Digital Literacy, Business Uncertainty & Economic Performance: An Empirical Study of Small Businesses in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The study attempts to investigate empirically how Digital Literacy (DL) affects the Business Uncertainty and Economic Performance particularly Small Enterprises (SEs) in Sri Lankan. The data were collected from 110 owners of SEs, conducting face to face interviews and analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling. The results discovered that the different dimensions of DL have a negative impact on business uncertainty and positive effects on the economic performance of SEs. Thus, the study recognized that the DL highly affects the minimization of business uncertainty and thereby increases the economic performance of SEs in Sri Lanka. Further, the results confirmed that the business uncertainty has a strong significant mediate effect on the relationship between DL and the economic performance of SEs in Sri Lanka. The study strongly recommends SEs to strengthen the digital technologies which play a dominant role to enhance economic sustainability minimizing the behavioural and environmental uncertainty. Thus, the study provides useful insight into the role of DL on the economic performance of SEs minimizing business uncertainty in Sri Lanka from a novel perspective.