thesis on barriers to e commerce in jamaica - patrick thompson
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Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Chapter 1 - Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 8
1.0. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Chapter 2 – Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 14
2.0. Related background Literature ............................................................................................................ 15
2.1. Overview of e-Commerce .................................................................................................................... 15
2.1.1. Types of e-Commerce Architecture ..................................................................................... 15
2.1.2. Impact of e-Commerce and Growth..................................................................................... 16
2.1.3. Benefits of e-Commerce ...................................................................................................... 17
2.1.4. Issues with e-Commerce ...................................................................................................... 18
2.1.5. Small to Medium Enterprise and its Benefits ..................................................................... 19
2.1.6. e-Commerce and Small to Medium Enterprises .................................................................. 20
2.1.7. Small to Medium Enterprise issues with e-Commerce ........................................................ 22
2.2. Barriers to e-Commerce in Developing Countries ............................................................................... 23
2.2.1. Economic Issues................................................................................................................... 23
2.2.2. Socio-Political Issues ........................................................................................................... 24
2.2.3. Technological Issues ............................................................................................................ 24
2.2.4. Educational Issues ....................................................................................................25
2.3. Factors Affecting the Caribbean Community and Latin America .........................................25
2.3.1. The Jamaican Context ......................................................................................................... 26
2.3.2. Technology Issues ............................................................................................................... 27
2.3.3. Economic Issues .................................................................................................................. 27
2.3.4. Socio-Political Issues .......................................................................................................... 27
2.2.5. Educational Issues ................................................................................................................ 28
2.4. Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 29
2.4.1. Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................................ 29
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Table of Contents Chapter 3 – Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 31
3.0. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 32
3.1. Sample Selection .................................................................................................................................. 33
3.2. Data Collection .................................................................................................................................... 34
3.3. Research Ethics ................................................................................................................................... 35
3.4. Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 36
3.5. Limitations of Qualitative Methods ..................................................................................................... 38
3.6. Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 40
Chapter 4 – Analysis and Discussion .......................................................................................................... 42
4.0. Results ................................................................................................................................................. 43
4.1. Respondents Profile ............................................................................................................................. 43
4.2. Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 44
4.2.1 Technological Issues ............................................................................................................. 44
4.2.2. Economic Issues................................................................................................................... 45
4.2.3 Socio-Political Issues ............................................................................................................ 47
4.2.4 Educational Issues ................................................................................................................. 48
4.3 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 50
4.3.1. Strategy ................................................................................................................................ 53
4.3.2. Structure .............................................................................................................................. 53
4.3.3. Systems ................................................................................................................................ 53
4.3.4. Skills .................................................................................................................................... 54
4.3.5. Staff ...................................................................................................................................... 54
4.3.6. Style ..................................................................................................................................... 54
4.3.7. Shared Values ...................................................................................................................... 55
4.3. Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 56
Chapter 5 – Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 59
5.0. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 60
5.1. Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 62
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Table of Contents 5.2. Overview and The Way Forward ............................................................................................ 65
References ................................................................................................................................................. 68
Appendix ................................................................................................................................................... 72
Exhibit 1 Interview Questions for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises .................................... 73
Exhibit 2 Interview Questions for Financial Institutions ............................................................... 75
Exhibit 3 Interview Questions for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises .................................... 78
Exhibit 4 Informed Consent Form ................................................................................................. 80
Exhibit 5 Schedule for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises ..................................................... 84
Exhibit 6 Schedule for Financial Institutions ................................................................................. 84
Exhibit 7 Schedule for Educational Institutions ............................................................................ 84
Declaration and Statement ...................................................................................................................... 85
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Abstract:
General studies speak to the benefits of e-Commerce globally for developing countries.
However for developed countries of the Caribbean Community and Latin America, the barriers
far outweigh the benefits for Micro, Small to Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The barriers can
be categorised in three main areas namely financial, technological and socio-political with
possible educational issues associated with the research. Other external factors such as trust,
security, logistics, management, and global competition were also identified. To determine if
these barriers were issues affecting the Jamaican context, the author visited and interviewed six
MSMEs, three major financial institutions, three tertiary institution to determine the challenges
faced by them for the full adoption of e-Commerce. The method of analysis was qualitative and
the data collection process comprised of semi-structured interviews.
General findings showed that the technological issues that were identified stemmed from three
possible areas being infrastructural; which looks at new technology to inspire customer
confidence, website development; which looks at whether there is support for its implementation
and development and geographical issues; which looks at issues relating to reaching customers
who are outside the corporate area. For economic issues, the issues of venture capital, its
availability to MSMs and the unavailability of credit cards, needs addressing. For Socio-
political, does the law provide some amount of protection and is there support for both their
institutions and their customers and trust factors. Within the Educational Institutions, were there
courses that exposed student to technology, its uses and were the courses geared towards for
technical and non-technical students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate educational
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levels. The author hopes this study will clearly identify the barriers relating to the
implementation of e-Commerce and the possible application of solutions for the MSMEs.
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Acknowledgement:
The Author of this paper recognizes that the creation and completion of this paper would not
have been possible without the assistance of the following persons. To God, who without him,
all this would not be possible. My Team, Craig Beresford, without your input/insight and
countless hours of support, this Final Project would not have been possible. Sophia Wilson for
the document printings and encouragement when my printer gave up before the project actually
started. Roxanne Brown, for keeping the of site backup and administrative ship together.
To my family for constant support and encouragement through the long tedious days and nights.
Finally, I would personally like to thank Dr. Patsy Perry, the most amazing supervisor for her
astute guidance, encouragement and excellent strategic support. Without you I would not have
known anything about how to conduct research. You were with me every step of the way.
Thank you for everything.
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1.0 Introduction
Today, it would be naïve to suggest that the Internet and Internet related technologies are not
having a major impact on the ways in which we work and live (Grant, 2003). According to
(Panagariya, 2000), even though phone, fax and television were the most widely used electronic
mediums to promote or conduct commerce within developing countries, much of the current
excitement, confusion and debate on e-Commerce are the result of the rapid ascendancy of
Internet. The Internet is being used today to buy abroad many back-office services such as
electronic publishing, website design and management, customer call centres, medical records
management, hotel reservations, credit card authorisations, remote secretarial services, mailing
list management, technical on-line support, indexing and abstracting services, research and
technical writing, and technical transcription. It has also become a medium for electronic
transmission of many products, traditionally traded in the form of goods. Thus, books, CDs,
movies and computer programmes can now be transmitted internationally in digital form.
e-Commerce is the buzzword of today's global business (Kumar and Kumar, 2009) and in order
to understand e-Commerce, the definition has to be established. Commerce is simply the
exchange of goods and services. When it is done with the help of the Computer and the Internet,
it is termed as Electronic Commerce (e-Commerce). e-Commerce is a system that combines the
resources of information systems with the reach of network connectivity, to directly link the key
business constituents - Customers and Businesses - to improve the efficiency of the structures
and attributes of commerce (Kumar and Kumar, 2009). The definition of e-Commerce is not
limited to financial transactions (buying and selling) but also includes other activities such as
information exchange, marketing, and pre and post-sales support. The author also, for the
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purpose of this research paper, conceptualized determinants as drivers or enablers and barriers or
inhibitors. Drivers propel e-Commerce growth whereas enablers facilitate growth. Barriers
prevent or limit growth whereas inhibitors slow growth (Gibbs et al., 2003).
There has been a myriad of journal articles, website, books and existing literature that speak to
the benefits of e-Commerce (Panagariya, 2000, BBCNEWS, 2003, Molla and Heeks, 2007).
According to (Hunaiti et al., 2009, Kumar and Kumar, 2009) with regards to barriers to e-
Commerce, some issues stem from: Socio-Political: Trust; Internet accessibility is still expensive
and/or inconvenient for many people, and privacy issues (Boritz and No, 2011, Van Slyke et al.,
2006, Basu and Jones, 2005). Economic; Lack of universally acceptable standards in regards to
quality, reliability, and security. Technological barriers include; Still-evolving software
development tools; Difficulties in integrating the Internet and e-Commerce software with some
existing (especially legacy) applications and databases; need for special Web servers in addition
to the network servers; and Insufficient telecommunications bandwidth. For the Caribbean and
Latin America Community issues of security: how safe are credit card numbers online and how
banks supports its customer base, logistics; supply chain in regards to shipping and distribution
(Wresch and Fraser, 2006). Trust factors; The way that business is conducted on a society level
(Hickson and Pugh, 2001) are known barriers affecting the various communities .
In undertaking this project, the author identified that most literature which includes but is not
limited to (Wresch and Fraser, 2006, Joelson, 2000, Joelson, 2001, Grandon et al., 2004), a focus
on regional issues in regards to e-Commerce in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) or Latin
America. In the context of Jamaica, there isn’t much focused, published literature in regards to
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e-Commerce. In 2002, The Allen Consulting Group (Group, 2002), an Australian economic and
policy advisory consulting company with considerable experience in e-Commerce and regulatory
analysis, worked with the Commonwealth Secretariat and was commissioned by the Government
of Jamaica (GOJ) to prepare a discussion paper targeting the following issues:
Development of an ecommerce strategy, which targets four key sectors in the Jamaican
economy (i.e., information technology, banking and finance, tourism, and music and
entertainment); and
Provision of assistance to strengthen the institutional capability of the regulatory agencies
which support ecommerce activities.
This author believes that in doing this research, issues that affect the financial, technological and
socio-political arenas are key barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica. This study will give an
opportunity to identify key issues which affect the implementation of e-Commerce in Jamaica by
Micro, Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) businesses as well as the barriers that affect them.
