Electronic Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (4-Volumes) P148 pptx

1404
A Community Web Site Initiative
Internet, including particularly the IT already in
place, and the IT skills in existence in the organi-
VDWLRQ0HKUWHQVHWDO([WHUQDOLQÀXHQFHV
have also been found to be important, and might
include demands from customers and/or suppliers
(Mehrtens et al., 2001), governmental pressure,
and/or pressure from competitors (Scupola, 2003).
Drawing on research undertaken to date into the
IDFWRUV LQÀXHQFLQJ ,QWHUQHW DGRSWLRQ LQ VPDOO
businesses, the present study seeks to identify the
reasons underlying the decision to participate in
a community Web site project, and comparisons
DUHPDGHZLWKWKH¿QGLQJVRIWKHDIRUHPHQWLRQHG
investigations.
8QGHUWKHVHFRQGWKHPHRIEHQH¿WVGHULYHG
from Internet adoption, it has been reported
that small businesses have been slow to realise
WDQJLEOHEHQH¿WVEXWFRQWLQXHWRXVHWKH,QWHU-
QHWLQDQWLFLSDWLRQRIIXWXUHEHQH¿WVUHDOLVDWLRQ
(Daniel & Wilson, 2002; Poon & Swatman, 1999).
,Q WKLV VWXG\ WKH EHQH¿WV EHLQJ UHDOLVHG IURP
participation in the community Web site project
are considered, and comparisons are made with
H[LVWLQJOLWHUDWXUHRQVPDOOEXVLQHVVEHQH¿WVRI
Internet adoption.
In studies undertaken under the third theme
of approaches to Internet adoption, it is widely
acknowledged that small businesses tend to be-
gin by adopting relatively non-complex Internet

applications (such as electronic mail or a basic
information-only Web site), and then progress
to more complex applications (such as online
ordering and payment facilities) depending on the
needs of the business. In some literature, a linear
progression is envisaged (Daniel et al., 2002; DTI,
ZKLOHRWKHUVDOORZIRU³leapfrogging” of
Internet applications as appropriate to the busi-
ness, suggesting instead a nonlinear approach
to adoption (Rao et al., 2003). In the present
study, an effort is made to determine the nature
of each business’ Internet adoption pathway and
to ascertain at what point in that pathway their
participation in the community Web site project
occurred. The study further examines the impact
of participation in the community Web site project
on the subsequent Internet adoption behaviour of
each small business.
'UDZLQJRQWKHSURFHHGLQJWKHPHVLGHQWL¿HG
in the literature, the objectives of the present study
are, in summary, to:
• Establish the motivations of the small busi
-
nesses in the village for participating in the
online business directory component of the
community Web site project and to ascer-
tain the point in those businesses’ Internet
adoption pathway that participation in the
project took place;
 'HWHUPLQHWKHEHQH¿WVEHLQJGHULYHGIURP

their participation in the project;
• Identify any problems they have encountered
as a result of their participation;
• Establish the impacts their participation has
had, or is having, on their further Internet
adoption plans and decisions.
In pursuing these objectives, it is anticipated
WKDWWKH¿QGLQJVRIWKHVWXG\ZLOOPDNHDWLPHO\
and relevant contribution to existing understand-
ing of small business Internet adoption decisions
and processes, especially those studies that have
considered the routes to Internet adoption behav-
LR XU DQ GRX WF RPH V 0R UH RYH U WK H¿ QG L QJV VKR XOG 
be of value to other small businesses, as well as
to those developing models of Internet adoption
pathways to provide guidance and advice to small
businesses.
OVERVIEW OF THE COMMUNITY
WEB SITE
As indicated in the introduction to this chapter,
the community Web site under investigation
aims to provide an opportunity for business and
local community / charitable organisations (e.g.,
youth clubs, volunteer groups, churches, and so
on) to promote their products, services, and/or
1405
A Community Web Site Initiative
activities to the population of a village in the UK.
This community Web site project forms parts
of a wider community initiative to foster closer

