A model of electronic commerce adoption by small voluntary organizations

Received: 8 April 2003 Revised: 17 October 2003 2nd Revision: 15 March 2004 Accepted: 24 March 2004 Online publication date: 18 May 2004 Abstract The study discussed in this paper uses case studies of six small voluntary organizations to determine the primary factors that influence electronic commerce (EC) adoption. The findings indicate that perceived benefits, including efficiency, information sharing, marketing and increased donations have a strong influence on EC adoption. The results also indicate that organizational readiness, including ability to attract volunteers and/or in-kind donations, ability to raise funds, and strategic readiness had a positive influence on EC adoption. Consistent with prior research on EC adoption in the commercial sector, strong support was found for the influence of perceived pressure, including pressure from both internal and external stakeholders. The study also concluded that perceived social risks associated with the loss of human contact and the perception of dollars being diverted from client programs to finance the EC investment had a strong influence on EC adoption. Implications for EC adoption and future research on EC adoption in the voluntary sector are discussed. European Journal of Information Systems (2004) 13, 147–159. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000491