Information and communication technology adoption and diffusion in micro-enterprises: the case of techno-savvy home-based businesses

Abstract

The effective use of ICTs for business activities is of significant interest in a digital economy. This paper examines the adoption and diffusion of ICTs by micro home-based businesses (HBB) from an empirical study of 522 firms. Key findings include very high levels of internet, e-mail and cell phone usage for HBBs' business activities; and increasing website adoption levels with increasing geographic sales reach (from local, regional, national, to international). In spite of micro size and limited resources, many of these HBB were techno-savvy and capable of utilising the full range of ICTs to facilitate electronic business communications and online transactions. These findings are significant given the lack of prior research on the HBB sector and the scale of micro-enterprises in economies around the globe.