social bonds within the village and to encourage
active participation of villagers in local activities,
as well as to stimulate villagers’ support for local
business and service enterprises.
In cases where individual organisations in the
village have their own Web site, then links are
provided to these from the community site. In
this respect, the site functions like a Web portal.
Features of the community Web site include ar-
chives of news of past events in the village, and an
online discussion facility for villagers to express
their views on local matters and exchange ideas.
In addition, the site contains information about
local community service facilities (e.g., health and
welfare provision) and updates on local political
and council matters.
As well as the aforementioned features, the
site contains an online directory of businesses
based in the village. This directory is organised
thematically, including, for example, sections for
retail organisations, building and house mainte-
nance enterprises, and private health and welfare
providers. Each entry in the directory includes
the name of the business, its postal address, other
contact details (e.g., e-mail address, where avail-
able), a link to the business’ own Web site (if it has
one), and a brief summary of what the enterprise
offers in the way of products and/or services. It
is this online business directory component of
the community Web site that forms the focus of

the present study.
Funding for the village community Web site
is obtained from a variety of sources, notably
through sponsorship from some local businesses
and the local council. Funds are also generated
from annual subscription fees paid by some local
UHVLGHQWVIRUD³SHUVRQDOLVHG´HPDLODGGUHVVDQG
mail forwarding service. No charge is levied for
local businesses to have an entry placed in the
online business directory, and participation in the
directory is operated on a voluntary opt-in basis.
Management, maintenance and updating of the
Web site is undertaken by a small team of local
volunteers, with Web content being supplied, as
appropriate, by various local community organi-
sations and businesses.
Within the village community, comprising
some 5,000 residents, the community Web site
supplements an existing (paper-based) village
magazine, distributed quarterly to the 2,000 or
so households in the village.
RESEARCH METHOD
The exploratory nature of the empirical research
conducted in the course of the present study
favoured the case study approach (Yin, 1994).
The unit of analysis in the study was the small
business.
The sampling frame for this study comprised
the 77 small businesses listed in the online busi-
ness directory on the community Web site under

investigation. Each of the businesses is being
contacted by telephone and invited to participate
Case Type Size
(employees)
Date
founded
Case 1 Plumber 4 1952
Case 2 Childcare service provider 8 1989
Case 3 Manufacturer & distributor of baby products 12 1993
Case 4 Home interiors retail outlet 5 1984
Case 5 Optician and eyewear retail outlet 9 1988
Case 6 Furniture manufacturer & distributor 4 1996
Table 1. Small businesses participating in the study
1406
A Community Web Site Initiative
in the study. To date, data have been collected and
analysed from six small businesses having entries
in the online business directory. Among the six
businesses that have participated in the study so
far, the retail, manufacturing and service sectors
were represented. Table 1 provides a summary of
those six participating businesses.
Data were collected about the small businesses
XVLQJWZRSULQFLSDOPHDQV¿UVWDQH[DPLQDWLRQ
was undertaken of the entries in the online busi-
ness directory, and the business’ own linked Web
site was consulted (if available); and second, in-
depth semi-structured interviews were conducted
with the owner-managers of the six participating
enterprises. These interviews were conducted in

mid-2004.
For the interview phase of the research, an
interview guide was prepared, and closely fol-
lowed in each interview. A summary of the key
issues discussed in the interviews is provided in
Table 2.
Interviews were recorded and later transcribed.
To assist with accuracy, notes were also taken
by the investigator during each interview. In
an effort to ensure consistency and validity of
¿QGLQJVLQWHUYLHZ¿QGLQJVZHUHVXEVHTXHQWO\
cross-checked, where possible and appropriate,
with the community Web site content, as well as
the individual Web sites (if any) managed by the
individual participating enterprises.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
As indicated in Table 1, the enterprises participat-
ing in the study all fall into the small business
category (i.e., having under 50 employees), and
indeed all except one of them (case 3) could be
classed as micro businesses, that is to say, they
have under 10 employees (Curran & Blackburn,
2001; Storey, 1994). Each of the enterprises had a
basic entry in the online business directory, com-
prising company name, postal address, telephone
number, and fax number. Those with an e-mail
address also included this in their directory entry.
Those with their own Web site provided a link to
the site from their entry in the directory.
With regard to Internet adoption, three of the

