Information technology adoption by small business: An empirical study

Abstract

Drawing upon theories from the technological innovation literature, this study examines the relationship between various contextual factors (CEO innovativeness, information intensity, attitude towards IT adoption, IT knowledge, and competition) and IT adoption in small businesses. The results show that small businesses are more likely to adopt IT when they have more innovative CEOs, positive attitude toward adoption of IT, and greater IT knowledge. While CEO innovativeness and attitude toward IT adoption are important determinants of the decision to adopt, they do not affect the extent of IT adoption subsequently. The extent of IT adoption is mainly determined by the level ofIT knowledge.