Impact of e-Commerce on Consumers and Small Firms

The change from old to new technologies has fundamentally changed the relationship between the consumer and the firm. This book is at the frontier of behavioural research into how these new commercial realities are borne out in practice, examining the adoption of e-commerce by small firms and the transactional phenomenon that entails access to the Internet. In analyzing the process of e-commerce adoption and why e-commerce actors behave as they do, its coverage includes the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) by small firms; the use of ICT applications to support marketing and sales transactions; and the factors that influence consumers' online purchasing decisions.

Contents: Introduction, Colin Gray and Salvatore Zappalà. Part I Impact of e-Commerce on Small Firms: Stage models of ICT adoption in small firms, Colin Gray; Social influence and diffusion of innovations in education, Carlo Tomasetto and Felice Carugati; Climate for innovation, attitudes to internet and ICT adoption in small firms, Salvatore Zappalà and Guido Sarchielli; Changing leadership cultures in e-commerce service industry, Mikko Ruohonen; e-business and small firms in London, Jane Tebbutt; The value of internet forums to small rural businesses, Robert Mochrie, Laura Galloway and David Deakins; e-business and the work organization in craft enterprises, Sabine Wendt, Tatjana Grek and Lothar Lissner. Part II Internet Marketing and Website Effectiveness: Internet marketing and the Portuguese marketplace, Rute Xavier and Francisco Costa Pereira; e-marketing adoption in organizations, Abdel Monim Shaltoni; World wide markets and the World Wide Web: problems and possibilities for small businesses, Heather Fulford; Website usability: cognitive versus activity theory approaches, Elvis Mazzoni. Part III Impact of e-Commerce on Consumers: Consumption on the net, Laura Sartori; Affective states, purchase intention and perceived risk in online shopping, Elfriede Penz and Erich M. Kirchler; Risk perception in online shopping, Marco G. Mariani and Salvatore Zappalà; The fun side of the internet, Daniele Scarpi; Risk Perception as a motivational barrier for online purchasing, Annamaria Silvana de Rosa, Elena Bocci and Sara Saurini; Conclusions: common themes and future perspectives, Salvatore Zappalà and Colin Gray; Index.