small businesses already had their own Web site,
one of which (case 3) was offering online ordering
The structure of each interview was as follows:
1. Collection of background information about the enterprise; collection of
demographic data, including levels of existing IT knowledge and skills.
2. Gathering of data regarding the enterprise’s adoption of Internet technology (e.g.
e-mail usage, having own web site, offering online ordering and / or payment
facilities).
3. Establishment of the motivations for requesting an entry in the online business
directory on the community web site.
4. Determination of what the enterprise had anticipated gaining from having an
entry in the online business directory.
5. Determination of the actual benefits being realised by the enterprise from having
an entry in the online business directory.
6. Gathering data about any problems the enterprise has encountered, or is
encountering, with having an entry in the online business directory.
7. Determination of the impacts the enterprise’s participation in the community
web site project has had on their Internet adoption and electronic commerce
activities (e.g. has it led to further adoption of Internet technologies; has
participation in the community web site project deterred the enterprise from
further involvement in Internet and electronic commerce-related activities?).
8. Collection of data regarding the enterprise’s future plans with regard to
involvement in Internet and electronic commerce activities.
9. Opportunity for interviewee to discuss any other issues relating to the
enterprise’s involvement in Internet and electronic commerce activities.
Table 2. Interview guide
1407
A Community Web Site Initiative
(but not online payment) facilities via the site;
the other two Web sites (case 2 and case 5) were

VLPSOH³LQIRUPDWLRQRQO\´RQOLQHEURFKXUHVLWHV
Four of the organisations had an e-mail address
which was included in their entry in the online
business directory. Two out of the six enterprises
(case 1 and case 4) had only their company name,
address and telephone number listed in the online
business directory. These two enterprises had
no e-mail facilities and did not have a company
Web site: their only Internet involvement was
their entry in the online business directory on
WKH FRPPXQLW\ :HE VLWH 7KHVH ¿QGLQJV DUH
summarised in Table 3.
,QFRPSDULVRQZLWKWKH¿QGLQJVRIRWKHU
studies, the levels of Internet adoption evidenced
among the small businesses participating in the
present study seemed to be quite typical. In
SDUWLFXODUWKHODFNRI³DGYDQFHGOHYHO´,QWHUQHW
adopters, offering facilities such as online pay-
ment, has been found among other samples of
small businesses. In their study of Australian
small businesses, for example, Poon and Swatman
(1999) noted that Internet adoption in each busi-
ness was not very far advanced. Similarly, in their
study in Singapore, Kendall et al. (2001) found
widespread adoption of basic e-mail facilities and
informational Web sites, but little evidence of use
being made of transactional Web sites. Findings in
Scupola’s (2003) study of Italian small businesses
were again broadly similar.
In response to questioning about their motiva-

tion for participating in the community Web site
SURMHFWDQGWKHEHQH¿WVWKH\EHOLHYHGWKH\ZRXOG
derive from their participation, the following
¿QGLQJVZHUHREWDLQHG
• All cases stated that they anticipated that
their entry in the online business directory
would generate sales enquiries, and they
hoped, lead to increased sales or contracts
for work. For those cases already operating a
Web site (i.e., cases 2, 3, and 5), it was noted
that a similar drive had been behind their
original decision to launch a Web site for
their business. This aspiration of improved
VDOHVSHUIRUPDQFHDFFRUGVZLWKWKH¿QGLQJV
of other studies.
• For case 2, participation in the online busi
-
ness directory had occurred approximately
two years after the launch of the company’s
own Web site. For case 5, participation in the
project had occurred prior to the creation of
their own company Web site, and their direc-
tory entry was updated with the appropriate
Web site link almost as soon as their own
site was launched. For case 3, involvement
with the business directory occurred after
the launch of their initial information-only
Web site, but before the extension of their
site to include online ordering facilities. Ir-
respective of the point at which participation

in the online business directory occurred
in the Internet adoption pathways of these
three businesses, a key motivational factor
underlying their involvement was the antici-
pation that it would help drive more visitors
to their own company Web site. Moreover,
they each believed that it would not only
Email
address
Web site
(date
launched)
Online
ordering
Online
payment
Case 1
x x x x
Case 2
• • (2000) x x
Case 3
• • (2002) • x
Case 4
x x x x
Case 5
• • (2004) x x
Case 6
• x x x

