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Information and communications technology (ICT) offers enormous opportunities for individuals, businesses and society. The application of ICT is equally important to economic and non-economic activities. Researchers have increasingly focused on the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the economic development of a country is largely dependent on them. Following the success of ICT utilisation in SMEs in developed countries, many developing countries are looking to utilise the potential of the technology to develop SMEs. Past studies have shown that the contribution of ICT to the performance of SMEs is not clear and certain. Thus, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of ICT in generating firm performance since this has implications for SMEs’ expenditure on the technology. This research examines the diffusion of ICT among SMEs with respect to the typical stages from innovation adoption to post-adoption, by analysing the actual usage of ICT and value creation. The mediating effects of integration and utilisation on SME performance are also studied. Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature, institutional theory and resource-based theory, this study has developed a comprehensive integrated research model focused on the research objectives. Following a positivist research paradigm, this study employs a mixed-method research approach. A preliminary conceptual framework is developed through an extensive literature review and is refined by results from an in-depth field study. During the field study, a total of 11 SME owners or decision-makers were interviewed. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using NVivo 10 to refine the model to develop the research hypotheses. The final research model is composed of 30 first-order and five higher-order constructs which involve both reflective and formative measures. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the theoretical model with a cross-sectional data set of 282 SMEs in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected using a structured questionnaire issued to SMEs selected by applying a stratified random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling utilises a two-step procedure of data analysis. Prior to estimating the structural model, the measurement model is examined for construct validity of the study variables (i.e. convergent and discriminant validity).

The estimates show cognitive evaluation as an important antecedent for expectation which is shaped primarily by the entrepreneurs’ beliefs (perception) and also influenced by the owners’ innovativeness and culture. Culture further influences expectation. The study finds that facilitating condition, environmental pressure and country readiness are important antecedents of expectation and ICT use. The results also reveal that integration and the degree of ICT utilisation significantly affect SMEs’ performance. Surprisingly, the findings do not reveal any significant impact of ICT usage on performance which apparently suggests the possibility of the ICT productivity paradox. However, the analysis finally proves the non-existence of the paradox by demonstrating the mediating role of ICT integration and degree of utilisation explain the influence of information technology (IT) usage on firm performance which is consistent with the resource-based theory. The results suggest that the use of ICT can enhance SMEs’ performance if the technology is integrated and properly utilised. SME owners or managers, interested stakeholders and policy makers may follow the study’s outcomes and focus on ICT integration and degree of utilisation with a view to attaining superior organisational performance.

This study urges concerned business enterprises and government to look at the environmental and cultural factors with a view to achieving ICT usage success in terms of enhanced firm performance. In particular, improving organisational practices and procedures by eliminating the traditional power distance inside organisations and implementing necessary rules and regulations are important actions for managing environmental and cultural uncertainties. The application of a Bengali user interface may help to ensure the productivity of ICT use by SMEs in Bangladesh. Establishing a favourable national technology infrastructure and legal environment may contribute positively to improving the overall situation. This study also suggests some changes and modifications in the country’s existing policies and strategies. The government and policy makers should undertake mass promotional programs to disseminate information about the various uses of computers and their contribution in developing better organisational performance. Organising specialised training programs for SME capacity building may succeed in attaining the motivation for SMEs to use ICT. Ensuring easy access to the technology by providing loans, grants and subsidies is important. Various stakeholders, partners and related organisations should come forward to support government policies and priorities in order to ensure the productive use of ICT among SMEs which finally will help to foster Bangladesh’s economic development.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight about factors affecting Big Data Analytics (BDA) utilization and adoption in Indian firms. Research studies have so far focused on BDA adoption in developed economies. This study examines the factors that influence BDA usage and adoption in the context of emerging economies.

This study proposed a theoretical model of factors influencing BDA utilization and adoption. Two independent research streams – first, the top managers’ perceived strategic value (PSV) in BDA and second, the factors that influence the adoption of BDA theoretically – have been integrated with the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. In the BDA context, there was a theoretical necessity to identify the driver and barriers of BDA from the TOE framework on PSV and adoption of BDA. A qualitative exploratory study using face-to-face semi-structured interviews was carried out to collect data from 22 different enterprises and service providers in India. India was selected as the context as it is one of the fastest growing large economies of the world with huge potential of BDA to improve the business landscape.

