Strategic Uses of E-Commerce by SMEs in the East of England

Stephen Drew

European Management Journal, 2003, vol. 21, issue 1, 79-88

Abstract: Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are emerging as significant Internet users and like their larger counterparts increasingly adopting e-commerce. This research suggests that SMEs in different industry sectors may adopt different strategies for e-commerce and have different needs for training and support. It also explores the possibility that the Internet may not be an unmitigated blessing. It can pose both a threat and an opportunity for SME business strategies. Survey results in the eastern England region of the UK show that despite recent setbacks to the dot-com sector, SMEs are placing e-commerce at the centre of their technology and corporate strategies and plan to use the Internet as a means for achieving transformational change.

Keywords: E-Business; E-Commerce; SMEs; Internet; Digital; business; United; Kingdom (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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