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Table 3. Existing Internet usage
1408
A Community Web Site Initiative
GULYHPRUHWUDI¿FWRWKHLURZQVLWHEXWWKDW
WKLVWUDI¿FZDVOLNHO\WRFRPSULVHDKLJKHU
proportion of relevant and appropriate sales
enquiries. By relevant and appropriate they
meant enquiries emanating from members
of the local village population, rather than
:HEXVHUVIURPIXUWKHUD¿HOGZKRVLPSO\
came across their company Web site via
search engines and/or other Web browsing
mechanisms. For cases 1 and 4, involvement
in the online business directory was their
only Internet involvement. In case 6, their

only other Internet adoption prior to the in-
volvement in the online business directory,
was the use of electronic mail.
• All of the cases indicated that one attrac
-
tion of the online business directory was
that it provided them with a low-risk, no
cost opportunity to promote their products
and/or services among the inhabitants of
the local community. Cases 4 and 6 deemed
this to be a particularly important issue as
the directory gave them the opportunity to
experiment with Internet usage (and most
especially the use of a Web site) and assess
its value to their individual businesses. The
owner of case 4 elaborated on this issue by
suggesting that whilst government and busi-
ness support initiatives existed to provide
¿QDQFLDODQGWHFKQLFDODVVLVWDQFHWRVPDOO
businesses wanting to adopt the Internet into
their operations, considerable time and effort
needed to be invested to have a Web site set
up, and the return on that investment was
uncertain. By contrast, the online business
directory initiative was deemed less risky,
and importantly for them, it necessitated a
much lower investment of time and effort.
Cases 4 and 6 indicated that they viewed their
participation in the online business directory as
a precursor to further Internet adoption, in par-

ticular as a precursor to the establishment of their
own company Web site. Each of them believed that
they were organisationally and technologically
unready for Internet adoption, but viewed the
establishment of the community Web site project
as an opportune moment to consider whether it
ZRXOGEHEHQH¿FLDOIRUWKHPWR³JHWUHDG\´IRU
Internet adoption, and to review what needed to
be done to ensure they were ready for it.
The owner of case 1, on the other hand, indi-
cated that he had no intention of moving further
into Internet usage. He deemed Internet technol-
ogy to be largely unsuitable for the nature of his
business (a plumbing business). For communica-
tion purposes, for instance, he believed that the
use of a mobile telephone was more useful than
electronic mail, as it enabled emergency enquiries
WREH GHDOWZLWK SURPSWO\DQGHI¿FLHQWO\ZKHQ
KHZDVDZD\IURPKLVRI¿FHEDVH7KHRZQHURI
this small business further perceived no use for
a company informational Web site, or indeed for
additional online ordering and payment facili-
ties. Instead, he simply wanted to use the online
business directory on the community Web site
as a means of promoting his services to the local
village community, and in so doing, to supple-
ment his existing entries in various paper-based
listings and directories. The primary underlying
motivation for his participation in the community
Web site project was that it provided him with an

online business directory entry free of charge.
The attitudes towards, and perceptions of, Inter-
net adoption expressed by the owner of case 1
were similar to those reported of a non-adopting
SME in the Internet adoption study documented
in Mehrtens et al., (2001): for the non-adopting
SME in their study, the owner/manager believed
that traditional methods of doing business were
more appropriate in his industry sector (transport
service) than the use of the Internet.
7RVXPPDULVHWKH¿QGLQJVRIWKLVSDUWRIWKH
VWXG\LWDSSHDUVLWVSHUFHLYHGEHQH¿WVZHUHDQ
important factor motivating involvement in the
online business directory project. Unlike other
studies of small business Internet adoption (see for
example Mehrtens et al., 2001; Scupola, 2003), the
1409
A Community Web Site Initiative
small businesses in this study did not cite external
SUHVVXUH DV D IDFWRU LQÀXHQFLQJ WKHLU DGRSWLRQ
(e.g., pressure from competitors or clients). Simi-
larly, the issue of organisational readiness did not
seem to be an important factor here. Indeed, on
the contrary, since some of the participants were
clearly not ready for Internet adoption, from the
point of view of their IT knowledge and skills.
The project had acted as a catalyst to help them
get ready for it.
:LWKUHJDUGWRWKHDFWXDOEHQH¿WVEHLQJUHDOLVHG
from participation in the community Web site

