PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the innovative characteristics, benefits, and barriers influencing internet‐based information and communications technology (ICT) adoption among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire‐based survey was used to collect data from 406 managers or owners of SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia.FindingsThe results suggest that internet‐based ICT adoption provides a low cost yet effective communication tool for customers. However, security continues to be a major barrier. Finding on cost as a barrier is mixed. The inferential statistics reveal that relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and security are significant factors influencing internet‐based ICT adoption.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses only on the SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia.Practical implicationsThe findings offer valuable insights to policy makers in general and to the SMEs in particular on the significance of the measured characteristics and the associated benefits and barriers of internet‐based ICT adoption.Originality/valueThe study is perhaps one of the first to comprehensively address internet‐based ICT adoption among the SMEs through the use of a wide range of variables.

This ongoing study investigates the characteristics of innovation and its influence as a success factor for female entrepreneurs in Malaysia. It starts by presenting an extensive review of literatures in the area of entrepreneurship, particularly focusing on women entrepreneurs. Purposive sampling, namely snowball sampling method is used to collect data from small and medium enterprises owned by female entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The study examines the associations among Innovation Conviction (ICN), Innovation Mindset (IMT), Innovation Creed (ICD) and the Need for Achievement (NFA). Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out to the gathered data and presented in this paper. Findings indicate that ICN, ICT and IMT are positively correlated with the Need for Achievement among female entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

Honey products have been developing from health supplements field to economic development field. There are numerous of explanations when it comes to exploring the factors that influence consumers to consume honey products. The portrayal of honey congregated importance ever since it has been commonly used in both medical and domestic needs and as well as beauty needs. In peoples' perspective, the quality of the product will be the key success factor of honey product where industries of honey maker faced challenges for making and maintaining as well as preserving of honey products. With the increasing market size and the increasing consumer demand each year, honey makers have to search for new approaches and to learn to understand the consumers' need in order to increase their product satisfaction and customers' loyalty. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that will influence consumers' purchase intention of honey related products. To facilitate this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed to gather the data. 200 questionnaires were collected. It was found that Medical condition, Quality of product, Brand Reputation and Pricing do influence the purchase intentions.

Purpose This study aims to examine Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Adoption of electronic government procurement (EGP) in the post-introduction phase as the portal was introduced in the early year 2000. Design/methodology/approach This study integrated electronic public services into two acceptance theories (the technology acceptance model [TAM] and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology [UTAUT] framework) and having a direct measurement of the criterion. Both TAM and UTAUT models measure the behaviour intention to use and indirectly measure the criterion of actual usage along with behavioural intention. Besides, this study conducted a systematic sampling survey in SMEs located in Klang Valley (the business hub in Malaysia). Findings The results confirm that effort expectancy, performance expectancy and social influences had a direct effect on the adoption of EGP in the private sector. Rather than the original UTAUT setup, the behavioural intention would influence user behaviour. Social implications The implications and policy recommendations of these findings will be used by both SMEs and the government to improve the EGP delivery. Originality/value The gap with this study is at the time the Malaysian Government introduced e-procurement. The SMEs were quite new and had limited knowledge in the e-procurement during the introduction phase. Both SMEs and the government will use the implications and policy recommendations of these findings to improve the EGP delivery in the current post introduction phase.

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