The empirical evaluation of B2B e-commerce stages in agro based industry

This paper seeks to contribute to the development of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce readiness assessment model for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in agro-based industry, using the integrated framework of individual-organizational-environmental theory. The integrated perspectives of individual-organizational-environmental approach provide a holistic view of organization readiness in preparing themselves for B2B e-commerce. The assessment model developed involves several distinct stages that capture key elements of B2B ecommerce implementation readiness. Drawing on mixed methods approach of sequential exploratory design, the exploratory investigation through a small scale survey using questionnaire is used, where SME´s readiness and initiatives are assessed to provide an overall picture regarding the strengths and weakness of organization capabilities in implementing the B2B e-commerce technology. The findings and analysis gathered also provide a realistic and practical interpretation of the characteristics of SMEs under each readiness dimension.