project, the following points can be highlighted
IURPWKH¿QGLQJVRIWKHVWXG\
•
Enquiries and sales: For all the participat-
LQJVPDOOEXVLQHVVHVWKHDQWLFLSDWHGEHQH¿W
of generating more enquiries and increasing
sales and/or contracts had been translated
LQWRDQDFWXDOEHQH¿WWKURXJKLQYROYHPHQWLQ
the online business directory. Each business
reported growth in sales since the launch
of the directory, and most had been able to
track the source of a number of individual
enquiries and sales to a direct link with the
online directory. However, none of the small
businesses had performed any detailed or
IRUPDOHYDOXDWLRQRIWKHHI¿FDF\RIWKHGL-
rectory. The online directory was applauded
by the enterprises because it had opened up
ZKDWZDVSHUFHLYHGWREHDQ³HDV\´PDUNHW-
ing and sales generation opportunity.
•
:HEVLWHWUDI¿F For cases 2 and 3, which
were already operating their own company
:HEVLWHDIXUWKHUDQWLFLSDWHGEHQH¿WRIWKH
online business directory was reported in
the study to have been translated into an
DFWXDOEHQH¿WWKHVHVPDOOEXVLQHVVHVZHUH
UHFHLYLQJLQFUHDVHGWUDI¿FRQWKHLURZQ:HE
site. Again, following their own informal
investigations, these businesses believed

WKH\FRXOGDWWULEXWHWKLVLQFUHDVHLQWUDI¿F
on their own site to Web users tracing the
company Web site link via the online busi-
ness directory on the community Web site.
So, for these small businesses, participation
in the online business directory was prov-
ing to be a valuable means of increasing the
HI¿FDF\ RI WKHLU H[LVWLQJ DQG HVWDEOLVKHG
Internet adoption efforts.
•
Internet adoption experimentation: As
noted earlier, one motivation for placing an
entry in the online business directory (for
cases 4 and 6) was that it would provide an
opportunity for them to determine if there
was any value in further pursuing Internet
adoption. When asked about the actual
EHQH¿WV EHLQJUHDOLVHGIURP WKHLUSDUWLFL-
pation in the community Web site project,
both small businesses reported positive
experiences, and indicated that they were
consequently actively exploring the pos-
sibility of launching a simple Web site to
promote their products and services. Case
4 also noted, that they were in the process
of setting up an e-mail account, but had not
yet thought beyond a basic Web presence
with e-mail link. Case 6, on the other hand,
indicated that if their basic Web presence
proved a success, then they would consider

moving into providing additional online
facilities, such as online catalogue searching
and online ordering. However, online pay-
ment facilities were deemed problematic by
FDVH³IRUVHFXULW\UHDVRQV¶,QVXPPDU\
for both of these cases, the online business
directory had provided some impetus for the
owner/managers to consider further Internet
adoption in an active way.
•
IT Literacy and training: For cases 2, 5
and 6, participation in the community Web
site project had encouraged the owner/man-
agers to increase their own IT skills. They
had each started to attend IT courses, two
at the local community college, and one via
a government online training initiative. In
these small businesses, the owner/managers
had seemed to recognise the importance of
1410
A Community Web Site Initiative
gaining IT skills in order to improve their
level of organisational readiness for Internet
adoption. It has been found elsewhere that
the IT knowledge and skills of the owner/
managers is an important contributory fac-
tor to the readiness of a small business to
adopt Internet applications (see for example
Mehrtens et al., 2001). In this study, it seems
that the online business directory created an

environment in which some small businesses
at least, began to address the issue of their
adoption readiness (or unreadiness) and ac-
cordingly began to prepare for adoption.
For case 1, a rather different situation was
evidenced: a perceived advantage of the
community Web site project in general, and
the online business directory in particular,
was that the owner/manager felt that through
his directory entry the business now had
a very basic online presence (giving the
³LPSUHVVLRQ WKDW LW ZDV PRGHUQ DQG 
st
century”, without any need on his part to
become IT literate, or to introduce any form
of IT into his existing business operations.
For this owner/manager, lack of time was
deemed to be his greatest barrier to IT adop-
tion.
•
Geographical reach: The issue of geo-
graphical reach seemed to be important for
each of the participating small businesses.
It has been widely suggested in the litera-
ture that, for business enterprises, one of
the most attractive aspects of the World
Wide Web is its broad geographical reach,
providing a key opportunity for products
and/or services to be promoted and sold
in overseas markets (Aldridge, Forcht, &