The predominant research methodology employed was qualitative analysis. In developing this
research paper, the writer will examine existing literature, while the approach used will be that of
content analysis which will focus on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to investigate
the role of e-Commerce within MSMEs, financial institutions and educational institutions.
The author will interview six (6) MSMEs to ascertain their views on the use of e-Commerce as a
part of organisational strategy. Three (3) Financial Institutions will be interviewed in order to
enable the author to determine their support of e-Commerce. Additionally, four (4) Educational
institutions will be interviewed to determine whether there is curriculum which supports e-
Commerce. Other data sources that will be collected include the Planning Institute of Jamaica
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(PIOJ) - Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2011 and the Central Information Technology
Organisation (CITO) - The Allen Report.
The paper commences with an evaluation of the Literature Review concerning the benefits of e-
Commerce, the barriers for developing/developed countries, Small to Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) globally and the factors affecting CARICOM and Latin America with a focus on
Jamaica. This is followed by the Research Design for the study which looks at the qualitative
aspect of the research. Next is the Analysis and Discussion of the findings in relation to the
overall investigation. Finally, the paper Concludes by highlighting contributions, limitations
and, future research directions.
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Intentionally Left Blank
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2.0 Related Background Literature
2.1 Overview of e-Commerce
Much of the current literature agrees that in today’s society, e-Commerce has become a crucial
element to transform some of the world countries into an information society (Hunaiti et al.,
2009). Phrases such as ‘Internet as the great equalizer’ and ‘the world is flat’ serve as interesting
pointers for realizing the ability of individual adopters and users of e-Commerce in shaping their
country’s posture towards ecommerce (Datta, 2011). Before the dot.com shake out in 2000, this
vision of the benefits of this new form of transacting was accompanied by the expectation that
firms in developing countries would achieve widespread access to Information and
Communication Technology (ICTs). Growing use of digital technologies as a result of actions to
tackle the ‘digital divide’, was expected to enable much greater access to global markets for
smaller and larger firms in developing countries (Norris, 2001). The spread of the Internet and
growing use of the World Wide Web were expected to generate new economic activity through
the use of open networks and e-marketplaces (Humphrey et al., 2003, Ifinedo, 2011).
2.1.1 Types of e-Commerce Architecture
While there are twelve known types of ecommerce architecture as described by (Nemat, 2011)
as Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Business-to-Employee (B2E),
Business-to-Government (B2G), Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C), Government-to-Business
(abbreviated G2B), Government-to-Citizen (abbreviated G2C), Government-to-Government
(abbreviated G2G), and Peer-to-Peer (P2P), the author is interested in:
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Business-to-Business
Business-to-Business (B2B) describes commerce transactions between businesses, such
as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer.
Business-to-Consumer
Business-to-Consumer (B2C, sometimes also called Business-to-Customer) describes
activities of businesses serving end consumers with products and/or services.
Business-to-Government
Business-to-Government (B2G) is a derivative of B2B marketing and often referred to as
"public sector marketing" which encompasses marketing products and services to various
government levels - including Federal, state and local - through integrated marketing
communications techniques such as strategic public relations, branding, marcom,
advertising, and web-based communications.
2.1.2 Impact of e-Commerce and Growth
According to (Management, 2013), in 2012, B2C e-Commerce sales grew 21.1 per cent to top $l
trillion for the first time, according to new global estimates by e-Marketer. In 2013, sales will
grow 18.3 per cent to $1.298 trillion worldwide, e-Marketer estimates, as Asia-Pacific surpasses
North America to become the world's number one market for B2C e-Commerce sales. While
sales in North America are expected to grow 12.2 per cent this year to $409.05 billion, but Asia-
Pacific sales are expected to grow by 30 per cent to more than $433 billion. Three Asia-Pacific
markets in China, India and Indonesia - will see faster B2C e-Commerce sales growth than all
other markets worldwide this year. Based on Statistics shown below, e-Commerce has grown
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significantly from 2011-2013 in 5 of the major countries and this is due to global competition
which is perhaps the most significant force driving e-Commerce development across countries.
A country’s integration into global production networks, the presence of Multi-National
Corporations (MNCs), and the extent of trade liberalization are all factors that increase the level
of global competition and therefore the pressure for countries to adopt commerce as a means of
reducing costs and/or expanding markets (Gibbs et al., 2003).
Figure 1. (Management, 2013) Top 5 countries, ranked by B2B e-Commerce sales, 2011-2-13 (billions)
2.1.3 Benefits of e-Commerce
The benefits of e-Commerce for organisations can be summarised as follows; it can help boost
economies, create jobs and even help farmers find better markets for what they produce
(BBCNEWS, 2003), allows vendors to reach a large number of customers, anywhere around the
world, at a very low cost’ and helps small businesses compete against large organisations.
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While, the key benefits for society is that it allows some merchandise to be sold at lower prices,
so less affluent people can buy more and increase their standard of living, enables more
individuals to work at home and to do less traveling, resulting in less traffic on the roads and
lower air pollution (Hunaiti et al., 2009). For the Rural Women’s Association in South Africa,
while marketing was perceived as an organizational integrator, e-Commerce was seen as
enabling this process through its potential advantages over existing communication channels
such as the telephone, mail, and fax. These advantages included the ability to store, retrieve,
manipulate, aggregate, and disseminate data and information in a cost effective and efficient way
(Rhodes, 2009, Molla and Licker, 2004).
2.1.4 Issues with e-Commerce
While there is a plethora of information about e-Commerce, its benefits and why it should be
implemented, the reality of its barriers far outweighs its benefits to developed countries.
According to (BBCNEWS, 2003), the well-known problems of poverty, poor health and patchy
training programmes stop developing nations from making greater use of e-commerce but other
factors contributed too. It said that computers were still rare in many nations, internet
connections were slow, hard to find and expensive, and many countries have to pay high fees to
maintain links to neighbouring nations. According to (Panagariya, 2000), many developing
countries do not have current-account convertibility so that ordering goods on the Internet from
abroad is not a practical option except, perhaps, in the case of large firms, which may have ready
access to foreign exchange. Even in countries such as India, which have current-account
convertibility but not capital-account convertibility, individuals do not have ready access to
foreign exchange. Thus, as far as imports of goods and services are concerned, the Internet
option is likely to remain limited to larger firms.
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2.1.5 Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) and its Benefits
The importance of studying SMEs comes from the fact that they account for a considerable
growth in employment and they generate an important part of the gross national product of a
nation. This is true not only in developed countries but more so in developing countries
(Riquelme, 2002).
Past literature has spoken to the benefits that could be derived from e-Commerce by SMEs, such
as allowing lower inventories by facilitating “pull”- type supply chain management, which
begins from consumers’ orders and uses just-in-time production and delivery processing. Other
benefits according to (Turban and King, 2003 ) included:.2
Ubiquity - In traditional commerce, a marketplace is a physical place you visit in order
to transact business. e-Commerce, in contrast, is characterized by its ubiquity: it is
available just about everywhere, at all times.
Global reach - e-Commerce technology permits commercial transactions to cross
cultural and national boundaries far more conveniently and cost-effectively than is true in
traditional commerce.
Universal standards - One strikingly unusual feature of e-commerce technologies is that
the technical standards of the Internet, and therefore the technical standards for
conducting e-commerce, are universal standards—they are shared by all nations around
the world.
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Interactivity - Unlike any of the commercial technologies of the twentieth century, with
the possible exception of the telephone, e-commerce technologies allow for interactivity,
meaning they enable two-way communication between merchant and consumer.
2.1.6 e-Commerce and SMEs
There are different strategic e-Commerce models that are available to SME’s. Different models
are seen below:
Information Content Model - In this model these sites attract visitors by offering them
information content that is organized to facilitate search and discovery;
Freeware Model - Internet Software companies have extensively utilized the freeware
model to offer downloads of their products;
Information Exchange Model - This model is based on the exchange of information
between individuals and organization, over the Internet; and
Advertising Model - This model is an extension of the traditional media broadcaster. In
this a web site provides content (usually, but not necessary, for free) and services like
email, chat, forums mixed with the advertising messages in the form of banner of
advertisement (Kumar and Kumar, 2009).
While these options describe viable strategic options for SMEs to use, do these models actually
address whether it is the right strategic fit based for market entry or continued utilization of
Internet commerce. (Rasheed, 2009) speaks to one newly evolved model, known as “pure
plays”, where new venture firms manifest themselves as new start-ups (greenfield) or corporate
venture spin-offs use the Internet exclusively for new market entry and market development.
The other model, known as “bricks and clicks”, is a hybrid arrangement in which incumbent
firms use Internet-based electronic commerce as a technology media for diversifying their
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distribution channel. Firms using this model are typically established firms with existing
management, organizational structure, and a physical presence in the form of a retail store,
warehouse facilities, and a complementary logistics system.
Finally another strategic model that can be used for implementation of e-Commerce is the
Mckinsey 7s model. According to (Waterman, 1980), McKinsey 7s model is a tool that
analyzes firm’s organizational design by looking at 7 key internal elements: strategy, structure,
systems, shared values, style, staff and skills, in order to identify if they are effectively aligned
and allow organization to achieve its objectives1.
Figure 2. McKinsey 7s model, which represents the connections between seven areas and divides them into ‘Soft Ss’ and
‘Hard Ss’.
The seven elements are listed as2:
Strategy - the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the
competition.
Structure - the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom.
Systems - the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job
done.
1 http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/mckinsey-7s-model-framework.html
2 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_91.htm
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Shared Values - called "superordinate goals" when the model was first developed, these
are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the
general work ethic.
