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Business organizations around the world engage in e-commerce (EC) and e-business to support business operations and enhance revenue generation from non-traditional sources. Studies focusing on EC adoption in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) are just beginning to emerge in the extant information systems (IS) literature. The objective of this current study is to investigate factors impacting the acceptance of EC in small businesses in SSA with Nigeria as an example. A research model based on the Diffusion of Innovation (DIT) and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) frameworks were used to guide this discourse. Such factors as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, management support, organizational readiness, external pressure, and IS vendor support were used to develop relevant hypotheses. Questionnaires were administered to respondents in Nigeria and data analysis was performed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. Predictions related to relative advantage, management support, and IS vendor support were confirmed; the other hypotheses were unsupported by the data. The study’s implications for research and practice are discussed in the chapter.

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Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to highlight key information system (IS) issues in Estonian organizations for the mid-2000s. This research is a follow-up to an initial effort in the country in 1993, in which a similar theme was investigated. The primary objective of this present study was to compare and contrast the findings in the previous study with the present effort. Design/methodology/approach-The Delphi method was used. Viewpoints of both information technology (IT) professionals and non-IT professionals (business managers) in the country were sought across two rounds of the Delphi method. Findings-The findings suggest the following: the past decade has produced salient changes in the ranking of key IS issues for Estonia; it appears that there is a convergence of opinions on key IS issues in both the Estonian public and private sectors; and there are significant differences in key IS issues across professional groupings (IT and non-IT). Research limitations/implications-The ranking of issues as opposed to rating issues was used in the data analysis. Ranking items is more challenging to participants and might be a limiting factor. The sample size of this study is small and perhaps a larger sample would yield better insights. Practical implications-Those in charge of IT resources in Estonian organizations, as well as policy makers in the country, may benefit from the information provided herein. Such insights may facilitate better understanding of current key IS issues in the country. Originality/value-This research offers a snapshot of key IS issues in Estonian organizations for the mid-2000s. More importantly, this work complements a prior study on the same topic that was conducted in the country in the 1990s.

This study examines the influence of national IT policies, socio-economic and cultural factors on the network readiness of African countries. The capability and level of preparation of a nation to participate in and benefit from information and communication technologies (ICT) for socio-development is assessed by the network readiness index. Prior studies have shown that such factors have a significant influence on how a country benefits from its use of ICT products for development. Research on this topic with data from the African continent is rare. This study serves to fill this gap. It is based on data from a cross-section of twenty diverse African countries. The data suggested variability in the use of ICT for developmental purposes among the sampled countries. To that end, Africa should not be viewed as monolithic in such respects. The study showed that all the measures used to operationalize national IT policies, socio-economic and some cultural factors are positively related to the network readiness of the sampled African countries. Importantly, the quality of each country’s educational systems, its transparency (corruption) levels, its ICT regulatory framework, and its cross-cultural dimension of power distance (PDI) were found to have significant relevance to its network readiness. The implications of the study’s findings for research and policy making are discussed.