Many Australian businesses have begun to embrace e-commerce to improve organisational performance andrnsustain a competitive advantage. For example, businesses from the automotive, banking, insurance and retailrnindustries have been able to leverage the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICT). Yet,rnthose from the construction industry have been slow, perhaps even reluctant, to implement ICT to support e-rncommerce. This paper evaluates the barriers that small-medium sized contractors in the construction industryrnexperience when confronted with the need to implement e-commerce to sustain competitiveness. Unstructuredrninterviews were undertaken with managers from 20 small-medium sized contractors from the State of Victoriarnin Australia, with annual turnovers ranging from $1-50 million. The financial, organisational, technical andrnhuman barriers that were identified are presented and discussed. The paper concludes by proposing strategiesrnthat small-medium sized contractors may adopt if they want to leverage the benefits of e-commerce.
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