Style - the style of leadership adopted.
Staff - the employees and their general capabilities.
Skills - the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company
2.1.7 SME Issues with e-Commerce
Although much of the existing literature identifies benefits that SMEs may encounter through the
implementation of e-Commerce, there are issues to contend with such as gaining visibility for
their websites, having no brand, customers may not trust an unknown business in a foreign
country (Wresch and Fraser, 2006) or whether the same management principle that big business
uses can also be used for small business (Welsh and White, 1981). For the Rural Women’s
Association in South Africa (Rhodes, 2009), there have been attempts to use Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) and e-Commerce technologies to enhance their current
situation while ICT can increase marketing efficiency, through addressing information gaps and
informing and strengthening decision making, this is only realisable if those participating in the
process understand the principle of marketing.
For issues affecting the furniture industry, (Maker, 2011) states that as the European Parliament
seeks to update the Consumer Rights Directive (CRD) legislative bill this, in turn, will impact
the cost of running an online retail business or e-Commerce in general. For the garment/apparel
and horticulture/agriculture sector (Paré, 2002) previously stated that barriers include: the
perceived absence of procedures for establishing trust; the primacy of direct personal contacts
between established buyers and sellers; and the structure of sector value chains which
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encourages repeated transactions and close contacts between buyers and sellers. Overall, the
interactions between such factors as connectivity, access, network security, capability/skills, and
regulatory environments all, in important ways, influence whether firms can participate
effectively in the global economy (Paré, 2002).
2.2 Barriers to e-Commerce in Developing Countries
Despite the optimism in many quarters about the potential benefits of B2B e-Commerce for
developing country firms, there is a substantial gap in the evidence base concerning the extent of
B2B e-Commerce implementation and the way various applications are being used by firms in
developing countries (Paré, 2002, Kumar and Kumar, 2009). For instance (Gibbs et al., 2003),
previously carried out a cross country comparison between ten countries and the barriers include
the availability of financial resources such as venture capital to support online businesses and
start-ups. The availability of online payment methods is also an enabler of e-Commerce. Credit
cards are used sparingly, despite availability of credit cards in most of the countries, due to a low
level of usage (in countries other than the United States) as well as a lack of trust in giving out
credit card numbers online. Barriers for the adoption of e-Commerce also affect the Middle
Eastern Countries as shown in the 2006 study that (Ahmed et al., 2006) carried out in Saudi
Arabia. The study identified technical issues and customers’ requirements such as internet
security-trusted sites, customer awareness and the speed of service.
2.2.1Economic Issues
The premise that wealth is a key determinant of e-Commerce diffusion across countries can be
seen by (Gibbs et al., 2003). Other economic factors include unavailability of credit cards
(Hunaiti et al., 2009) or the banking sector’s unwillingness or inability to facilitate convenient
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electronic payment system (Wresch and Fraser, 2006). And yet, the region's banks and
businesses have yet to see much of a profit, as they've been hamstrung to date by problems
ranging from still-low Internet connectivity and laggard digital certificate initiatives to their own
lack of imagination (Joelson, 2000).
2.2.2 Socio-Political Issues
Socio-Political barriers issues such as privacy have a built in trade-off between the necesity of
providing at least some personal information to consumate an online transaction and the risk of
negative consequences from providing such information (Boritz and No, 2011). Other issues are
a lack of business/cyber laws for e-Commerce leading to many legal issues are yet unresolved
(Hunaiti et al., 2009, Panagariya, 2000, Kumar and Kumar, 2009); Lack of national and global
standards and regulations for different circumstances; copyright laws are unable to monitor or
protect intellectual property consistently or freely; and people preference such as the preference
of Asian people to communicate face-to-face (Hickson and Pugh, 2001, Kumar and Kumar,
2009), than over emails.
2.2.3 Techological Issues
For technological issues a plethora of reasons are cited for the inappropriateness of ICTs in
relation to rural development, where we find, the lack of connectivity; low tele-density; limited
Internet access; scant ICT education; limited literacy and underdeveloped human and
technological networks (Rhodes, 2009, Kumar and Kumar, 2009). SME managers need to be
convinced of the benefits before fully adopting the technology, where some managers do not feel
that Internet technologies provide a significant improvement in service, compared with
traditional methods (Grant, 2003).
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25 | P a g e
2.2.4 Educational Issues
For developing countries, another constraint is lack of training in the use of technology. In
previous literature (Kamel, 2002) stated that lack of training is also a major obstacle where
people are not prepared to handle operations in a cyber-environment, which creates confusion for
those accustomed to traditional systems when they are introduced to innovative techniques. As
organizations strive to compete in the global economy, differentiation on the basis of the skills,
knowledge, and motivation of their workforce takes on increasing importance (Aguinis and
Kraiger, 2009).
2.3 Factors affecting the Caribbean Community and Latin America.
As mentioned earlier, there are barriers that limit the growth of e-Commerce for both developed
and developing countries but within Latin America and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
there are few studies that speak to whether or not CARICOM and Latin America companies face
the same barriers as elsewhere in the world (Wresch and Fraser, 2006). Some factors that affect
CARICOM as well as Latin America include security, logistics and technology. Commerce
requires mechanisms of trust to guarantee payment and delivery of goods. In developed
countries, e-Commerce has largely been the digitization of trust relationships that already
existed. Since people, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, do not have credit
cards or bank accounts, trust processes like authentication and non-repudiation are generally not
in place (Wresch and Fraser, 2006, Joelson, 2001). Prior research has also shown that shipping
products to consumers is particularly daunting in the developing world. Electronic Funds
Transfer (EFT) is an assumed aspect of B2B and B2C e-Commerce, but EFT requires an advance
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banking system, good general security, and a developed legal environment (Wresch and Fraser,
2006).
2.3.1 The Jamaica Context
As mentioned before, there are few, if any studies related to barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica.
In studies, The Allen Group Consultancy (Group, 2002) in previous research stated that there is
much anecdotal evidence to suggest that the small and medium sized businesses that make up the
majority of business in Jamaica face many of the same problems as their counterparts in other
countries.
Micro-enterprises in Jamaica are defined as enterprises that carry an asset base (excluding land
and building) not exceeding US$10 000.00 and an annual turnover of less than US$125 000.00.
Small Enterprises carry an asset base (excluding land and building) of between US$10000.00
and US$100 000.00 and an annual turnover of between US$125 000.00 and US$1 000 000.00.
Employment levels in either may vary based on structure and type of activity but for small
enterprises the level usually does not exceed 50 persons (Jamaica, 2012).
Statistical Institute (STATIN’s) Labour Force Survey (Jamaica, 2014) regarding Employment
Status for 2011 showed that the Own Account Worker (sole traders) category, which constitutes
the vast majority of Micro, Small to Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), accounted for 35.9 per cent
of the employed labour force with an average employment of 392 867 persons. For 2010, Own
Account (sole traders) accounted for 37.6 per cent of the employed labour force with an average
employment of 411 625 persons (Jamaica, 2012, Jamaica, 2014).
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2.3.2 Technological Issues
On the subject of technology the (Group, 2002) argued that the country has good telephone
infrastructure; low Internet connectivity, computer ownership and level of commerce; reasonably
diffused electricity distribution but not cost effective or reliable services. With regard to
websites, (Group, 2002) also suggests that the majority of Jamaican businesses that have a
website are larger, or more established businesses. However, closer inspection of these sites
reveals that the majority of them are owned and operated overseas, mostly in the US, Canada,
with some hosted in other Caribbean countries. With some exceptions, the majority of smaller
businesses in Jamaica do not have an e-Commerce capacity or presence on the World Wide Web.
2.3.3 Economic Issues
(Group, 2002) also stated that Jamaica’s banks have been a major barrier to e-Commerce
adoption. Banks’ reluctance to support credit cards in Jamaican dollars that are able to be used
seamlessly on overseas transactions has limited consumers’ ability to purchase online; also banks
have been slow to offer online banking facilities, although there has been some movement
recently; and local banks’ reluctance to offer online merchant services has impaired business e-
Commerce offerings.
2.3.4 Socio-political Issues
With regards to socio-political factors, (Group, 2002) believes that access to capital is a key
constraint to growth in the Jamaican economy at present. Obtaining capital for start-up
businesses built around an e-Commerce strategy is particularly difficult, especially after the
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28 | P a g e
failure of many ‘dot coms’ around the globe. Other socio-political factors include but are not
limited to:
Digital signatures and authentication - stakeholders frequently cite a lack of confidence
in verification of electronic communication and authentication as a barrier to greater
involvement in ecommerce in Jamaica;
Evidence Act - one school of thought is that the current act is said to specifically require
signed written evidence of transactions or contracts to be admissible as evidence in a
Jamaican court and hence faxed or electronic signatures are not admissible;
Sale of Goods Act - this may need to be updated to address the capabilities and potential
difficulties posed by online technologies; and
Privacy - it is understood that Jamaica currently has no laws regarding the handling of
individuals’ private or sensitive information (except for background coverage through
common law remedies).
2.3.5 Educational Issues
In the Jamaican context it is the aim of the researcher to find out about courses that are available
for e-Commerce development, are the courses geared towards technical or non-technical
personnel only and what is the average pass rate for these institutions.