The results showed that the major reason behind BDA non-adoption is that the organizations did not realize the strategic value (SV) of BDA, and they were not ready to make the changes because of technological, organizational and environmental difficulties. The findings corroborate previous results about significant factors affecting IT adoption and implementation and provide new and interesting insights. The main factors identified as playing a significant role in organizations’ adoption of BDA were SV of BDA, complexity, compatibility, IT assets, top management support, organization data environment, perceived costs, external pressure and industry type.

The main limitation related to this study is the difficulty in generalizing the findings to a larger population of enterprises. To overcome this, a statistical survey has been planned to be conducted in the future.

The BDA adoption model in this study will have both managerial implications for practitioners in India, as well as those in other developing countries, and academic implications for researchers who are interested in BDA adoption in developing counties, in terms of formulating better strategies for BDA adoption. For managers, using the research model of this study could assist in increasing their understanding of why some organizations choose to adopt BDA, while similar ones facing similar conditions do not. Also, the understanding of the strategic utilization of BDA in different business processes may improve the adoption of BDA in organizations.

This paper contributes in exploring and enhancing the understanding of the factors affecting the utilization and adoption of BDA in organizations from an Indian perspective. This study is an attempt to develop and explore a BDA adoption model by the fusion of PSV and TOE framework. The effect of the three contexts of this framework (technological, organizational and environmental) on the strategic utilization of BDA has been studied for the first time.

This study aims at assessing entrepreneurial business performance (EBP) from dynamic capability (DC) and technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework perspectives, taking support from crowdfunding.

With the inputs from the literature, supported by TOE framework and the dynamic capability view (DCV), a model has been proposed. This model has been tested by the factor-based partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique through a survey and quantifying the responses of 406 respondents on a five-point Likert scale has been used.

The study has found that crowdfunding support (CFS) has an effective influence on the improvement of EBP. Also, the DC supports to improve the EBP. Environmental dynamism (END) has also a critical role in impacting business performance.

Crowdfunding involves investors who have a similar interest in the business, close friends, family members, venture capitalists, investment groups, etc. Thus, the proposed model can be used by these stakeholders for investment purposes as well as for improving EBP. This study is a cross sectional research work which has limitations. Moreover, the sample size of this project is limited and did not include global respondents, Thus, the findings of this study cannot be generalizable which is another limitation of this study.

Crowdfunding involves investors who have a similar interest in the business, such as close friends, family members, venture capitalists, investment groups, etc. Thus, the proposed model can be used by these stakeholders for investment purposes as well as for improving EBP. The study can help policymakers understand the importance of crowdfunding in promoting entrepreneurship activities in a region, which helps in the economic development of that region.

This research work enriches the extant literature in the fields of crowdfunding and investment, DC and entrepreneurship. Not many studies have dealt with the issues of CFS for the improvement of EBP. Hence, this study may be considered novel. Moreover, the proposed research framework related to crowdfunding possesses a high predictive power. This makes the study unique.

This study aims to understand and explain factors that influence how, when and under which conditions local governments adopt digital technologies for citizen collaboration. It discusses what these findings mean for city digital twin adoption.

This research uses the systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) process to collect and evaluate evidence needed to answer the research questions. It uses the technology–organisation–environment (TOE) framework and proposes an additional dimension: “stakeholders” as the analytical framework.

Critical influential factors identified include the technology dimension: security and privacy; organisation dimension: top management support; environment dimension: political influence; and stakeholders’ dimension: technological experience.

This research extends the TOE framework and comprehensively analyses those factors which relate to citizens but significantly impact local government’s decision to adopt digital tools for collaboration purposes. This research posits that in the context of local government technology adoption for collaboration, both the organisation and stakeholders’ dimensions are critical.

