Globalization and eBusiness Application: Adoption and Usage in a Global Context

In an empirical survey with 903 firms in four countries, more than one third of all firms responded that the implementation of e-business contributed substantially to improve existing operational processes and to expand markets. After a certain time lag, the diffusion of information systems and e-business applications among German industries seems to be successful in catching-up with leading countries such as Denmark or the US. Although e-business technologies may be available theoretically in all industries and firms, a sustainable impact on business processes or satisfaction depends on the extent and number of deployed e-business applications. A further prerequisite for efficient usage is the consistent and broad integration of applications. On a macroeconomic level, different economic environments and specific national drivers have a significant influence on the diffusion and resulting impact of e-business applications among the users and industries analyzed.