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29 | P a g e
2.4 Summary
In conclusion, for developing countries, e-Commerce has impacted sales globally and while the
benefits include reaching new markets and organisational exposure, for SMEs it gives them the
ability to compete with other global organisations. For SMEs, there are strategies that can be
employed for either fledgling or well established organization but there are still problem related
to technological issues and legislative challenges
Developing countries share common issues such as logistics, security, trust and how people
prefer to do business. Developed countries on the other hand don’t have these problems. For
Jamaica, technological and economic issues were the major barriers to e-Commerce.
2.4.1 Research Objectives
It is the objective of this author to examine through qualitative research the challenges of
implementing ecommerce in Jamaica by MSMEs and to analyse the barriers to e-Commerce
faced by MSMEs in Jamaica, and determine what if any role the issues play in barriers to e-
Commerce in Jamaica. The perceived barriers are:
Technological;
Financial;
Socio-political; and
Educational.
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3.0 Introduction:
In gathering information to substantiate the findings for this research paper, the researcher was
faced with the decision to choose between quantitative or qualitative method and possible
benefits. According to (Hancock et al., 2009) differences can be seen between both in Figure 3
below.
Figure 3. Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
Qualitative research Quantitative research
Tends to focus on how people or groups of
people can have (somewhat) different ways of
looking at reality (usually social or
psychological reality).
Tends to focus on ways of describing and
understanding reality by the discovery of
general “laws”.
Takes account of complexity by incorporating
the real-world context – can take different
perspectives on board.
Takes account of complexity by precise
definition of the focus of interest and
techniques that mean that external “noise” can
be discounted.
Studies behaviour in natural settings or uses
people’s accounts as data; usually no
manipulation of variables.
Involves manipulation of some variables
(independent variables) while other variables
(which would be considered to be extraneous
and confounding variables) are held constant.
Focuses on reports of experience or on data
which cannot be adequately expressed
numerically.
Uses statistical techniques that allow us to talk
about how likely it is that something is “true”
for a given population in an objective or
measurable sense.
Generally, qualitative research generates rich, detailed and valid (process) data that contribute to
in-depth understanding of the context. Quantitative research engenders reliable population based
and generalizable data that is well suited to establishing cause-and-effect relationships. The
decision on which method to choose will depend on the nature of the project, the type of
information needed the context of the study and the availability of resources (time, money, and
human)(Anderson, 2006).
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33 | P a g e
The qualitative method was selected to understand the Barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica.
Similar approaches have been used to support previous research, such as the works of (Rhodes,
2009, Wresch and Fraser, 2006) which used the qualitative method to discern e-Commerce
efforts as it sought to comprehend issues faced by SMEs. The uses of semi-structured interviews
(further discussed in sub-section 3.2) were also incorporated to support its findings.
3.1 Sample Selection
A survey was administered which targeted participants of six MSMEs, three financial institutions
within the Kingston metropolitan area and four educational institutions. Kingston was chosen
based on the fact that it is the business capital of Jamaica and majority of MSMEs, financial
institutions educational institutions operate within this geographic area. Additionally, another
deciding factor was that Hi speed internet where according to (Jamaica, 2012) internet
connection grew by 4.2 percentage points to 16.2 per cent with just over 60.0 per cent being in
the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA). Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the
dominant internet connection type within the country allowing for faster and more efficient data
transmission was also available in this area to the three groups of respondents and this was also
an important factor for the implementation and use of e-Commerce technologies. The MSMEs
were chosen from a range of industries within Jamaica. The industries as stated in Figure 4:
Figure 4. MSME Industries with total member of staff
Industry MSME Number of Staff Members
Service Respondent A 4
Agriculture Respondent B 2
Fashion Respondent C 4
Retail Apparel Respondent D 25
Pharmaceuticals Respondent E 10
Information Technology Respondent F 6
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34 | P a g e
Information on the list of approved financial institutions was garnered from the Development
Bank of Jamaica’s website3. Approved Financial Institutions (AFIs) include; Commercial and
Merchant Banks, the National People’s Co-operative Bank and Credit Unions. The Financial
Institutions consisted of 2 Commercial Banks and 1 Merchant Bank.
Figure 5. Commercial Bank type with coded respondent type
Bank Type Bank
Commercial Respondent X
Commercial Respondent Y
Merchant Bank Respondent Z
A listing of accredited Colleges, Institutes and training institutions was garnered from the
University Council of Jamaica (UCJ). The UCJ is responsible for the accreditation of all tertiary
educational institutions within Jamaica. From a list of 43 tertiary institutions, 13 were contacted
and emailed the questionnaires to acquire 4 possible participants.
Figure 6. Educational Institution with coded respondent type
Educational Type Educational Institution
Community College Respondent L
Established University Respondent M
Recently Established University Respondent N
3.2 Data Collection (Semi-structured Interview Technique)
This project used a semi-structured interview method to understand the challenges facing the
MSMEs in Jamaica. The interview process was considered an appropriate option due to the fact
that: A semi-structured interview, typically refers to a context in which the interviewer has a
series of questions that are in the general form of an interview schedule but is able to vary the
sequence of questions. The questions are frequently somewhat more general in their frame of
reference than that typically found in a structured interview schedule. Also, the interviewer
3 http://dbankjm.com/approved-financial-institutions-afi
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35 | P a g e
usually has some latitude to ask further questions in response to what are seen as significant
replies (Bryman and Bell, 2007).
3.3 Research Ethics
In preparing for the semi-structured interview, issues of confidentiality must be taken into
consideration. According to (Mertens and Ginsberg, 2009 ), ethical discussions usually remain
detached or marginalized from discussions of research projects. In fact, some researchers
consider this aspect of research an afterthought. Yet, the moral integrity of the researcher is of
critical importance in ensuring that the research process and the findings are “trustworthy” and
valid. To engage with the ethical dimension of your research requires asking yourself several
important questions:
• What moral principles guide your research?
• How do ethical issues enter into your selection of a research problem?
• How do ethical issues affect how you conduct your research—the design of your study,
your sampling procedure, etc.?
• What responsibility do you have toward your research subjects? For example, do you
have their informed consent to participate in your project? What ethical issues/dilemmas
might come into play in deciding what research findings you publish? Will your research
directly benefit those who participated in the study?
A consideration of ethics needs to be a critical part of the substructure of the research process
from the initial conception of your problem to the interpretation and publishing of the research
findings. (The Consent for Interview Form is presented in Appendix at Exhibit 4.)
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36 | P a g e
3.4 Data Analysis
The research uses the content analysis as a part of the qualitative analysis framework for this
study. Content Analysis is an approach to the analysis of documents and texts (which may be
printed or visual) that seeks to quantify content in terms of predetermined categories and in a
systematic and replicable manner. It is a flexible method that can be applied to a variety of
media. In a sense it is not a research method, in that it is an approach to the analysis of
documents and texts rather than a means of generating data (Bryman and Bell, 2007). According
to (Hancock et al., 2009), the emphasis in conventional content analysis is dependent on
counting/frequency (usually absent from most other methodologies), where researchers would
count occurrences of a word, phrase or theme. Specialised rules for coding would be devised
and this approach is suitable when analyzing documents. The research required the participants
to consider the Barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica with a special focus on the challenges of
MSMEs. From the review of current literature, a list of barriers was identified which served as a
possible foundation to the development of interview schedule which was divided into 3 groups:
MSMEs, Educational and Financial Institutions. (The interview schedule is presented in
Appendix at Exhibit 5 and 6.)
For MSMEs, Financial, and Educational Institution using one-on-one interviews, the term e-
Commerce was defined in its simplest form for each participant as there were 3 categories of
questions (MSMEs, financial institutions and educational institutions) with an average of 9
questions per category and an average time of 20 minutes and 40 minutes per interview,
respectively.
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37 | P a g e
The MSMEs were asked 9 questions which sought to understand the challenges faced by them.
The questionnaire was divided into 4 sections, 2 questions dealt with the organisations
information and its principal, 2 dealt with issues relating to the development and implementation
of an e-Commerce website, and the remaining questions focused on issues related to financial
institutions, logistic, training and other general concerns. (The interview questions for MSMEs
are presented in Appendix at Exhibit 1.)
In regards to Financial Institutions, 10 questions were asked with the focus being on trying to
understand the financial institutions position on e-Commerce, how supportive they are towards
to MSMEs, and if they felt that their organisations as well as the MSMEs were protected from
issues relating to cyber and financial crimes. Like the MSMEs the questions were divided into 4
sections, 2 questions looked at services offered, 2 looked at website support, 4 looked at
concerns by MSMEs as well as financial institutions, and 2 focused on the review of e-
Commerce and other general concerns. (The interview questions for Financial Institutions are
presented in Appendix at Exhibit 2.)
For educational institutions, 5 questions were asked to ascertain whether any classes related to its
technology have been delivered especially those focused on e-Commerce, methods of delivery,
level of student participation and any general concerns. (The interview questions for
Educational Institutions are presented in Appendix at Exhibit 3.)
At this point the coding schedule which is a format into which all the data relating to an item
being coded will be entered. Coding manuals developed, which is sometimes referred to as the
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38 | P a g e
content analysis dictionary, is a statement of instructions to coders that specifies the categories
that will be used to classify the text based on a set of written rules that define how the text will
be classified was created (Bryman and Bell, 2007).
(Bryman and Bell, 2007) states that some of the advantages of content analysis include the
following:
1. It is a very transparent research method. The coding scheme and the sampling
procedures can be clearly set out so that replication and follow-up studies are feasible;
2. It is a highly flexible method. That can be applied to a wide variety of kinds of
unstructured information; and
3. Content analysis may allow information to be generated about social groups that are
difficult to gain access to.
