The Determinants of Extent of Internet/E-business Technologies Use by SMEs in Maritime Canada: An analysis

This study examines the determinants of extent of internet/e-business technologies (IEBT) use by smalland medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Maritime Canada. A research model based on the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, proposed by Tornatzky and Fleischer (1990) was used to guide this research. Such factors as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, management support, organizational readiness, and external pressures taken from the TOE framework were used to develop relevant hypotheses. Questionnaires were mailed to key informants in SMEs in the region. Data analysis was performed using the PLS approach. The perceptions of relative advantage, compatibility, organizational readiness, and external pressures moderately impacted the main construct: extent of IEBT use in the adopting SME. The result showed that the management support factor yielded the best result with regard to the dependant variable. The implications of the result findings for research and practice are discussed.