Abstract

MARTINEZ ROMERO, Javier  and  DELGADO GIL DE ARANA, Miguel Antonio. Obstacles to the adoption of electronic commerce in SMEs in Ciudad Juárez. Rev. cienc. tecnol. [online]. 2023, vol.6, n.3, e177.  Epub June 25, 2024. ISSN 2594-1925.  https://doi.org/10.37636/recit.v6n3e177.

ICTs offer various capabilities such as electronic commerce, which allows a company to position itself internationally without the need for a physical establishment, in other words, borders are crossed through electronic means without the need to do so physically [1]. Research on the use and adoption of ICTs in Mexican SMEs show that its use is incipient [2]. The SME sector plays a crucial role in economic development, poverty reduction and job creation in developing economies [3], on the other hand, large companies are the ones that adopt these technologies the most, which generates an alert by increasing the competitiveness gap compared to SMEs, which is why it is vitally important that this sector adopt ICT [4]. In this sense, the objective of this research is to analyze the obstacles to the adoption of electronic commerce by SMEs in Ciudad Juárez. With information from a sample of 72 companies to which a questionnaire containing questions on eleven obstacles to ICT adoption is applied, the frequency of these obstacles is shown, as well as a factor analysis that shows the relationship between said obstacles. The results show that electronic commerce continues to be an ICT little adopted, although there is evidence of greater use than in the past. Variables associated with management support, capital, and infrastructure are those that are perceived as the greatest obstacles to the adoption of electronic commerce, which reinforces findings from other studies.

Keywords : Information technologies; Electronic commerce; Small and medium-sized companies; Technological adoption; Ciudad Juárez.