Some disadvantages of content analysis are:
1. It can only be as good as the documents the practitioner works;
2. It is almost impossible to devise coding manuals that do not entail some interpretation on
the part of the coders;
3. Particular problems are likely to arise when the aim is to impute latent rather than
manifest content; and
3.5 Limitations of Qualitative Method
The qualitative methodology is critical to this type of research. However there are weaknesses to
using this methodology, one of which is the possible effect of the researchers' presence on the
people they are studying. As previously highlighted, the relationship between the researcher and
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39 | P a g e
participants may actually distort findings (Carr, 1994). For the interviewer in garnering
information for this interview, all respondent were interviewed at their respective locations to
ensure that they felt comfortable enough to “open up” to the interviewer and to be as candid as
possible about the challenges they face in regards to e-Commerce.
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40 | P a g e
3.6 Summary
For the author, it was important to identify the method of analysis (whether quantitative or
qualitative) which would be used to evaluate and analyze the captured information for the
barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica research paper. The sample selection consisted of 6 MSMEs
from 6 different industries, 3 financial institutions from the approved list of financial institutions
within Jamaica and 4 educational institution accredited by the University Council of Jamaica.
The Data Collection process comprised of semi-structured interviewing of participants and the
researcher, making the participants feel comfortable enough to answer questions posed. Based
on this, an interview consent form was presented at the beginning of the interview process
ensuring that respondents know that this was strictly for academic purposes. Overall there was 3
category of questionnaire with an average of 9 questions with an average time of 20 minutes per
interview.
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4.0 Results
The results are based on the research objectives to identify the challenges of implementing
ecommerce in Jamaica by MSMEs, to explore the technological, economical and socio-political
barriers faced by MSMEs in Jamaica, and determine what if any, role the educational issues play
in barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica. The results of the research are divided into 4 sections.
Part 1 focuses on the technological challenges, Part 2 the economic challenges, Part 3 the socio-
political challenges and Part 4 focused on educational challenges.
4.1 Respondents Profile
In analysis of the respondents who were interviewed, for the MSMEs, all of the respondents are
Sole traders with the majority being in business for over 5 years. They are experienced
managers who had explored the possibilities of implementing e-Commerce as a part of their
business strategy. For the Financial Institutions, the respondents seemed to have a good grasp of
what is expected and worked with the technologies to support banking products, but for the
institution itself, and its policies (being the institution/governmental), the challenges to undertake
further implementation of e-Commerce seemed far too risky and could not show an instant
financial yield for the organisation. For educational institutions, the respondent was quite clear
on the mandates of the organisation and was able to clearly articulate issues relating to delivery
of e-Commerce training.
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44 | P a g e
4.2 Overview
Although there are a myriad of challenges, for the purpose of this research we will focus on
issues of implementation of infrastructure, e-Commerce website implementation and new
technologies, the financial institutions responses in regards to support of MSMEs, socio-political
issues in regards to legal support and educational institutions responses in regards to training.
4.2.1 Technological
a. Infrastructure
One of the major challenges in regards to the implementation of e-Commerce is Technological
issues. In regards to implementation of infrastructure within rural areas, as noted by our
respondent, in reaching customers within rural areas, financial institutions agree that within the
corporate area access to computers and internet access is common but for rural area where there
is no high speed, how do they support those customers as noted by respondent Z,
“The challenge for Jamaica is right now a lot of persons in the town area who have internet
access, access to computers. But how do we tap into the central areas of Jamaica where we do
not have this high speed access where a company like this organisation or financial firms all
over the island. I know it’s gonna be a challenge. How do we migrate all these persons. This is
gonna take the energy because for electronic services to be successful you have to convince
persons that its ok you can use it”.
b. New Technology
In the areas of new technology or new thinking, respondent Y has explored possibilities with
internal e-Card designed to alleviate customers concerns for shopping online.
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45 | P a g e
c. Website Development
In the area of e-Commerce website development, half the respondents tried some form of e-
Commerce website development whether a brochureware (Websites or web pages produced by
converting a company’s printed marketing or advertising material into an Internet format)4 or
partnered with a development company to handle their website but have not been instrumental in
its development as in the case of respondent D:
“We have partnered before with companies that offer e-Commerce, where they put our items
on their website, they collected payment and then we ship our items to them, they ship the
stuff to the people who pay for the items”.
In the case of getting financial assistance to support the development of e-Commerce website,
majority of respondents have gotten some form of support in regards to e-Commerce
development, but half the respondents who have websites, 2 of the respondent have approached
financial institutions except for respondent A:
“I would consider going forward getting financial support. The business is relatively small but
we are successful, but in expanding and moving forward we would actually need some more
capital to go forward”.
4.2.2. Economic Issues
a. Venture Capital
To date the financial institutions which were studied were not willing to provide Venture Capital
support for MSMEs but are willing provide advice in conjunction with pointing MSMEs to their
organizations’, to use the current products.
4 http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/brochureware
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46 | P a g e
Respondent X:
“We can guide entrepreneurs. However in regards to monetary support, we do not offer venture
capital which is to invest in a new business. When it comes to support of e-Channels we offer
that advice free of charge”.
b. Credit cards
For the Financial Institutions, the responents agreed that there wasn’t an issues in regards to
unavailability of credit cards. Both respondents X and Y believe that the finacial sector
support/facilitate some form of electronic payment system for e-Commerce development unlike
respondent Z that believes financial institutions are cautious to get involved in areas outside its
core services.
Respondent Z:
“As you know companies like Google, PayPal are stepping into the world of finance. So when
you think of financial services, banks would be careful in saying how do we support them, is it
better to invest in these sort of things which is people moving money around, rather than say
allowing a PayPal or Google or whatever the case may be”.
Both respondents Y and Z see substantial profits from implementing and supporting e-
Commerce but respondent X believes that there isnt enough data to substatiate this claim:
Respondent X;
“I don’t think we have the market data to support it in general. Because some people skeptical
about providing that data online to may be a Jamaican retailer. It is that direction but for now
we are still concerned and as soon as we see market trends upwards we will see customers more
comfortable in doing business using online because right now we are plagued with a lot of
scams”.
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47 | P a g e
4.2.3 Socio-Political
a. Trust Issues
In implementing e-Commerce for half of the respondents, trust is a major concern as well as
security as reflected by respondent D.
Respondent D:
“The problems we have found with that is it is difficult for someone in Jamaica to find out the
credit card address. e-Commerce involves both credit card and debit card and each credit card
has an address associated with it”. So what people would do is order from us and send it to
another address. It is very difficult for us to find out that billing address for that credit card. So
this is where Jamaica has fallen short on e-Commerce”.
b. Legislative Issues
In regards to Infrastructure (Physical), both respondent X and Y were uncertain there is adequate
protection from the law while respondent Z was encouraged that it was in progress as respondent
noted:
Respondent Z
“To me it is fairly new that the laws are changing to support e-Commerce and therefore I don’t
think I am in the place to comment on whether it is sufficient or not”.
In response to Protection from Cyber/financial crime respondents believed there was some
working progress in the amount of protection based on their understanding of the fraud act and
recently published Cybercrime act.
Respondent X:
“Legislatory framework it is getting there passing of e-transaction act and cybercrime act in
reference to lottery scam but drafted ide to catch other areas”.
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In response to the Evidence Act, both respondents X and Y don’t believe there is enough support
from law while respondent Z is unsure. In looking at the Sale of Goods Act, while respondent Y
and Z don’t agree there is enough support from law or enough information to comment on the
Sale of Goods Act, respondent X believes there is enough support from law as noted by:
Respondent X:
“This may need to be updated to address the capabilities and potential difficulties posed by
online technologies. The only thing has come on board for SMEs is the Security Investors
Protection Act (SIPA) where you can use cattle/crops to secure a loan”.
The respondents raised a number of concerns in regards to e-Commerce such as Privacy and
Validation as mentioned by Respondent X:
“Privacy and Validation. At the end of the day we still find out when someone goes to do a
transaction online, how secure is it, how do we protect, how do we handle complaints, how do
we handle recourse. Because it takes up to 40 days to handle credit card transactions the time
lapse of, in regards to the resolution of issues as well as validation of user and privacy issues”.
For respondent Y it was more of a regulatory and policy issues from the Banks governing body
Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) why e-Commerce has not taken on grown exponentially.
“That again speaks to how we earn the regulation what really stopping a lot of moving in the
market place. With BOJ, pick up then you’ll find we will be in this place for a good little time. A
lot of the movement we would like to make is not because of the financial institution but the
policy makers”.
4.2.4 Education
In analysis of the Educational Institutions, of the 13 institutions which were contacted 3
institutions responded, of which 2 sent emailed responses for the questionnaire and 1 granted an
interview. From the questions that were asked of the respondents, all have classes geared
towards the use of technology, email and the internet, as noted:
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Respondent L:
“There is a class that we teach called Fundamentals of Information Technology that has the
theory side of technology and the practical side”.
Respondent M:
“Yes we do, we have a course called business strategy and e-Commerce. This is for the
undergraduate students at the cohort level. There is also a post graduate course that is
implemented in ICT some of these modules are geared towards helping persons, which ever field
they are in, which ever industry to use ICT, or to understand how they can get value in their own
work places or whatever business they are in.”
Respondent N:
“Yes. There are several courses offered which are geared towards the use of technology,
email and the use of the internet.”