This research contributes to the government-citizen discourse and provides a constructive understanding of technological transformation in collaborative planning. The findings are helpful for local governments, researchers and geospatial industries as they offer a critical understanding of digital technology adoption, particularly city digital twins, for collaborative planning.

This study extends the TOE framework to include aspects relating to citizens. It provides a nuanced understanding of the influential factors and intricacies of technology adoption by local governments for citizen collaboration. It also discusses relevant issues of city digital twins’ adoption by local governments for citizen participation.

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on information technology adoption in organizations to understand the need of integrated models for technology adoption. It further makes an attempt to identify key parameters to integrate technology acceptance model (TAM) and technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework for firm level technology adoption. This integration is intended to improve predictive power of resulting model.

The research papers are accessed from the popular databases from 2000 to 2012. The selected papers have addressed technology adoption in context of recent technologies such as e-commerce, ERP, RFID, EDI and knowledge management, etc. The paper attempts to review the studies based on TAM model and TOE framework to identify relevant set of variables for the adoption of these technologies in organizations.

TAM and its extended versions have high capability to explain the technology adoption while the significance of TOE framework is similarly recognized in explaining technology adoption. This review presents a holistic picture of a set of variables which can be used in the adoption of similar technologies in future. Further, the study has advocated the integration of TAM model and TOE framework to improve their explanatory power in technology adoption. The identified set of variables of TAM model and TOE framework can be used to integrate the two. Guidelines for integrating the two are also explained.

This study provides a platform for studying adoption of similar technologies using integration of TAM and TOE.

The researchers and managers can use the set of variables identified for adoption of similar technologies in organizations.

The review presents a set of variables which can be used to study adoption of similar technologies in future.

The significance of cloud services in information technology (IT) is increasing as a means of achieving enhanced productivity, efficiency and cost reduction. Through cloud-based service, the reliability and scalability of an organization’s systems can be enhanced since organizations such as local governments are able to concentrate on their main business strategies. This research seeks to identify critical factors that may have an impact on the acceptance of cloud-based services, where the organizational context is based on local governments in Australia.

To formulate a more comprehensive IT innovation adoption model for cloud technology, factors from the technology-organizational-environment framework, desires framework and diffusion of innovation model were integrated. Data was obtained from 480 IT staff working in 47 local government organizations.

The research results show that the factors which had a statistically significant and positive impact on the adoption of cloud-based services in local governments were compatibility, complexity, cost, security concerns, expected benefits and organization size. It is likely that the outcomes from this research will provide insights to any organization seeking to make investment decisions on the adoption of cloud-based services.

Limitations include generalizability of the findings since the data is restricted to local government areas in Queensland, Australia. Further, the sample mostly included individuals with managerial positions and may not completely capture the cloud adoption factors relevant for front line IT employees. Another limitation is the possible omission of factors that may be relevant but not considered due to the selected theories. Lastly, this research did not differentiate between different types of cloud adoption such as private, public, community and hybrid models that are possible in this context.

The paper provides a combination framework of cloud-based service adoption based on a literature review on cloud adoption from an IS perspective. It adapts integrated model to establish a more comprehensive innovation adoption framework for cloud technology.

The purpose of this paper is to refine and expand technology adoption theory for a healthcare logistics setting by combining the technology–organization–environment framework with a business process management (BPM) perspective. The paper identifies and ranks factors impacting the decision to implement instances of technologies in healthcare logistics processes.

A multiple case study is carried out at five Danish hospitals to investigate the bed logistics process. A combined technology adoption and BPM lens is applied to gain an understanding of the reasoning behind technology adoption.

A set of 17 factors impacting the adoption of technologies within healthcare logistics was identified. The impact factors perceived as most important to the adoption of technologies in healthcare logistics processes relate to quality, employee work conditions and employee engagement.

This paper seeks to understand how managers can use knowledge about impact factors to improve processes through technology adoption. The findings of this study provide insights about the factors impacting the adoption of technologies in healthcare logistics processes. Differences in perceived importance of factors enable ranking of impact factors, and prioritization of changes to be implemented. The study is limited to five hospitals, but is expected to be representative of public hospitals in developed countries and applicable to similar processes.

