A Study to Examine If Integration of Technology Acceptance Model's (TAM) Features Help in Building a Hybrid Digital Business Ecosystem Framework for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Abstract

Digital Business Ecosystem (DBE) is a rapidly growing technology which caters online businesses in both sectors of Business to Consumer (B2C) and Business to Business (B2B). It takes networked business organizations into account and helps them in digitally establishing inter and intra-organizational link. We are focusing on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) which provides healthy breeding ground for Digital Business Ecosystem framework mainly due to the reason that small and medium enterprises depict more adaptability to own the technology. Digital Business Ecosystem fuses ICT (Information and Communication Technology) with business network of small and medium enterprises. The character of being eco provides the due collaboration among the peer organizations and with the consumers as well. Digital Business Ecosystem allows small and medium enterprises to create and integrate their services. In pursuit of a hybrid framework for Digital Business Ecosystem, one of the critical factors for its future implementation is the willingness of employees of small and medium enterprises. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) suggests that acceptance of a new technology depends upon Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) of the users which are employees of small and medium enterprises in our study. In this paper, we identify and discuss different DBE features and judge the Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use of SME Employees by a pilot study. The result of the preliminary but comprehensive survey is seen as vital for further study on Digital Business Ecosystem and its subsequent implementation.