Two respondents have courses geared directly towards the development and implementation of
e-Commerce which is a part of the overall course subject that is geared towards technical or non-
technical students. For respondent M, it is evident that all facets of delivery (simulated labs,
distance learning, online classes and classroom lectures) would be in place to support its
students. At the Community College, there are classroom lectures only as a part of its
Batchelor’s Degree programme, while for respondent N, they have not established programmes
geared towards e-Commerce. For respondent L and M, they have found that the method of
delivery is quite effective and usually have good enrollment and very high passes 75-100% when
it comes to e-Commerce delivery courses. For the institutions the general, concerns are the
general knowledge for the wider society to put faith in e-Commerce and programmes geared
towards bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation as noted:
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Respondent M:
“Traditionally as a country we perhaps don’t utilize e-Commerce as much as we can or as
much as we could and there are those external challenges related to financial challenges.
The general population still has this fear about going online to shop and to do business even
though it is going now. So perhaps over a period of time since the population is demanding
e-Commerce, the business will feel comfortable enough to implement it.”
While the educational resources are available, In regards to learning about e-Commerce, for
MSMEs, half of the respondents would consider going to classes to learn, 2 were not interested
and 1 wasn’t sure as noted by respondent A:
“A website is the way to go, depends, a lot of people start out like that and are able to live
like that they were born in e-Commerce world and can live through the e-Commerce world it
becomes easy. But for those who started before with the manual, before receipts were
printed with personal computers (pcs), before inventory were on pcs, for those persons it
would take more for that person to go website which is the way to go”
4.3 Discussion
In analyzing the Barriers to e-Commerce, the author had stated that issues such as technical,
financial and socio-political as well as educational issues may be contributing factors in why
there are challenges faced by MSMEs. In evaluating the technological issues, there are similar
issues faced by both developing and developed countries with the Jamaican context.
Issues of reaching customers over larger rural geographic areas and the fact that high speed
internet or computers may not be accessible. These point were introduced by previous research
which supports the point that since people, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, do
not have credit cards or bank accounts, trust processes like authentication and non-repudiation
are generally not in place (Wresch and Fraser, 2006, Joelson, 2001).
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Issues relating to website development is also supported by (Group, 2002) where they stated that
with some exceptions, the majority of smaller businesses in Jamaica do not have an e-Commerce
capacity or presence on the World Wide Web. It seems that many Jamaicans with skills in this
area leave the island (some ironically work on websites about Jamaica from overseas).
From an economic point of view, Venture Capital, which is the life blood of entrepreneurs is not
widely accessible as well as the unavailability of credit cards are identified as challenges. This
point is supported by previous research that, for the SMEs globally, for instance (Gibbs et al.,
2003), carried out a cross country comparison between 10 countries and the barriers include the
availability of financial resources such as venture capital to support online businesses and
startups. From the Jamaican context, according to (Group, 2002), Obtaining venture capital for
startup businesses built around an ecommerce strategy is particularly difficult, especially after
the failure of many ‘dot coms’ around the globe, other economic factors include unavailability of
credit cards (Hunaiti et al., 2009) or the banking sector’s unwillingness or inability to facilitate
convenient electronic payment system (Wresch and Fraser, 2006). And yet, the region's banks
and businesses have yet to see much of a profit. This, the author believes is contraire to his
findings.
From a socio-political point of view, issues of trust towards the technology and legal protection
from cybercrime for MSMEs and financial institutions, respondents believe that although the
laws are not enough, many cyber laws do not protect them enough and the current legislation is a
work in progress were strong issues which is well supported by existing literature. This again is
supported by research by (Boritz and No, 2011) that believes that privacy has a built in trade-off
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52 | P a g e
between the necesity of providing at least some personal information to consumate an online
transaction and the risk of negative consequences from providing such information, lack of
business/cyber laws for e-Commerce leading to many legal issues are yet unresolved (Hunaiti et
al., 2009, Panagariya, 2000, Kumar and Kumar, 2009)
What was also interesting is that according to (Gibbs et al., 2003), while there is agreement in
regards to credit cards are used sparingly, despite availability of credit cards in most of the
countries, due to a low level of usage (in countries other than the United States) as well as a lack
of trust in giving out credit card numbers online. To combat fraud, Latin American banks are
taking the lead in designing special cards for Internet use (Joelson, 2001).
From an Educational institutions point of view, support is always accessible for persons
interested in understanding ecommerce at all levels of training. The literature from (Aguinis and
Kraiger, 2009) supports our findings that there is documented evidence that training activities
have a positive impact on the performance of individuals and teams. Training activities can also
be beneficial regarding other outcomes at both the individual and team level (e.g., attitudes,
motivation, and empowerment).
Finally, in discussing the Barriers to e-Commerce, the author has identified issues as technical,
financial, socio-political as well as educational issues may be contributing factors in why there
are challenges faced by MSMEs. While identifying literature that both supports and contrasts
our findings, the author discusses McKinsey 7s as possible solutions to these above mentioned
issues as seen below.
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53 | P a g e
4.3.1 Strategy
This is a plan developed by a firm to achieve sustained competitive advantage and successfully
compete in the market. For the MSMEs, this would mean that along with their current strategy
which they are using, an e-strategy for the implementation of e-Commerce must be considered as
mentioned by (Kumar and Kumar, 2009). This may also include approaching banks for advice
on how to approach issues of payment that may affect the organizations’ implementation of e-
Commerce.
4.3.2 Structure
This represents the way business divisions and units are organized and include the information of
who is accountable to whom. For the MSMEs, a review of the current structure of the
organization to include someone responsible for the management of e-Channels within the
organization.
4.3.3 Systems
These are the processes and procedures of the company, which reveal business’ daily activities
and how decisions are made. Systems are the area of the firm that determines how business is
done and it should be the main focus for managers during organizational change. For MSMEs
this may entail developing new processes and procedures to handle the new e-Channels within
the organizations’ with special focus to alleviate concerns as mentioned in respondents
comments.
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54 | P a g e
4.3.4 Skills
These are the abilities that firm’s employees perform very well. They also include capabilities
and competences. As in the case of (Wresch and Fraser, 2006), the executives that were
interviewed had significant knowledge of information systems. None had formal training in
Information Technology, but all had learned about the area through books, through use of
temporary consultants, or through trial and error. For MSMEs, the investigation of the
Educational Institutions reveals that short courses or programmes are available for both technical
and non-technical persons and these courses have yielded a success rate of 75-100% in yearly
passes so personal development may be necessary to assist in understanding, supporting and
implementing e-Commerce.
4.3.5 Staff
This element is concerned with what type and how many employees and organization will need
and how they will be recruited, trained, motivated and rewarded. For the MSMEs, this may
entail hiring new staff with the requisite knowledge to support the implementation and
development of e-Commerce or outsourcing this to external organizations’ that may provide the
services as highlighted in previous interviews.
4.3.6 Style
This represents the way the company is managed by top-level managers, how they interact, what
actions do they take and their symbolic value. In other words, it is the management style of
company’s leaders. For the successful implementation of e-Commerce, (Wresch and Fraser,
2006) noted that the business was being run by successful seasoned executives in a traditional
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55 | P a g e
environment before moving parts of the business online. The interviews showed that
respondents had more than 2 years + experience within their industry and transitioning would be
simpler based on previous research.
4.3.7 Shared Values
These are at the core of McKinsey 7s model. They are the norms and standards that guide
employee behavior and company actions and thus, are the foundation of every organization. The
MSMEs all believe that e-Commerce is the way to go and through knowledge would find it
easier to filter this throughout the organization.
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56 | P a g e
4.3 Summary
In conclusion, the purpose of the research objectives was to identify the challenges of
implementing ecommerce in Jamaica by MSMEs, to explore the technological, economical and
socio-political barriers faced by MSMEs in Jamaica, and determine what if any, role the
educational issues play in barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica.
The results of our findings were divided into 4 areas being Technological, economical, socio-
poitical and educational. The intial part of the results seek to identify and profile the respondents
then the findings for the 4 area identified.
1. For the technological, issues relating to infrastructure, website development and new
technological thinking was expored with the respondents;
2. For the economical issues the availability of Venture Capital, unavailbility of credit card
and possibility of substantial profits discussed;
3. For socio-political challenges, issues pertaining to legislative and trust for the technology
was identified; and
4. Educational challenges discusses issues pertaining to availability of courses, delivery
method, average passes and target market for courses.
In discussing the issues, for technological challenges, previous research within our literature
review supported our current findings in regards to infrasture, geographical and new
technological thinking. From an economical point of view, venture capital issues were similar
but issues relating to availability of credit cards differed. Socio-political finding suggest that
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57 | P a g e
both previous literature and the current findings are similar in that it is believed to be a work-in-
progress. The educational findings is similar to the literature in that availability of training is key
to organisational success and it is availiable to technical and non-technical person and all levels
undergraduate to post-graduate level.
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58 | P a g e
Intentionally Left Blank
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5.0 Introduction
The purpose of this research was to better understand the barriers to e-Commerce in Jamaica in
particular the challenges faced by MSMEs. More specifically, the research attempted to explore
the technological, financial and socio-political barriers to e-commerce faced by MSMEs in
Jamaica, and what if any does the education play in regards to e-Commerce. Finally, the study
attempted to identify possible solutions that could assist MSMEs to overcome the challenges
given the information received from reseach.
For SMEs in developing countries, the benefits of reaching new markets, organisational exposure
and the ability to compete with other global organisatins can be felt as e-Commerce impacts
sales globally. Although there are still legislative and technological issues, there are still
strategies that can be employed for fledgeling or well established organisations. The issues of
trust, security, logistics and how people do business is still common within developing countries
globally. On the other hand, issues of trust and logistics predominantly affects developd
countries within the region while technology and banking issues are considered the major
barriers within the Jamaian context.