Pierson, 1997; Herbig & Hale, 1997; Kiani,
1998). It has been further argued that the
Web is, in this respect, particularly attrac-
tive for small businesses, as its use reduces
conventional costs of advertising in overseas
markets (Hamill, 1997), and thereby enables
VPDOOEXVLQHVVHVWR³FRPSHWHPRUHHDVLO\LQ
the global marketplace” (Quelch & Klein,
1996). However, the small businesses in the
present study were interested not so much
in global, but local, reach. Indeed in most
cases (notably cases 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6), a cited
EHQH¿WRIWKHLUHQWU\LQWKHRQOLQHEXVLQHVV
directory was precisely that this directory
had very much a local focus, namely the
village in which the business enterprises
were based.
This matter of local reach was explained by
the respondents by comparing their online
business directory entries with those of other
more conventional paper-based directories
they were familiar with: it was noted that
the paper-based directories operating in the
YLFLQLW\ZHUHQRWVSHFL¿FDOO\IRFXVVHGRQ
the village under investigation in this study,
but rather covered a broader geographical
area, encompassing two small towns and
a large collection of villages and hamlets.
Respondents commented that this meant
that their entries in the paper-based listings

RIWHQVHHPHG³ORVW´DPRQJDPXFKODUJHU
pool of companies offering similar products
and/or services. This issue seemed to be a
particularly important one for cases 1 and
2 (and to a slightly lesser extent also for
case 5): the owner/manager of case 1, for
example, stated that he frequently received
enquiries via the paper-based directories to
undertake work in locations at quite some
distance from the village. These enquiries
were often not deemed worthwhile for him
to pursue, and he felt he had to turn down
potential clients. By contrast, enquiries that
came to him via the online business directory
typically came from residents in the village,
and he therefore only needed to travel short
distances between clients, and could thus
undertake more assignments per day. This,
of course, saved him both time and money
(in reduced travel costs), and enabled him to
earn more money through carrying out more
1411
A Community Web Site Initiative
assignments. The owner/manager of case 1
further stated that he had always hoped that
the village would be able to have its own
paper-based directory of local businesses,
but he recognised that it was simply not
cost effective to do this; the online busi-
QHVVGLUHFWRU\VHHPHGWRSURYLGH³H[DFWO\

what [my] company needed: a local pool of
clients.” Similar sentiments were expressed
by the owner/managers of cases 2 and 5.
With regard to geographical reach, a further
issue was mentioned in detail by one of
the respondents (case 3), and touched upon
EULHÀ\E\RQHRWKHUFDVH7KLVLVVXHFDQ
SHUKDSVEHVWEHVXPPHGXSDV³ORFDWLRQDQG
cyberspace:” the owner/manager of case 3
felt, that their own company Web site was
³MXVW RXW WKHUH LQ F\EHUVSDFH´ FRPPHQW-
LQJIXUWKHUWKDW³VRPHWLPHVSHRSOHIRXQG
it, sometimes they didn’t.” By contrast,
being part of the village community Web
site project, and in particular having a link
IURPWKH³YLEUDQWDQGEX]]LQJYLOODJH:HE
site” directly to the individual company
:HE VLWH ³ORFDWHG WKH FRPSDQ\ LQ D UHDO
SODFH´DQGKHOSHGWR³SXWLWRQWKHPDS´
7KH SHUKDSV UDWKHU LQWDQJLEOHEHQH¿WRI
this to the small business seemed to be that
they felt the enquiries they received were
from local people who had some sort of
immediate bond with the company because
of a shared physical location, and it was felt,
therefore, that they had an increased degree
of trust in the company and its products.
The owner/manager of case 3 summarised
WKLVLVVXHDVJLYLQJD³VHQVHRIORFDWLRQWR
F\EHUVSDFH´DQGIXUWKHUQRWHGWKDWLW³KHOSHG

