Applications Of E Commerce Strategies To Small And Medium Sized Tourism Enterprises In The Apec Region

SMEs are often described as slow adopters of technology. However, adopting e-commerce is one of many strategies taken by travel agents to re-intermediate themselves in the global travel market against the threat of disintermediation. Exploratory studies have revealed that Egyptian travel agents are laggards when it comes to technology adoption, although they perceive e-commerce as a beneficial tool that can increase their chances of survival. As many as 59.2% of Egyptian travel agents were found not to have websites (Egyptian Travel Agents Association, 2008), this study investigates the factors affecting e-commerce adoption by travel agents. Past literature has shown that there are three main factors affecting the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs. Environmental pressures push SMEs to adopt in order to bolster their survival chances. The benefits of adoption are critical factors considered by managers when making the adoption decision. Finally, there are barriers to e-commerce adoption. By modifying the technology acceptance model, this research conceptualizes the causal relationships amongst these three types of factors. The benefits and barriers to e-commerce adoption are found to mediate the relationship between environmental pressures and e-commerce adoption. This study employs mixed methods starting with a quantitative survey and following it up with qualitative interviews. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 411 adopter and non-adopter e-commerce travel agents. Later, 22 interviews were conducted with the managers of travel agents. Structural equation modelling produced findings reveal that environmental pressures significantly affect the perceived benefits of and barriers to adoption, in addition to having an indirect effect on adoption behaviour. This study contributes to theory as it responds to the claim that the factors affecting e-commerce adoption have not been well documented in the travel sector (Hung et al., 2011, Thomas et al., 2011), especially in the context of developing countries (Thulani et al., 2010). The findings reveal that the modified technology acceptance model successfully interprets e-commerce adoption. The study compares other adoption models with the research model and provides statistical criteria for this comparison. Its contribution to practice is twofold, affecting the managers of travel agencies and policy makers. Recognizing the factors affecting adoption would enable managers to devise strategies and prepare better agendas for expanding their businesses, while at the same time identifying any defects and training needs that present barriers. Meanwhile, recognizing the barriers to adoption could encourage government bodies and policy makers to implement appropriate measures, such as introducing protective and financial legislation to encourage SMEs to adopt technology, or to formulate national policies and initiatives aimed specifically at supporting the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs.

The continued advancement of globalization, increases in internet connectivity, compatibility of international payment systems, and adaptability of logistics and shipping processes have combined to contribute to the rapid growth of the cross-border e-commerce market. Due to these advancements and the ubiquitous presence of smartphones, consumer use of cross-border e-commerce is increasingly simplified, and thus, sellers are hardly restricted to a specific country in terms of promoting, selling, and shipping goods worldwide. The burgeoning opportunities, habits, and trends of shopping on cross-border e-commerce platforms have expedited the prospect of becoming a presence in the global market. This is true for enterprises of all sizes, especially for small? and medium?sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to add their footprint in the international market for the first time. Like any other industry, cross-border e-commerce has its specific economics and driving forces, but has different scopes, challenges, and trends due to the geographic and cultural expanse of relevant environments. Cross-Border E-Commerce Marketing and Management was conceptualized by identifying the scope of new complementary information with a comprehensive understanding of the issues and potential of cross-border e-commerce businesses. The authors believe that this book will not only fill the void in the current research but will also provide far-sighted vision and strategies, as it covers big data, artificial intelligence, IoT, supply chain management, and more. This book provides the necessary knowledge to managers to compete with the competitive market structure and ultimately contribute to the sustainable economic growth of a country. It works as a guideline for existing cross-border e-commerce managers to formulate individual strategies that combine to optimize the industry while keeping the enterprise competitive. This book is useful in both developed and developing country contexts. This publication is an ideal resource for academicians, policy makers, stakeholders, and cross-border e-commerce managers, especially from SMEs.

The Internet is an ideal medium for travel and tourism and its use has continued to grow at a dramatic rate (some forecasts have suggested that travel and tourism's share of e-commerce could rise to 50 per cent in the next few years). This book offers guidance to both destination management organisations (DMOs) and tourism businesses on how best to use e-commerce. The first part analyses market trends and explains the concepts of e-business and customer relationship management. The second part focuses on the DMOs, and how they can respond to the changing value chains and how they can provide websites for consumers, intermediaries, travel media and tourism businesses. The last part is concerned with e-business for tourism suppliers, particularly small and medium sized enterprises.

APEC is a group of countries in the Asia-Pacific region that subscribe to economic cooperation. During the past decade, governments and private organizations in the APEC region have had to deal with the issue of e-commerce, as it has become a growing domestic, regional, and international marketplace and trading mechanism. There are many examples of e-commerce, including the popular eBay Internet trading marketplace as well as Amazon.com, supporting both customer-to-customer (C to C) and business-to-customer (B to C) transactions. Over the past decade, APEC has created an Electronic Commerce Steering Group and the APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group, and has made advances in areas such as cyber security, data privacy, and consumer protection.

Governments, industry representative groups and individual businesses are all seeking to develop improved management of risks so that potential crises can be avoided. This AICST report offers a broad coverage of risks related to tourism in the Asia Pacific region and strategic approaches to managing these risks. A comprehensive list of websites is provided on a separate CD-ROM [NOT AVAILABLE WITH PDF PURCHASE] recognising that this medium changes daily and the current list is only a sample of the material available on the Internet. This publication is also available for free download at www.crctourism.com.au