The technological challenges faced in implementing e-Commerce. While the MSMEs have all
explored ideas of implementing e-Commerce, half the managers have been instrumental in the
implementation of some sort of e-Commerce solution. This can be seen in the areas of new
technology or new thinking, as the respondent tries to alleviate customers concerns for shopping
online by exploring the possibilities of internal e-Card.
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61 | P a g e
Geographic issues affect the implementation of e-Commerce and the challenges of reaching
further customers with no high speed internet access or computer systems. (Wresch and Fraser,
2006, Joelson, 2001), support the point in their studies and state that particularly in rural areas
lack of credit or bank a/c poses as issues for authentication and non-repudation.
Finally for the majority of small businesses in Jamaica according to previous study of (Group,
2002) , in regards to website development, most do not have the capacity or presence on the
World Wide Web and the Jamaicans with the skillset often leave the island to pursue
development overseas. According to (Gibbs et al., 2003), because of low level usage and lack of
trust in giving out credit card numbers online, in order to combat fraud, Latin American banks
are taking the lead in designing special cards for Internet use (Joelson, 2001).
For economic issues, the access to Venture Capital is vital to any organisation, unfortunately for
MSMEs, financial institutions are content with providing advice and support their current
business products. Previous works by (Group, 2002), eludes to the fact that, especially after the
fall of the “dot coms”, it was particularly difficult for startup businesses built around e-
Commerce strategy. This is not only limited to the Jamaican context but earlier research by
(Gibbs et al., 2003), supports the current research in that based on comparisons of 10 countries
the barriers include the available financial resources such as Venture Capital to support online
business.
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62 | P a g e
For financial institution, although they offer internet banking solutions, they all agree that there
are no more issues in regards to the access of credit cards. A few have even gone a step further
to implement e-Cards to support MSMEs as well as they are willing to assist with advice and
support of their current business products, unfortunately they are not willing give venture capitial
for e-Commerce implementation.
Socio-Political Legislative issues such as cyber laws do no protect the MSMEs but the MSMEs
are cognizant it’s a work-in-progress. Again, (Boritz and No, 2011), support claims that believes
that privacy has a built in trade-off between the necesity of providing at least some personal
information to consumate an online transaction and the risk of negative consequences from
providing such information while (Hunaiti et al., 2009, Panagariya, 2000, Kumar and Kumar,
2009) believes that lack of business/cyber laws leads to many unresolved legal issues. Finally,
based on daily operations and concerns of trust and security of transactions by the overall
technologies.
For educational issues, bridging the knowledge gap is still at the forefront of their mandate as
they provide support for technical and non-technical student at all levels of the tertiary
educational system (undergrad and graduate levels). Overall, they generally have high passes for
e-Commerce courses and their overall enrollment is high.
5.1 Recommendations
The author believes that while there are a myriad of questions relating to the barriers to e-
Commerce in Jamaica, the challenges faced by MSMEs, the issues relating to technological,
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63 | P a g e
economical and socio-political have been identified through this research especially issues
relating to educational barriers. The author believes that like the questions, there are also a
plethora of solutions related to solving the barriers faced by developing countries especially
within the CARICOM and Latin America. For the Jamaican context McKinseys 7s is one such
recommended solution for implementation of e-Commerce solutions. This again is supported by
previous research and is believe is one step in moving forward.
In accessing issues relating to the challenges faced by MSMEs, as a direct strategy for new
venture firms that use the Internet exclusively for market entry, MSMEs can consider “pure
plays” (Rasheed, 2009). These firms manifest as new start-ups (Greenfield) or corporate venture
spin-offs for the purpose of market development.
Based on the above mentioned analysis of interviews, in order for the MSMEs to successfully
implement e-Commerce within their organization, review and implementation of McKinseys 7’s
must be considered. The strategies discussed for implementation can only be successful if
proper management of key success factors is consistently monitored. For steps see below
implementation of McKinseys 7s5.
Step 1. Identify the areas that are not effectively aligned
During the first step, the aim is to look at the 7S elements and identify if they are effectively
aligned with each other. Firstly, you should already be aware of how 7 elements are aligned in
your company. After you’ve answered the questions outlined there you should look for the gaps,
inconsistencies and weaknesses between the relationships of the elements. For example, you
5 http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/mckinsey-7s-model-framework.html
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64 | P a g e
designed the strategy that relies on e-Commerce implementation but the matrix structure with
conflicting relationships hinders that so there’s a conflict that requires the change in strategy or
structure.
Step 2. Determine the optimal organization design
With the help from top management, your second step is to find out what effective organizational
design is to be achieved. By knowing the desired alignment you can set your goals and make the
action plans much easier. This step is not as straightforward as identifying how seven areas are
currently aligned in your organization for a few reasons. First, the best optimal alignment needs
to be found, which is not known at the moment, so it requires more than answering the questions
or collecting data. Second, there are no templates or predetermined organizational designs that
could be used so lots of research or benchmarking to find out how other similar organizational
designs they are using for e-Commerce.
Step 3. Decide where and what changes should be made
This is basically the organisations action plan, which will detail the areas you want to realign and
how would you like to do that. If you find that the firm’s structure and management style are not
aligned with company’s values, you should decide how to reorganize the reporting relationships
and which top managers should the company let go or how to influence them to change their
management style so the company could work more effectively.
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65 | P a g e
Step 4. Make the necessary changes
The implementation is the most important stage in any process, change or analysis and only the
well-implemented changes have positive effects. Therefore, you should find the people in your
company or hire consultants that are the best suited to implement the changes.
Step 5. Continuously review the 7s
The seven elements: strategy, structure, systems, skills, staff, style and values are dynamic and
change constantly. A change in one element always has effects on the other elements and
requires implementing new organizational design.
5.3 Overview and The Way Forward
Based on the research by the author, the findings suggest that it is a systemic one among
developing countries. For MSMEs within Jamaica, while the task seems daunting, the overall
picture states that there are going to be challenges where geographic, infrastructure are
concerned. New thinking must be applied using technology such as e-Cards to support business.
There is an abundant of website support available through various companies but financial
support such as venture capital isn’t available. This does not mean that there isn’t vital advice
support for the MSMEs but the process of learning for the implementation is available to both
technical and non-technical if required by the MSMEs.
The author again stresses the fact that if more resources were accessible, deeper issues could be
considered and addressed such as possibilities of earlier access to e-Commerce training within
secondary schools, geographic issues such as how to provide access to rural areas, a greater
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66 | P a g e
focus on Legislative issues to speed up its implementation time and Identifying possible sources
for Venture Capital for implementation of e-Commerce for MSMEs within Jamaica.
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Intentionally Left Blank
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MOLLA, A. & LICKER, P. S. 2004. Maturation Stage of eCommerce in Developing Countries:
A Survey of South African Companies. Information Technologies & International
Development, 2, pg. 89-98.
NEMAT, R. 2011. Taking a look at different types of e-commerce. World Applied
Programming, 1, pg. 100-104.
NORRIS, P. 2001. Digital Divide, Cambridge University Press,
PANAGARIYA, A. 2000. E-Commerce, WTO and Developing Countries. World Economy, 23,
pg. 959.
PARÉ, D. J. 2002. B2B E-commerce Services and Developing Countries: Disentangling Myth
from Reality. The London School of Economics & Political Sciencepg. 16.
POWELL, B. 2011. CHINA'S NEW E-COMMERCE STAR. Fortune, 164, pg. 66-68.
RASHEED, H. S. 2009. Contrasting E-Commerce Business Models: Performance Implications
For Small Enterprises. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, Vol. 14, No. 1, pg.
89-101.
RHODES, J. 2009. A Strategic Framework for Rural Micro-Enterprise Development: The
Integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT), E-Commerce, Marketing,
and Actor-Network Theory. Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, 8, pg.
48-69.
RIQUELME, H. 2002. Commercial Internet Adoption in China: Comparing the Experience of
Small, medium and Large Business.
TURBAN, E. & KING, D. 2003 Introduction to E-Commerce, Prentice Hall pg. 1-53.
VAN SLYKE, C., SHIM, J. T., JOHNSON, R. & JIANG, J. 2006. Concern for Information
Privacy and Online Consumer Purchasing. Journal of the Association for Information
Systems, 7, pg. 415-443.
WATERMAN, R., PETERS, THOMAS J. AND PHILLIPS, JULIEN R., 1980. Structure is not
organization. Business Horizons, 23, pg. 14-26.
WELSH, J. A. & WHITE, J. F. 1981. A Small Business Is Not a Little Big Business. Harvard
Business Review.
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WRESCH, W. & FRASER, S. 2006. Managerial Strategies Used To Overcome Technological
Hurdles- A Review Of E-Commerce Efforts Used By Innovative Caribbean Managers.
Journal of Global Information Management, 14 issue 3, pg. 1-17.
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Intentionally Left Blank
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Exhibit 1.Sample interview questions for MSMEs
Interview Questions for MSMEs:
E-Commerce (e-Commerce) or Electronic commerce, is defined as a type of industry where the
buying and selling of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such as the
Internet and other computer networks.
As it concerns the small and medium enterprises:
1. Please tell me about your business, its legal form, and how long it has been in existence?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Before this interview, have you considered using e-Commerce as a strategy to enhance your
business and if so, please ellaborate?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Does your organisation have an ecommerce website, in what ways were you instrumental in
its development and if not, why have you not considered implementing one, please
comment?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Is someone responsible for the management and maintenance of your e-Commerce website in
regards to content posting and updating, modifying and responding to customers needs
within your organisation, please comment?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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5. Do you get support from financial institutions in regards to e-Commerce development and
implementation and would you consider approaching financial institutions for support?
