E-commerce diffusion: exploring the determinants of the adoption and extent of usage at firm-level

摘要

In the last years great attention has been paid to understand the factors driving ICT diffusion at firm-level. However, most studies have focused on the analysis of the adoption of the new technology and there is no much evidence on the intensity of use of ICT by firms. Within, this context this paper attempts to throw some light on such issue by presenting a joint-analysis of the adoption and extent of usage of e-commerce among Luxembourgish firms. In particular, the two sides of e-commerce are analyzed: epurchasing and e-selling. Results show that competitive pressures together with absorptive capacity and infrastructure are the main drivers of adoption. Regarding intensity, human capital and the type of competition faced by firms are key determinants. Additionally, there is some evidence that the Internet helps to overcome distance barriers only to a certain extent.