B2B e-commerce adoption decisions in Taiwan: the interaction of organizational, industrial, governmental and cultural factors

Business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce has become an important initiative among firms in the last few years. The factors affecting IT adoption decisions have been well-documented but few of the studies investigate how or whether culture plays a role in IT decisions. Using exploratory methods we examine whether the factors previously identified by researchers influence B2B e-commerce adoption in Taiwan and the extent to which culture plays a role in the adoption decision. This study is based on data derived from over 20 interviews with CEOs, CIOs, and MIS managers in electronics and textile companies in Taiwan. This study contributes to existing literature by describing the degree to which various organizational, industrial, governmental and cultural factors influence B2B e-commerce adoption decisions in Taiwan. It is one of the first studies investigating B2B e-commerce adoption decision factors in an emerging economy. Results indicate that organizational, industrial and governmental factors do indeed influence B2B e-commerce adoption decisions and cultural factors moderate the direct influence of government policies and industry pressures.