Since the turn of the century, there has been a growth in the use of e-business by both large and small companies worldwide, a trend that has been given further impetus by the move to online trading in the COVID-19 pandemic era. For small companies, there are the potential benefits of increased efficiencies and market share gain, associated with the re-engineering of selling and marketing processes; but in developing countries, such as Nigeria, research into how small businesses are using e-business systems and technologies is limited. This article builds upon earlier case study research in the Nigerian small business sector to develop a framework for e-business strategy development, implementation and review. Using an inductive approach, data was collected from six small businesses, using interviews and questionnaires, to profile the e-business operations of these companies. This study found that e-business strategy was generally lacking in these companies, but interview material was used to support the development and validation of the strategy framework, which provides a process and a checklist for small businesses pursuing e-business initiatives in developing world environments.

Gamification’s adoption in the enterprise today is on the rise and provides benefits such as customer loyalty and increased employee engagement. In this article, the use of gamification in the enterprise is assessed in seeking to understand how fully gamified systems differ from related concepts such as toys, playful designs, and serious games. Given the increasing interest in enterprise gamification, it is useful to evaluate how it has evolved and its acceptance via a multidisciplinary lens. It is also critical to assess frameworks and approaches applied in understanding the trend. The current article concludes that a value-oriented approach is needed for a more comprehensive understanding of enterprise gamification acceptance and users’ experience, particularly in today’s workforce that is largely dominated by millennials.

Small businesses are often considered important to a nation’s economy. In Nigeria, the small business sector contributes about 48% to the GDP, and there is an increasing effort to support the small business sector as a way of combatting societal ills. Within the last decade, there has been a global increase in the use of e-business by both large and small companies. Today, it is generally acknowledged that e-business provides a range of opportunities for small businesses to operate and compete effectively; however, in developing countries such as Nigeria, there is very limited research on e-business adoption in the small business sector. This thesis examines the adoption of e-business technologies and processes in Nigerian small businesses. Using an inductive approach, informed by a case study strategy, a longitudinal study of six small businesses in Lagos, Nigeria was conducted. Data was collected using interviews and questionnaires, and both thematic analysis and framework analysis were utilised to analyse the cases. Research results indicate that small businesses in Nigeria are utilising e-business systems. Key issues impacting upon e-business adoption and eight critical influencing factors that affect adoption were identified. Based on the case study findings, a framework for the development and implementation of e-business strategy in the Nigerian small business sector was developed and validated. This framework will be of value to small business owners involved in e-business operations, and also provides a basis for follow-up research in developing world countries.

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Digital transformation is now impacting businesses in both the developed and developing worlds, and this chapter examines this phenomenon in the small business sector in Nigeria. Adopting an interpretivist philosophy, the methodology combines a survey of small business enterprises (SBEs) with in-depth case studies of three Nigerian companies. Ten critical influencing factors are identified, and a model (Engage-Deploy-Exploit-Transform – EDET) is developed and applied to the case studies to assess the status of digital transformation. The influencing factors provide a checklist for SBEs embarking on digital transformation projects, and the model can be used to assess progress and identify new opportunities for digital transformation at the business process level. The authors believe this to be a useful contribution to the growing literature in this field that can be used by both researchers and practitioners in similar developing-world contexts.