Findings

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Demographic Data

Typically, respondents were male, between the ages of 25 and 34, active Internet users, and employed by a small manufacturing or service company. Table 1 presents a demographic profile of the respondents.

Environmental Factors

The literature suggests that China's slow development in the area of eCommerce is due to structural conditions or environmental factors such as a poor electronic payment infrastructure, strict government regulations, legal issues, and poor telecommunications. The questionnaire queried respondents on their view regarding these factors (see Table 2) and findings provide empirical support for this observation, particularly in the area of on-line payment systems.

Table 2: Environmental Factors (in %).

	Extremely Encouraging 1	2	3	4	Extremely Discouraging 5	MEAN
The on-line payment system is:	2	5	20	36	38	4.03
Government Internet policies are:	9	27	30	23	11	3.00
The legal framework is:	2	13	31	33	22	3.61
The telecommunications environment is:	2	22	27	23	27	3.52

Organizational Factors

Organizational factors are defined within the context of two variables: 1) executive support/leadership and 2) use of eCommerce in the firm (see Table 3). With respect to executive support and leadership, most respondents (54 percent) rated their CEOs' vision for eCommerce along the lower end of the rating continuum, while a comparable percentage indicated that their CEO occasionally endorsed major eCommerce investments. Ratings pertaining to the firm's use of eCommerce indicated an effective use of the web although most respondents reported an inadequate or non-existent eCommerce R&D budget. In addition to the findings reported in Table 3, 54 percent of the respondents believe that their CEO considers eCommerce as one of the most vital parts of the firm's competitive strategy while 57 percent indicated that their CEOs think that funds spent on eCommerce represent a strategic investment.

Table 3: Organizational Factors (in %).

Executive Support/leadership:
Does your CEO endorse major eCommerce investments that have not been endorsed by traditional justification criteria and procedures?
Frequently	27
Occasionally	52
Rarely	21
What is your CEO's vision for eCommerce?
Strong vision	23
--	23
--	29
No stated vision	25
Use of eCommerce in the Firm:
How would you describe your firm's use of information technology
Industry leader	19
Close follower	28
Middle of the pack	23
Somewhat behind	22
Laggard	9
The organization I work for uses the Web effectively
Strongly agree	38
Somewhat agree	45
Neither agree nor disagree	5
Somewhat disagree	7
Strongly disagree	5
Is there a research and development (R&D) budget for investments in eCommerce?
Industry leader in discretionary funding for emerging eCommerce	0
Modest budget for investments in new technology piloting	23
Inadequate for our needs	31
There is no budget	47

Table 4: Personal Factors: IT Knowledge (in %).

Level of ability to...	Extremely High 1	2	3	4	Extremely Low 5	MEAN
program (e.g., in C, C++, Visual Basic, Java, etc.).	5	12	20	35	28	3.69
use software packages (e.g., Lotus 1-2-3, MS Office, etc.).	26	32	32	9	0	2.25
build models (e.g., formulate and solve complex simulation models).	9	26	9	31	25	3.35
recognize which management science model is appropriate for a particular problem.	6	35	24	27	8	2.95
access data (e.g., data retrieval, queries, etc.).	22	28	23	23	5	2.62
develop (design and implement) databases using generalized database management systems.	11	22	25	28	14	3.13

Personal Factors

Tables 4 through 6 depict three personal factors; namely, IT knowledge, eCommerce knowledge, and eCommerce communication. With regard to IT knowledge, the majority of the respondents possess fundamental IT skills including a solid understanding of how to use software packages and the ability to access data as needed. However, most lack skills in high-level areas such as computer programming and database design and implementation.

Table 5 addresses eCommerce knowledge and indicates that the majority of the respondents recognize the potential of eCommerce within the organization and understand how it can be used to achieve a competitive advantage. Respondents are less clear about policies and plans within the organization for the adoption of eCommerce, how eCommerce policies and plans fit with the overall goals and objectives of the organization, and the existing eCommerce applications within the organization; possibly a consequence of the inadequacy of funds invested in eCommerce and/or the failure of top-level executives to adequately communicate their technological vision.

Table 5: Personal Factors: eCommerce Knowledge (in %).

Knowledge about the...	Extremely High 1	2	3	4	Extremely Low 5	MEAN
eCommerce policies and plans within the organization.	9	20	32	17	22	3.22
fit between eCommerce policies and plans and the overall goals and objectives of the organization.	6	25	28	25	17	3.22
existing eCommerce applications within the organization	9	25	27	20	19	3.14
potential for eCommerce technology within the organization	13	42	16	23	6	2.69
potential use of eCommerce technology to achieve competitive advantage	16	42	27	11	5	2.47

Table 6 examines eCommerce communication as it relates to information received through communication with colleagues and business associations. Respondents gave higher ratings to information related to global eCommerce than information pertaining to eCommerce in China.

Table 6: Personal Factors: eCommerce Communication (in %).

How would you describe the information you have received from colleagues, business associations, etc. about...	Very Positive 1	2	3	4	Very Negative 5	MEAN
global eCommerce	29	31	29	11	0	2.23
eCommerce in China	20	34	31	12	3	2.45

Perceptions About eCommerce

The framework for perceptions of eCommerce is comprised of four variables: usefulness, ease of use, importance, and security (Tables 7-10). The majority of the respondents strongly agreed that eCommerce would have a positive impact on career performance and therefore eCommerce was perceived to be very useful. Respondents also perceived that using eCommerce applications fit within the context of their work style thereby making it easy to use. Most expressed support for the perception that eCommerce technologies provide strategic and competitive advantages and perceived themselves as having the skills, resources, knowledge, and control to effectively use eCommerce applications. Finally, security issues influenced the decision to conduct business online with most respondents reporting a high level of concern when making purchases or banking over the Internet.

Attitudes Toward eCommerce

Table 11 clearly indicates that the majority of respondents have a strong positive attitude toward implementing and using eCommerce applications.

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