviews, few measures of success, and generally speaking, there was little evidence of there being proactive management of the realization of benefits of those investments. Perhaps not surprisingly, the group interviewed seemed somewhat disappointed with the outcomes of their electronic commerce initiatives. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly for countries where small and medium enterprises contribute a large proportion of total economic activity, and where thus it is vital for small and medium enterprises to successfully engage in electronic commerce if the country is to derive the benefits of the new economy." name="eprints.abstract" /> <meta content="2002" name="eprints.date" /> <meta content="published" name="eprints.date_type" /> <meta content="Australian Journal of Information Systems" name="eprints.publication" /> <meta content="9" name="eprints.volume" /> <meta content="2" name="eprints.number" /> <meta content="135-147" name="eprints.pagerange" /> <meta content="TRUE" name="eprints.refereed" /> <meta content="1449-8618" name="eprints.issn" /> <meta content="http://dl.acs.org.au/index.php/ajis/article/view/200" name="eprints.official_url" /> <meta content="Anderson Consulting (1998) e-Commerce: Our Future Today, http://www.ac.com Australian Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DOCITA) (2000a) Australia's E-commerce Report Card, http://www.noie.gov.au/ReportCard Australian Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DOCITA) (2000b) ECommerce Beyond 2000. http://www.dcita.gov.au Behrendorff, G., Fisher, J., Goldsworthy, M. A., Corbitt, B.and Perks, G. (1996) Advice on Electronic Commerce Programmes for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), http://www.cec.buseco.monash.edu.au/reports/dist/report.htm Canberra, Australia: Department of Industry Science and Tourism Bryman, A. Research Methods and Organizational Studies. Routledge, London, 1989. Crawford, J. (1998) NEWS: A Project to Get Smaller Enterprises On-line. Ultimo, NSW: Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (DIST), and Tradegate ECA. Czerniawska, F. and Potter, G. (1998) Business in a Virtual World: Exploiting Information for Competitive Advantage, Macmillan Press, London. Earl, M.J. (1994) Putting information technology in its place: a polemic for the nineties. In R.G. Galliers and B.S.H. Baker (eds.) Strategic Information Management: Challenges and Strategies in Managing Information Systems. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, pp76-90. Ernst & Young (2000a) Global On-line Retailing, http://www.ey.com.au Ernst & Young (2000b) Virtual Shopping in Australia, http://www.ey.com.au Farbey, B., Land, F. and Targett, D. (1992) Evaluating investments in IT. Journal of Information Technology, 7(2): 100-112. Fowler, FJ. and Mangione, T.W. Standardized Survey Interviewing: Minimizing Interviewer-Related Error. Sage, Newbury Park, 1990. Galliers, R.D. "Choosing appropriate information systems research approaches: a revised taxonomy." In Information Systems Research: Contemporary Approaches and Emergent Traditions. H.E. Nissen, H.K. Klein and R. Hirschheim (eds.) Elsevier Science Publishers, North Holland, 1991. Kempis, R. and Ringbeck, J. (1999) Do IT Smart: Seven Rules for Superior Information technology Performance. Free Press, New York. Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P. (2000) Management Information Systems: Organization and Technology in the Networked Enterprise. 6th ed. Prentice Hall, N.J. Leedy, P.D. Practical research: Planning and Design 5th ed. Macmillan, New York, 1993. Marshall, P., Sor R. and McKay, J. (2000) Electronic Commerce and Car Retailing: An Industry Case Study. International Journal of Electronic Commerce Research. 1(1). McKay, J and Marshall, P. (2001) The IT Evaluation and Benefits Management Life Cycle. In Van Grembergen, W. (Editor) IT Evaluation Methods and Management. Idea Publishing Group. Neuman, W.L. Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches. 3rd ed Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 1997. O'Connor, J. and Galvin, E. (1998) Creating value through eCommerce. Financial Times Management, London. OECD (1998) SMEs and Electronic Commerce, Working Party on Small And Medium-sized Enterprises, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Small Business Index (1999) Survey of Computer Technology and E-commerce in Australian Small and Medium Business, http://www.pacificaccess.com .au US Department of Commerce (1999) The Emerging Digital Economy n, http://www.ecommerce. gov/emerging.htm Valli, C. and Marshall, P. "An initial study of Australian on-line bookstores." Paper accepted for presentation at 2nd Annual Global Information Technology Management 2001 World Conference, Dallas, Texas, 10-12 June, 2001. Ward, J., Taylor, P. and Bond, P. (1996) Evaluation and realisation of IS/IT benefits: an empirical study of current practice. European Journal of Information