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Power Dynamics in E-commerce Adoption in Least Developing Countries: The Case of Dar-es-Salaam SMEs, Tanzania

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e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries (AFRICOMM 2011)

Abstract

This paper examines power structures that make E-Commerce adoption amongst Small and Medium Enterprises in least developing countries a daunting task. The study adopts structuration theory as a lens, focusing specifically on structures of domination. The results indicate that at organizational level, lack of management support was the reason. However this was caused by government’s reluctance to adopt E-Commerce. By not adopting E-Commerce, government creates structures of domination by drawing on both of its allocative and authoritative resources. Further results show education institutions possessing authoritative power - they design the curriculum by determining what to teach and how to teach it; and whilst doing it, fail to take into account the industries and specifically SMEs needs. However with the rapid adoption of mobile technologies, E-Commerce is becoming a reality through the development of mobile enabled trade websites, which gives SMEs numerous ways to diffuse and rejuvenate themselves in the global economy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Systems, University of Cape Town, South Africa

    Salah Kabanda

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  1. Salah Kabanda
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fraunhofer FOKUS, Kaiserin-Augusta Allee 31, 10589, Berlin, Germany

    Radu Popescu-Zeletin

  2. Schloss Birlinghoven, Fraunhofer FOKUS, 53757, Sankt, Augustin, Germany

    Karl Jonas

  3. The State University of Zanzibar, Zanzibar City, Tanzania

    Idris A. Rai

  4. Concordia University, H3G 2W1, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Roch Glitho

  5. FBK Center for Information Technology, 38122, Trento, Italy

    Adolfo Villafiorita

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© 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Kabanda, S. (2012). Power Dynamics in E-commerce Adoption in Least Developing Countries: The Case of Dar-es-Salaam SMEs, Tanzania. In: Popescu-Zeletin, R., Jonas, K., Rai, I.A., Glitho, R., Villafiorita, A. (eds) e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries. AFRICOMM 2011. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 92. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29093-0_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29093-0_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29092-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29093-0

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