The study contributes to the empirical research within the field of BPM and technology adoption in healthcare. Furthermore, the findings of this study enable managers to make an informed decision about technology adoption within a healthcare logistics setting.

In higher education, the appreciation and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to debate and polarization. This study examines how the institutional environment at universities impacts the value perception and intention to adopt AI in higher education. It seeks to optimize the adoption pathway by identifying essential “must-have factors” and “value drivers.”

Employing the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework alongside the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework and perceived value concepts, this research utilizes a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach complemented by necessary condition analysis (NCA), a novel approach in this context, which allows us to distinguish between critical antecedents and value drivers in the evaluation and adoption of AI technology.

Results indicate that organizational complexity, readiness, competency, compatibility and competitive advantage significantly affect the perceived value of AI, mediated by stakeholders’ perceptions of its ease of use and usefulness. These factors enhance the intention to adopt AI in higher education. Perceived usefulness has the highest effect size and the importance of ease of use differs between Europe and South America. External factors like partner support and competitive advantage are necessary considerations to be met, while competitive advantage and some internal factors are sufficient conditions for AI adoption.

The study underscores the importance of certain institutional factors, setting priorities for management actions in AI adoption. It differentiates between the general appreciation of AI and the intention of practical implementation, highlighting the role of partner support as a necessary condition, although a non-value-driving factor.

Though Blockchain has been studied in numerous contexts, the understanding of the impacts of Blockchain in achieving competitive advantages remains unexplored. Many industries, organizations and firms are still in a “wait and see” mode. This study aims at examining the effects of the technological, organizational and environmental factors drawn from the TOE framework in generating competitive advantage.

A dual-staged deep learning structural equation modeling artificial neural network analysis was conducted on 211 samples of small and medium enterprises. Four neural network models were engaged to rank the normalized importance of each of the predictor variables.

The research model can expound 57.99 and 47.33% of the variance in Blockchain adoption and competitive advantage correspondingly. The study successfully identified nonlinear relationships. The theoretical and managerial contributions are useful to scholars and practitioners such as industrial players, investors, chief executive officers (CEOs), managers, decision-makers and other stakeholders that intend to use Blockchain technology.

Unlike the existing technological–organizational–environmental (TOE) framework that uses a linear model and theoretically assumes that all relationships are linear, this has been the first study, which has successfully validated that there exist nonlinear relationships in the TOE framework. Further, very little has been theorized on the impacts of Blockchain adoption on competitive advantage, especially in the context of SMEs. Therefore, this study is the first one to provide the necessary theoretical foundation that may further extend the current knowledge of Blockchain technology adoption and its impacts.

The slow adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the construction industry, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, underscores the need for a deeper understanding of the critical factors influencing their adoption. This study aims to identify these factors using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and address uncertainties in their prioritization through Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE). The utility of this approach lies in its ability to provide construction organizations with actionable insights to enhance operational efficiency and competitiveness through effective UAV adoption.

A post-positivist philosophical stance was adopted, wherein quantitative data were gathered from construction professionals in Nigeria via a questionnaire survey. The collected data were analyzed using the Cronbach alpha test as a measure of internal consistency and the FSE test to synthesize critical drivers for the adoption of UAVs.

The study found that drivers related to technology and organization are the most critical drivers. This implies that variables related to technology and organization warrant a higher level of focus if UAVs are to continue gaining popularity within the construction industry. Additionally, this study identified that logistic management, construction monitoring and site surveying represent the most critical areas of UAV application within the construction industry.

The emphasis on technology and organizational drivers as critical factors suggests that construction companies should prioritize investments in technology infrastructure and cultivate an organizational culture that embraces innovation. This may involve providing training to construction professionals to enhance their technological skills and fostering a leadership culture that champions technology adoption.

This study introduces novelty by applying the TOE framework, which has received limited attention in UAV adoption studies within construction. Additionally, the use of FSE addresses uncertainties in prioritizing critical drivers, particularly relevant in developing countries facing unique technological challenges. By assigning priority to these factors, this research lays the groundwork for a more informed and strategic approach to UAV adoption.