Systems, 4, 214-225. Willcocks, L. and Lester, S. (1997) Assessing IT productivity: any way out of the labyrinth? In L. Willcocks, D. Feeny and G. Islei (eds.) Managing IT as a Strategic Resource. McGraw Hill, London. Zwass, V. (2001) Structure and macro-level impacts of electronic commerce: from technological infrastructure to electronic marketplaces, http://mhhe.com/busmess/mis/zwass/ecpaper.html 147" name="eprints.referencetext" /> <meta content="Marshall, Peter and McKay, Judy (2002) Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises. Australian Journal of Information Systems, 9 (2). pp. 135-147. ISSN 1449-8618" name="eprints.citation" /> <meta content="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2382/1/Evaluating_the_Benefits_of_Electronic_Commerce_in_Small_and_Medium_Enterprises.pdf" name="eprints.document_url" /> <link rel="schema.DC" href="http://purl.org/DC/elements/1.0/" /> <meta content="Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises" name="DC.title" /> <meta content="Marshall, Peter" name="DC.creator" /> <meta content="McKay, Judy" name="DC.creator" /> <meta content="280000 Information, Computing and Communication Sciences" name="DC.subject" /> <meta content="This paper outlines and analyses the behaviors of small and medium enterprises with respect to the evaluation of electronic commerce investments, and the subsequent realization of the anticipated benefits from those investments. The responses of executives who participated in the study suggested that on-going involvement in electronic commerce did not come cheaply. Nonetheless, our study suggests that there were generally ad hoc approaches to evaluation of the proposed electronic commerce investments, almost non-existent post-implementation reviews, few measures of success, and generally speaking, there was little evidence of there being proactive management of the realization of benefits of those investments. Perhaps not surprisingly, the group interviewed seemed somewhat disappointed with the outcomes of their electronic commerce initiatives. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly for countries where small and medium enterprises contribute a large proportion of total economic activity, and where thus it is vital for small and medium enterprises to successfully engage in electronic commerce if the country is to derive the benefits of the new economy." name="DC.description" /> <meta content="2002" name="DC.date" /> <meta content="Article" name="DC.type" /> <meta content="PeerReviewed" name="DC.type" /> <meta content="application/pdf" name="DC.format" /> <meta content="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2382/1/Evaluating_the_Benefits_of_Electronic_Commerce_in_Small_and_Medium_Enterprises.pdf" name="DC.identifier" /> <meta content="http://dl.acs.org.au/index.php/ajis/article/view/200" name="DC.relation" /> <meta content="Marshall, Peter and McKay, Judy (2002) Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises. Australian Journal of Information Systems, 9 (2). pp. 135-147. 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style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"><span class="person_name">Marshall, Peter</span> and <span class="person_name">McKay, Judy</span> (2002) <xhtml:em>Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises.</xhtml:em> Australian Journal of Information Systems, 9 (2). pp. 135-147. ISSN 1449-8618</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"></p><table style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"><tr><td valign="top" style="text-align:center"><a onmouseover="EPJS_ShowPreview( event, 'doc_preview_3075' );" href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2382/1/Evaluating_the_Benefits_of_Electronic_Commerce_in_Small_and_Medium_Enterprises.pdf" onmouseout="EPJS_HidePreview( event, 'doc_preview_3075' );"><img alt="[img]" src="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png" class="ep_doc_icon" border="0" /></a><div class="ep_preview" id="doc_preview_3075"><table><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2382/thumbnails/1/preview.png" class="ep_preview_image" border="0" /><div class="ep_preview_title">Preview</div></td></tr></table></div></td><td valign="top"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2382/1/Evaluating_the_Benefits_of_Electronic_Commerce_in_Small_and_Medium_Enterprises.pdf"><span class="ep_document_citation">PDF</span></a> - Requires a PDF viewer<br />1058Kb</td></tr></table><p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block">Official URL: <a href="http://dl.acs.org.au/index.php/ajis/article/view/200">http://dl.acs.org.au/index.php/ajis/article/view/200</a></p><div class="not_ep_block"><h2>Abstract</h2><p style="padding-bottom: 16px; text-align: left; margin: 1em auto 0em auto">This paper outlines and analyses the behaviors of small and medium enterprises with respect to the evaluation of electronic commerce investments, and the subsequent realization of the anticipated benefits from those investments. The responses of executives who participated in the study suggested that on-going involvement in electronic commerce did not come cheaply. Nonetheless, our study suggests that there were generally ad hoc approaches to evaluation of the proposed electronic commerce investments, almost non-existent post-implementation reviews, few measures of success, and generally speaking, there was little evidence of there being proactive management of the realization of benefits of those investments. Perhaps not surprisingly, the group interviewed seemed somewhat disappointed with the outcomes of their electronic commerce initiatives. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly for countries where small and medium enterprises contribute a large proportion of total economic activity, and where thus it is vital for small and medium enterprises to successfully engage in electronic commerce if the country is to derive the benefits of the new economy.</p></div><table style="margin-bottom: 1em" cellpadding="3" class="not_ep_block" border="0"><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Item Type:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">Article</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Keywords:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">electronic commerce, IT evaluation, benefits management, small and medium enterprises</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Subjects:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/view/subjects/280000.html">280000 Information, Computing and Communication Sciences</a></td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">ID Code:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">2382</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Deposited By:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><span class="ep_name_citation"><span class="person_name">Ms Kristy A Purton</span></span></td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Deposited On:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">05 Nov 2007 13:17</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Last Modified:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">09 Jan 2008 02:30</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">ePrint Statistics:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><a target="ePrintStats" href="/es/index.php?action=show_detail_eprint;id=2382;">View statistics for this ePrint</a></td></tr></table><p align="right">Repository Staff Only: <a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/users/home?screen=EPrint::View&eprintid=2382">item control page</a></p> </td></tr></table> </div> <!-- InstanceEndEditable --></td> </tr> <tr> <td><!-- #BeginLibraryItem "/Library/footer_eprints.lbi" --> <table width="795" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" class="footer"> <tr valign="top"> <td colspan="2"><div align="center"><a href="http://www.utas.edu.au">UTAS home</a> | <a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/library/">Library home</a> | <a href="/">ePrints home</a> | <a href="/contact.html">contact</a> | <a href="/information.html">about</a> | <a href="/view/">browse</a> | <a href="/perl/search/simple">search</a> | <a href="/perl/register">register</a> | <a href="/perl/users/home">user area</a> | <a href="/help/">help</a></div><br /></td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2"><p><img src="/images/eprints/footerline.gif" width="100%" height="4" /></p></td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="68%" class="footer">Authorised by the University Librarian<br /> © University of Tasmania ABN 30 764 374 782<br /> <a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/cricos/">CRICOS Provider Code 00586B</a> | <a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/copyright/copyright_disclaimers.html">Copyright & Disclaimers</a> | <a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/accessibility/index.html">Accessibility</a> | <a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/feedback/">Site Feedback</a> </td> <td width="32%"><div align="right"> <p align="right" class="NoPrint"><a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/"><img src="http://www.utas.edu.au/shared/logos/unioftasstrip.gif" alt="University of Tasmania Home Page" width="260" height="16" border="0" align="right" /></a></p> <p align="right" class="NoPrint"><a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/"><br /> </a></p> </div></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td><p> </p></td> <td><div align="right"><span class="NoPrint"><a href="http://www.eprints.org/software/"><img src="/images/eprintslogo.gif" alt="ePrints logo" width="77" height="29" border="0" align="bottom" /></a></span></div></td> </tr> </table> <!-- #EndLibraryItem --> <div align="center"></div></td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>