Exploring B-to-B e-commerce adoption trajectories in manufacturing SMEs

The intent of this paper is to capture the gradual unfolding of business-to-business (B-to-B) e-commerce adoption in small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). Empirical evidence was gathered in three separate but complementary phases: first, a pilot study to identify and validate metrics for B-to-B e-commerce adoption; second, an e-survey to gain an in-depth understanding of B-to-B e-commerce adoption and its related benefits; and third, a multiple case study to further validate the e-commerce adoption trajectories we observed and their underlying dynamics. Findings suggest logical evolutionary paths to the penetration of B-to-B e-commerce in SMEs. The cumulative and selfreinforcing nature of both e-commerce initiatives and the benefits derived therefrom points to the existence of e-commerce adoption trajectories. q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.