| Author: | Ho, Ka-wing Gavin |
| Title: | Winning e-commerce strategy for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to meet customers' needs in Hong Kong and greater China region |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Electronic commerce -- China Electronic commerce -- China -- Hong Kong Small business -- China -- Hong Kong |
| Department: | Department of Computing |
| Pages: | ix, 90 leaves : ill. ; 31 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The contribution of the Dissertation study is to identify and categorize the e-commerce strategy into technology related (the 'T' in IT) electronic-factors (e-factors) and information related (the 'I' in IT) commerce-factors (c-factors). The e-factors will comprise security, accessibility, speed, navigability and c-factors will comprise brand and content (product, service and information) [61, 62]. The e-factors and c-factors could hardly be independent elements but they are co-existed in the e-commerce strategy. However, the study emphases that the winning e-commerce strategy for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is to prioritise and pinpoint their limited resources to c-factors development and join the website portal to take care of their e-factors so as to maximize their profit from e-commerce. The idea of the study comes from two main sources. The first one originated from Professor Peter Drucker in his book, Management Challenges for the 21st Century [41], he identified that in the late 20th century, Information Technology (IT) has centred on DATA their collection, storage, transmission and presentation. It has focused on the 'T' in 'IT'. However, in the coming 21st century, the new information revolutions will focus on the 'I'. The second one originated from Professor Frederick Herzberg's Two-factor theory [63] which distinguishes between: - Motivators (e.g. challenging work, recognition, responsibility) which give positive satisfaction, arising from intrinsic conditions of the job itself, such as recognition, achievement, or personal growth, and - Hygiene factors (e.g. status, job security, salary and fringe benefits) which do not give positive satisfaction, although dissatisfaction results from their absence. These are extrinsic to the work itself, and include aspects such as company policies, supervisory practices, or wages/salary. Herzberg argues that [64] both factors are equally important, but that good hygiene will only lead to average performance, preventing dissatisfaction, but not, by itself, creating a positive attitude or motivation to work. To motivate the employee management must enrich the content of the actual work they ask them to do. The e-factors will be similar to the 'hygiene factors' that no matter how good are the factors, they will mainly remove your customers' dissatisfaction on e-commerce. It is the c-factors which are similar to the 'motivators' that it will cause/motivate your customers to trade with you. After the global financial tsunami, one of the major challenges for SMEs of Hong Kong and Greater China region is to survive in the market. In order to survive from the tsunami, it is more important than ever before that SMEs must have a strategic approach to their business blue print. The successful factors of SMEs in Hong Kong and the Greater China region are to satisfy customer's needs. No matter how winning your strategy is, it cannot be winning one if it cannot cause/motivate your customers to trade with you. 'IT doesn't Matter'. To develop a winning strategy, SMEs must not fall into the trap of over-invest into Information Technology (IT) and forget their important core business (i.e. to do business and maximize their profit). The main research proposal in the Dissertation is that I will propose hypotheses to divide the winning factors of e-commerce into technology-related electronic-factors (e-factors) and the information-related commerce-factors (c-factors). The SMEs shall put more effort into commerce-factors (i.e. their product). The electronic-factors (security, navigation) will be outsourced to the website portal (e.g. Alibaba.com). Customer survey and website analysis will be conducted to testify the hypotheses. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b23526427.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.14 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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