Optimization of an Indicator System for Measuring E-Business: An Empirical Study by Firms

Although the topic of e-business (EB) measurement belongs to one of research priorities in EB, we are short of a measurement framework for EB benchmarking in firms, especially lacking studies on important indicators explained by the actual state of EB in enterprises. Based on an indicator system, an empirical study is made to optimize the indicator system. First, a theoretical framework is presented, including 8 hypotheses; second, e-mail survey, online survey and telephone interviews are conducted in firms of 16 industries, and 156 cross-sectional samples covering 11 cities and regions in Shaanxi province in China are gathered; third, statistic analysis is made to test the theoretical proposition. Finally, an optimized indicator system is obtained, which is less computationally intensive and more practically prone to application in EC measures.