Determining the relationships between e-business growth and enablers and barriers in Jordan.

Despite its obvious benefits and its potential for improving productivity and sharpening an organization's competitive edge both locally and internationally, SMEs are still reluctant to deploy the emerging technology of e-business. This lack of enthusiasm may be due to difficulties in identifying and measuring costs, benefits and risks associated with the adoption of e-business. Recent studies have shown, however, that many SMEs have engaged in e-business in order to catch up with their larger counterparts who have adopted such solutions. The contribution of SMEs to their national economies cannot be overemphasized. These organizations account for some 99 per cent of private sector growth in Jordan, including most of the growth in employment. The present study was undertaken in response to the lack of empirical data, as well as to determine the stages of growth in the uptake of e-business by SMEs and to discover the factors influencing their decisions to adopt it. It supplies the deficiency of relevant evidence, which will improve understanding of the current state of affairs in this regard.In order to achieve the objectives of this research, data was collected according to a quantitative research paradigm in order to provide exhaustive descriptions of how SMEs currently use e-business and of the factors involved in their decisions. A questionnaire with 42 questions was distributed personally to a sample of 55 personnel in SMEs in the communications sector. The overall response rate was 87 per cent. Several analysis methods including descriptive statistics analysis, factors analysis, biavariate analysis, bar charts were applied to the data using SPSS. The results validate the six-stage model, developed from previous studies, for the Jordanian context, and show that respondents' use of e-business is still in the first two stages. Some have reached the third stage, but the last three more complex levels have yet to be utilized to any significant extent. The results also provide empirical evidence that enablers (market, external and organizational) of, and barriers (technological, organizational and external) to, the use of this technology, as well as organizational size, play a significant role in decisions as to whether or not to adopt it, as well as the degree of its success in SMEs. This study has important implications for research and practice. Specifically, it offers a useful framework with which to assess the six stages of growth in each factor in order to better pursue the adoption of e-business. The results will constitute a guide for the conduct of empirical studies based on the framework foundation of e-business adoption, and will give practitioners an understanding of how these factors influence such adoption, thereby improving that process.