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

摘要

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.