The Influence of the Environment on Cross-Border E-Commerce Adoption Levels Among SMEs in China: The Mediating Role of Organizational Context

Abstract

Utilizing the Technology, Environment, and Organization (TOE) framework, the purpose of this study was to look into the influence of the environment on the adoption of the four levels of cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) on SMEs in China. The data was acquired using an online survey form, with a sample size of N = 208. Data were analyzed via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) by using Smart PLS 3 software. The results indicate that except level 1, the environmental context has a positive impact on all levels of CBEC adoption and organizational context. It was further found that organizational context positively influences all four levels of CBEC adoption. Furthermore, the mediating role of organizational context was also tested between environmental context and the four levels of CBEC adoption. These data supported our hypotheses for level 2 and 3 whereas, for level 1 and 4, we did not find any support. Several theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the concluding part of this paper.