Please comment.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. If a customer orders from you, are there processes involved for the delivery of items? Please
ellaborate on this process.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. In your evaluation, do profits exceed the cost for implementation and on-going maintenance
of e-commerce as well as do you believe the financial cost of e-commerce justified for your
daily operations? Please comment
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. In reflection of your organisations existence, would you consider going to classes to learn
about the creation, management and development of e-Commerce. Please comment?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Are there any other general concerns in regards to ecommerce? Please explain your
challenges.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Exhibit 2. Sample Interview Questions for Financial Institutions
Interview Questions for Financial Institutions:
E-Commerce (e-Commerce) or Electronic commerce, is defined as a type of industry where the
buying and selling of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such as the
Internet and other computer networks.
As it concerns the Financial Institutions:
1. What e-Commerce services does your organisation provide to its customers?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. In your opinion has there has been an increase in the use of e-Commerce services over the
last year and if so what services?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Would your organisation consider offering e-Commerce website support to SMEs if
requested and what areas of e-Commerce website support would your organisation be willing
to give to SMEs?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Are there restrictions implemented based on the size of SMEs that may request e-Commerce
website support (i.e. large vs small businesses)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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5. One of the Challenges that SMEs face in regards to e-Commerce use is unavailability of
credit cards. What is your opinion on this issue?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. Is your organisation exploring the possibility to issue an electronic card specifically for
shopping online in which SMEs could either prepay or post pay in order to alleviate their
concerns for security?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. What is the banks position on the Financial sectors unwilliness to support an electronic
payment system for e-Commerce website development for SMEs?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. In your opinion do banks and your customer base see substantial profit from the use of e-
Commerce?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Is there, in your opinion, the appropriate legislative framework in place to protect your
organisation as well as support in particular SMEs in regards to e-Commerce? Could you
comment.
a. Infrastructure (Physical)
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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b. Protection from Cyber/financial crime
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
c. Evidence Act — one school of thought is that the current act is said to specifically
require signed written evidence of transactions or contracts to be admissible as
evidence in a Jamaican court and hence faxed or electronic signatures are not
admissible
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
d. Sale of Goods Act — this may need to be updated to address the capabilities and
potential difficulties posed by online technologies
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
e. privacy — it is understood that Jamaica currently has no laws regarding the
handling of individuals’ private or sensitive information (except for background
coverage through common law remedies).
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
10. Are there any other general concerns in regards to ecommerce?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Exhibit 3. Sample Interview questions for Educational Institutions
Interview for Educational Institutions:
E-Commerce (e-Commerce) or Electronic commerce, is defined as a type of industry where the
buying and selling of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such as the
Internet and other computer networks.
As it concerns the Educational Institutions:
1. Do you have classes geared towards the use of technology, email and the internet, if so
please comment?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you have courses geared directly towards the development and implementation of e-
Commerce and if so, could you comment on these courses especially if it is geared
towards technical or non-technical students?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. In regards to the delivery method of your e-Commerce classes, can you comment on if
they are simulated labs, distant learning, classroom lecturers or online classes, whether
the e-Commerce classes are modules and how effective is the overall methody of
delivery?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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4. Could you comment on the enrollment for students participating in these classes, some of
the challenges you have faced in delivering content for e-Commerce, and the percentage
of students that pass modules in e-Commerce development and Implementation?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Are there any other general concerns in regards to ecommerce?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Exhibit 4. Sample Consent form for participants
Informed Consent:
Barriers to the growth of E-commerce in Jamaica: An investigation into the challenges of implementing
ecommerce in Jamaica by micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business
Patrick Thompson
Apartment 12
1a Winchester Road
Kingston 10
Kingston, Jamaica W.I.
Project Description:
The Barriers to the growth of E-commerce in Jamaica: An investigation into the challenges of
implementing ecommerce in Jamaica by micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business is a
project report that will be submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree Masters of
Business Administration at the Manchester Business School, UK.
Synopsis:
There are test cases, which show that E-commerce offers the following benefits:
a) Expands a company’s marketplace to include, national, regional and international markets;
b) Expands a company’s market share, allowing a vendor to reach a large number of customers,
anywhere around the globe, at a very low cost;
c) Facilitates small businesses to compete against large companies.
It is the intention of this writer to examine the Barriers to E-commerce in Jamaica, which includes an
examination of Jamaica’s E-commerce framework, legislative and otherwise, in comparison to other
developing countries. The writer will also examine the current infrastructure available to support E-
commerce access and the role of the financial sector in E-commerce advancement
Procedure and Risks:
We would like to record the interview, if you are willing, and use the tapes to write our materials. We
will record the interview only with your written consent, and will ask that no personal identifiers be used
during the interview, to ensure your anonymity. Please feel free to say as much or as little as you want.
You can decide not to answer any question, or to stop the interview any time you want. The tapes and
transcripts will become the property of project.
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If you so choose, the recordings and recording-transcripts (or copy of notes taken) will be kept
anonymous, without any reference to your identity, and your identity will be concealed in any reports
written from the interviews.
There are no known risks associated with participation in the study.
Benefits:
It is hoped that the results of this study will benefit the community through providing greater insight into
the culture and history of our area.
Cost Compensation:
Participation in this study will involve no costs or payments to you.
Confidentiality:
All information collected during the study period will be kept strictly confidential until such time as you
sign a release waiver. No publications or reports from this project will include identifying information on
any participant without your signed permission, and after your review of the materials. If you agree to
join this study, please sign your name on the following page.
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INFORMED CONSENT FOR INTERVIEWS
Barriers to the growth of E-commerce in Jamaica: An investigation into the challenges of implementing
ecommerce in Jamaica by micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business.
I, _____________________________________, agree to be interviewed for the project entitled Barriers
to the growth of E-commerce in Jamaica: An investigation into the challenges of implementing
ecommerce in Jamaica by micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business which is being
produced by Patrick Thompson of Manchester Business School.
I certify that I have been told of the confidentiality of information collected for this project and the
anonymity of my participation; that I have been given satisfactory answers to my inquiries concerning
project procedures and other matters; and that I have been advised that I am free to withdraw my consent
and to discontinue participation in the project or activity at any time without prejudice.
I agree to participate in one or more electronically recorded interviews for this project. I understand that
such interviews and related materials will be kept completely anonymous, and that the results of this
study may be published in an academic journal or book.
I agree that any information obtained from this research may be used in any way thought best for this
study.
________________________________________ Date ________________________
Signature of Interviewee
If you cannot obtain satisfactory answers to your questions or have comments or complaints about your
treatment in this study, contact:
Patrick Thompson
Apartment 12
1a Winchester Road
Kingston 10
Kingston, Jamaica W.I.
Cc: signed copy to interview.
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Final Consent Form
Barriers to the growth of E-commerce in Jamaica: An investigation into the challenges of implementing
ecommerce in Jamaica by micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business
Dear Participant:
This form gives us final authorization to use material from your interview in the barriers to the growth of
E-commerce in Jamaica: An investigation into the challenges of implementing ecommerce in Jamaica by
micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business.
A draft of these materials should have been presented to you for your review, correction, or modification.
You may grant use rights for this draft “as is,” or with the modifications you specify, if any. See
“Conditions” at the bottom of the form
I, _________________________________________________, hereby grant the right to use information
from recordings and or notes taken in interviews of me, to Patrick Thompson, and as presented to me as a
draft copy. I understand that the interview records will be kept by the interviewer and the project, and
that the information contained in the interviews may be used in materials to be made available to the
general public.
_______ By initialing here, I also agree to be identified by name in the project and related materials.
_______ By initialing here, I also agree to be identified by photograph in the project and related
materials.
____________________________________________ Date:__________________________
Signature of Interviewee
____________________________________________ Date:__________________________
Signature of Interviewer
The following conditions limit the release of information, as agreed between the interviewer and the
interviewee:
_____ None needed
_____ Material may be released once corrections I specified have been made
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Exhibit 5. Schedule visits and interviews for MSMEs
DATE DURATION (min) RESPONSIBLE INSTRUMENT
27.04.2014 22:11 Respondent A Interview # 1 semi-structured
29.04.2014 12:12 Respondent B Interview # 2 semi-structured
01.05.2014 07:03 Respondent C Interview # 3 semi-structured
12.05.2014 13:38 Respondent D Interview # 6 semi-structured
16.05.2014 15:19 Respondent E Interview # 7 semi-structured
24.05.2014 11:11 Respondent F Interview # 10 semi-structured
Exhibit 6. Schedule visits and interviews for Financial Institutions
DATE DURATION (min) RESPONSIBLE INSTRUMENT
07.05.2014 24:03 Respondent X Interview # 5 semi-structured
19.05.2014 39:39 Respondent Y Interview # 8 semi-structured
21.05.2014 11:43 Respondent Z Interview # 9 semi-structured
Exhibit 7. Schedule visits and interviews for Educational Institution
DATE DURATION (min) RESPONSIBLE INSTRUMENT
05.05.2014 12:09 Respondent M Interview # 4 semi-structured
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Declaration and Statements:
Declaration
No portion of the work referred to in the project report has been submitted in support of an
application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of
learning;
Copyright Statements
1. The project report is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of MBA.
2. This project report is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where
otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit
references. A bibliography is appended.
3. I hereby give my consent for my project report, if accepted, to be available for
photocopying, inter-library loans and for electronic access, and for the title and summary
to be made available to outside organisations.
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