The Qualification of E-Commerce Services

Conference: 5th Social Study of ICT Open Research Forum (SSIT-ORF)

Dates: 21-22 April 2009

Abstract:

I am interested in exploring how the knowledge-based economy works on the ground, by examining how small firms have been adopting ICT artefacts in the past decade in the United Kingdom. My research question concerns the nature and source of technological competence in SMEs: “How do small firms acquire, develop and maintain the competence to work with ICTs?” The empirical setting is an e-commerce community in the South of England, brought together by a number of learning initiatives that focus on the adoption of e-commerce technologies. In particular, I investigate the e-commerce adoption processes of two focal micro-enterprises. Out of this description the small e-commerce firm emerged as a particular type of assemblage, composed of its physical and online shops, its supply and logistics network, governmental and legal actors, industry associations, the mass media, customers and their homes, a cluster of electronic payment providers, and IT and e-commerce service providers. E-commerce services in particular emerged as critical components, and their acquisition and integration as the main concern of the e-commerce entrepreneur.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/informationSystems/newsAndEvents/2009events/ORF5.htm

Source: Manual

Preferred by: Peter Erdelyi