<p> The current qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore small and medium enterprise (SME) business leaders’ lived experiences with e-commerce practices. The central research question for the current study was as follows: What is the lived experience of SME leaders who have used e-commerce practices within their business with regard to the effect and critical success factors (CSFs) of e-commerce in the SMEs’ success? The findings of this study offer insights into how the adoption of e-commerce practices might help SMEs in Puerto Rico to achieve competitive advantage and contribute to their success or survival. The study served to define the knowledge and skills required for leaders to manage e-commerce operations. Research findings indicated that e-commerce helps to generate revenue and profitability for a business. A key negative aspect of e-commerce that leaders must consider is distrust in terms of security risks and identity fraud, among others. The study findings indicate that SME leaders in Puerto Rico are using e-commerce practices such as media advertising and promotion based on electronic marketing media, and cutting-edge technology through more interactive websites, among others. Other key factors for e-commerce success were the knowledge and skills that the SME leaders possessed, which included knowledge of technology like Web programming, and know how to create and use different tools based on computer systems, among others. The findings of the current study can serve as a roadmap to those considering adopting e-commerce, and lead future research related to the use e-commerce practices in SMEs.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3583328 |
| Date | 12 August 2014 |
| Creators | Tirado Guzman, Hector |
| Publisher | University of Phoenix |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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