{"title":"Adoption Behaviour of Digital Technologies by Firms: Evidence from South Africa’s Manufacturing Sector","authors":"Kiru Sichoongwe","doi":"10.1177/09721509231190511","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The manufacturing industry is vital to the growth and development of most countries. This study investigates the adoption behaviour of digital technologies by manufacturing firms in South Africa. The study employs econometric model to analyze a total of 516 firms in the manufacturing sector. The probit results show that innovation of the firm and firm size have a significant effect on both the current and the expected adoption of digital technologies, whereas capital ownership correlate positively with the current adoption. Likewise, exports and digital-related infrastructure are found to correlate positively with the expected digital technology adoption for customer relations business function. Similarly, study results from the transition probability matrix reveals that a significant persistency pattern is prevalent in all the three business functions of the firms, namely, supplier relations, customer relations and product development. However, product development has considerably higher persistency compared to other types of the firm business functions. Several policies, including supporting business innovation, easy access to core digital tools by firms, developing institutional and systemic support mechanisms, are recommended to encourage firms to engage in digital technology activities.","PeriodicalId":47569,"journal":{"name":"Global Business Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Global Business Review","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09721509231190511","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The manufacturing industry is vital to the growth and development of most countries. This study investigates the adoption behaviour of digital technologies by manufacturing firms in South Africa. The study employs econometric model to analyze a total of 516 firms in the manufacturing sector. The probit results show that innovation of the firm and firm size have a significant effect on both the current and the expected adoption of digital technologies, whereas capital ownership correlate positively with the current adoption. Likewise, exports and digital-related infrastructure are found to correlate positively with the expected digital technology adoption for customer relations business function. Similarly, study results from the transition probability matrix reveals that a significant persistency pattern is prevalent in all the three business functions of the firms, namely, supplier relations, customer relations and product development. However, product development has considerably higher persistency compared to other types of the firm business functions. Several policies, including supporting business innovation, easy access to core digital tools by firms, developing institutional and systemic support mechanisms, are recommended to encourage firms to engage in digital technology activities.
期刊介绍:
Global Business Review is designed to be a forum for the wider dissemination of current management and business practice and research drawn from around the globe but with an emphasis on Asian and Indian perspectives. An important feature is its cross-cultural and comparative approach. Multidisciplinary in nature and with a strong practical orientation, this refereed journal publishes surveys relating to and report significant developments in management practice drawn from business/commerce, the public and the private sector, and non-profit organisations. The journal also publishes articles which provide practical insights on doing business in India/Asia from local and global and macro and micro perspectives.