Could e-business create a competitive advantage in UK SMEs?

Purpose - This paper aims to improve the understanding of e-business, competitive advantage and their roles in the UK SMEs. This paper uses case studies to examine what is needed for SMEs to change from an "old" traditional business strategy to a new "e" business strategy.Design...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Benchmarking : an international journal 2007-01, Vol.14 (3), p.320-351
Main Authors: Pavic, S, Koh, S.C.L, Simpson, M, Padmore, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Benchmarks
Business
Business models
Case studies
Competition
Competitive advantage
Electronic commerce
Information technology
Internet
Literature reviews
New technology
Prototypes
Satellite communications
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
Small business
Strategy
Studies
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Summary:Purpose - This paper aims to improve the understanding of e-business, competitive advantage and their roles in the UK SMEs. This paper uses case studies to examine what is needed for SMEs to change from an "old" traditional business strategy to a new "e" business strategy.Design methodology approach - A range of academic and practitioner literature related to IT, e-business, and different business models is reviewed. Nine case studies were used to collect information from SMEs in the UK.Findings - It may be possible for some SMEs to integrate the internet technology into an overall strategy and this new technology could lead to a competitive advantage. However, owners' attitudes towards new technology, the knowledge and skills of management and the workforce are recognised as potential problematic issues.Originality value - The results of an academic literature review and nine case studies were employed to construct a prototype of an e-business model named "Competitive Advantage Through E-business" (CATE-b). In that respect the CATE-b prototype model identifies possible e-business application areas and proposes a plan for e-business integration.
ISSN:1463-5771
1758-4094
DOI:10.1108/14635770710753112