SME e-procurement adoption in Hong Kong - the roles of power, trust and value

Abstract

The objective of this research is to test a model of electronic procurement (e-procurement) adoption behavior by small- to medium-sized enterprises (SME). We investigate the phenomenon from the perspective of buyer-seller relationship and argue that, value of e-procurement adoption, trust on supplier, trust on IT, power of e-procurement and power of suppliers are factors leading to SME's adoption behavior. Research findings from the four case studies provide some evidence that the former four factors have significant effect on SME's e-procurement adoption behavior when the last one does not. This study contributes to a better understanding of how and why SME in Hong Kong employ e-procurement using a snapshot approach. Practical and theoretical implications are also provided.