to personalise cyberspace.”
•
Sense of community: A notion of trust
and quality assurance was also discussed
E\DOORIWKHUHVSRQGHQWVDVDGLUHFWEHQH¿W
of doing business with clients who came
to them via the online business directory.
The community Web site, according to the
respondents, was perceived by the local
YLOODJH FRPPXQLW\ DV DQ ³RQOLQH YLOODJH
green,” that is to say some sort of hub and
meeting place for the villagers. Businesses
advertising on it were considered part of
the village community, and known in that
community, and thus to be trusted to pro-
vide a quality service. Again, this sense of
community was not felt by the respondents
when they participated in more disparate
business directories and listings in a wider
geographical area.
$VZHOODVWKHEHQH¿WVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKSDU-
ticipation in the community Web site project, the
small businesses taking part in the study also
LG H QW L ¿H GD QX PE H URI SU RE OH PV ,W VK RX OG E HQ R W HG  
KRZHYHUWKDWHDFKFRPPHQWHGWKDWWKHEHQH¿WV
generally outweighed these problems. The most
QRWDEOH DPRQJ WKH SUREOHPV ZHUH ¿UVW WKRVH
small businesses not operating their own Web site
wanted the scope of the online business directory
t o b e e x t e n d e d t o e n a b le t h e m t o i n c o r po r a t e m o r e

detailed information in their individual directory
entry. Information suggested for inclusion com-
prised the business’ opening times, type of work
undertaken, and so on. Second, some concerns
were voiced about the fact that the community
Web site project was coordinated and adminis-
tered by a group of volunteers from the village.
This reliance on the goodwill of volunteers was
felt to pose a possible problem for the longevity
and future sustainability of the project as a whole,
thus casting a doubt over how long the small busi-
QHVVHVZRXOGEHDEOHWRHQMR\WKHEHQH¿WVRIWKH
online business directory.
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS
The primary reason for participation in the online
EXVLQHVVGLUHFWRU\VHHPHGWR EHWKHEHQH¿WVLW
offered. For the small businesses investigated
in this study to date, participation was rewarded
1412
A Community Web Site Initiative
ZLWKERWKWDQJLEOHDQGLQWDQJLEOHEHQH¿WV7KLV
held true for enterprises not engaged in any other
form of Internet adoption, as well as for those
which had already embarked on Internet adop-
WLRQYHQWXUHV$ULVLQJIURPWKH¿QGLQJVRIWKLV
exploratory study, a number of issues are worthy
of note and further discussion.
First, whilst existing conventional Internet
adoption models typically cite having an e-mail
account and/or a basic informational Web site as

the Internet adoption starting point for many small
businesses (see for example Daniel et al., 2002;
5DRHWDO6FXSRODWKH¿QGLQJVRI
this study suggest that for some small businesses,
a valuable starting point in Internet adoption might
simply involve placing an entry in a wider online
business directory. The advantages are that it car-
ries a relatively low risk, it can be offered at low
cost (or, in the case of the site under investigation
in the present study, at no cost), and it requires
no IT knowledge or skills in the small business
itself. As demonstrated in this study, a local online
business directory forming part of a community
Web site may provide, for some small businesses,
an environment and context in which they can
experiment with the Internet, and particularly
³WHVW WKH ZDWHU´ DERXW WKH YDOXH RI SURPRWLQJ
their products and/or services via the World Wide
Web. For some also, such online directories may
act as a catalyst for further Internet adoption.
In recognition of the role that such directories
might play in the Internet adoption pathways of
small businesses, it seems reasonable to propose
that existing models of Internet adoption might
incorporate, at the early, non-complex application
level (i.e., before the e-mail and Web site adoption
levels), a level comprising participation in a local
online business directory.
Second, for those small businesses that are
DOUHDG\RSHUDWLQJWKHLURZQ:HEVLWHWKH¿QGLQJV

of the study indicated that participation in the
online business directory had the positive effect
of both increasing the number of visitors to their
own Web site, as well as increasing the proportion
RIUHOHYDQWVLWHYLVLWRUV,QWKHOLJKWRIWKH¿QGLQJV
of other studies that have suggested that there
KDVEHHQOLWWOHGLUHFWUHDOLVDWLRQRIEHQH¿WVIURP
Internet adoption for small businesses, the role
of online business directories in community Web
site projects might usefully be further examined.
Support initiatives devised to help small busi-
nesses optimise their Internet adoption ventures
might, for example, encourage small businesses
to link their own Web sites to relevant online
directories or local portals in order to increase
the visibility of their site, and thus help increase
WKHOHYHORIWUDI¿FWRLW
Third, the present study helped to address
the issue, discussed elsewhere in the literature
(see for example Mehrtens et al., 2001; Teo &
Ranganathan, 2004), of encouraging traditional
QRQDGRSWHUVRIWKH,QWHUQHWWR¿QGVRPHYDOXH
in using it within their own business operations.
In particular, the study demonstrated that a lo-
cal online business directory could provide a
mechanism for traditional non-adopters to have
an online presence (albeit quite a minimal one),
DQGWRGHULYHVRPHEHQH¿WIURPWKDWSUHVHQFHRYHU
more conventional approaches to the marketing
and promotion of their goods and/or services. As

