Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse how the ecosystem concept can be applied to small businesses and how the Internet and e-commerce can help SMEs harness the required resources to enhance their competitive performance in the marketplace. The chapter will investigate the wide variety of e-commerce applications that are available to small businesses to help address the issue of limited resources. It will provide an ecosystem map illustrating how each functional area of a small business can utilise Internet e-commerce applications to enhance their resource base. The chapter also explores the opportunities and threats that the e-commerce ecosystem model poses for small, medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is based upon empirical research consisting of three focus group interviews undertaken with small and medium-sized retail service firms located in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire regions of the United Kingdom in January–February 2014.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | E-commerce Platform Acceptance |
Subtitle of host publication | Suppliers, Retailers, and Consumers |
Editors | Ewelina Lacka, Hing Kai Chan, Nick Yip |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 79-100 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319061214 |
ISBN (Print) | 9783319061207 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- ecosystem
- platforms
- internet
- resources
- e-commerce
- applications