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Adoption of IT and E-Commerce Tools in the Business Sector in South Africa and Australia: A Comparison

Adoption of IT and E-Commerce Tools in the Business Sector in South Africa and Australia: A Comparison
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Author(s): V. S. Venkatesan (University of Western Australia, Australia)and Kevin Johnston (University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 4
Source title: Managing Modern Organizations Through Information Technology
Source Editor(s): Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. (Information Resources Management Association, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59140-822-2.ch117
ISBN13: 9781616921293
EISBN13: 9781466665354

Abstract

Despite digital divide, use of computers, the Internet and other information technology (IT) tools is steadily increasing in developed countries such as Australia. However, following the collapse of dot com ventures, businesses are now taking a more conservative approach to ecommerce. Small and Medium Businesses (SMEs) dominate the business scene in several OECD economies and research evidence suggests that the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs is low. Benchmarking studies in Western Australia have shown that Internet connectivity does not automatically translate into adoption of e-commerce. In comparison, much less is known about the adoption of IT by businesses in South Africa (SA), a country where IT usage in the general population is low. This research attempted to benchmark the use of IT in the Western Cape area of South Africa and compared the results with earlier studies undertaken in Western Australia. Due to operational reasons, the methodology of the South African study was somewhat different. The results and imitations are discussed.

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