The moderating effect of the business strategic orientation on eCommerce adoption: Evidence from UK family run SMEs

This study investigates eCommerce adoption in family run SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises). Specifically, the objectives of the study are twofold: (a) to examine environmental and organisational determinants of eCommerce adoption in the family business context; (b) to explore the moderating effect of business strategic orientation on the relationships between adoption determinants and adoption decision. A quantitative questionnaire survey was executed. The sampling frame was outlined based on the OneSource database and 88 companies were involved. Results of logistic regression analyses proffer support that ‘external pressure’ and ‘perceived benefits’ are predictors of eCommerce adoption. Moreover, the findings indicate that the strategic orientation of family businesses will function as a moderator in the adoption process.