evidenced in this study, for some small businesses,
participation in an online business directory may
be the extent of the Internet involvement they
require or deem appropriate for their business
purposes. For others, of course, it may be that their
involvement with such a directory might convert
them to Internet adopters. This issue does not
appear to have been investigated elsewhere and
arguably warrants further investigation beyond
the scope of this study. Such an investigation
would be especially useful in the light of recent
UHVHDUFKFKDOOHQJLQJWKHQRWLRQRID³RQHVL]H
¿WVDOO´,QWHUQHWDGRSWLRQPRGHODQGVWUDWHJ\
(see for example Martin & Matlay, 2001). From
a practical point of view, it would be useful too to
examine the extent to which government Internet
promotion strategies and small business Internet
adoption support initiatives have considered the
1413
A Community Web Site Initiative
role that online business directories and com-
munity Web sites can play in helping traditional
non-adopters begin to explore the value of having
an online presence.
$IRXUWKLVVXHWREHGLVFXVVHGIURPWKH¿QG-
ings of the present study is that of geographical
reach and the small business: whilst global reach
is undoubtedly an important issue for many
small businesses, and the Internet has provided
an unprecedented boost to their international

marketing efforts, the notion of the Internet and
local reach should not simply be neglected. As
this study has shown, for some small businesses,
the need is to use the Internet to help them de-
velop a deeper more targeted client base within
their own locality and community. The study has
shown how a local community Web site, might
help facilitate that. It is interesting to note that
much of the existing research literature on the
Internet and small business tends to mention only
the aspect of global reach, rather than deeper lo-
cal market penetration. Again, government and
small business support agencies might usefully
highlight this aspect of the Internet’s value when
endeavouring to encourage small businesses to
engage in Internet activities.
Having conducted this initial exploratory
VWXG\DQGLQVRGRLQJLGHQWL¿HGVRPHEHQH¿WV
and problems of community Web sites for small
businesses and highlighted the impacts such sites
might have on the Internet adoption behaviour of
small businesses, the intention now is to undertake
a more extensive study, involving more small
businesses and incorporating further community
sites and online business directories. The purpose
of this follow-up study will be to investigate more
fully some of the issues arising from this study,
to explore further some of the ideas put forward,
and ultimately to develop and evaluate a model of
Internet adoption that incorporates the notion of

a local community Web site containing an online
business directory.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
7KLVVWXG\VRXJKWWRH[SORUHWKHEHQH¿WVDQG
problems small businesses in a UK village are
deriving from participation in a community Web
site project, focussing particularly on the online
business directory component of that project and
to investigate the impacts participation is having
on their Internet adoption behaviour. The study
has indicated that the small businesses believed the
EHQH¿WVRXWZHLJKHGDQ\SUREOHPVDQGWKDWWKRVH
EHQH¿WVLQFOXGHGWKHFDSWXULQJRIDPRUHUHOHYDQW
local client base, low cost marketing available at
minimal effort, and the opportunity to engage in
low-level Internet adoption as a means of testing
the water for further future involvement, if ap-
propriate to their business operations. It has been
suggested that government small business Internet
LQLWLDWLYHVVKRXOGQRWQHJOHFWWKHYDOXHRIWKH³OR-
cal focus” for small businesses when promoting
Internet adoption, and that furthermore, the notion
of community Web site and local online business
directories might usefully be further explored by
government agencies and small business support
providers as a means of engaging a wider pool of
small businesses in Internet activities, particularly
the traditional non-adopters of the Internet. A
further, more extensive study, is now proposed and
planned to pursue these matters in greater depth,

with a view to developing an Internet adoption
model that can accommodate community Web
site projects and local business directories.
REFERENCES
Aldridge, A., Forcht, K., & Pierson, J. (1997). Get
linked or get lost: Marketing strategy for the In-
ternet. Internet Research: Electronic Networking
Applications and Policy, 7(3), 161-169
Curran, J., & Blackburn, R. A. (2001). Research-
ing the small enterprise. London: Sage Publica-
tions Ltd.