It Foundations for E-Commerce: A Survey of Executives in Five Caribbean Countries

Electronic commerce represents an important opportunity for businesses in developing countries, yet previous research has shown significant barriers to success. Common barriers are internet access, web hosting, web site visibility, logistics, and electronic funds transfer. During July and August 2004 the principle investigators visited business executives in five Caribbean nations to determine how these executives were overcoming known e-commerce difficulties. 36 businesses and government agencies were interviewed. Executives described a number of successful strategies to work around common problems. The authors hope the results of this study will suggest improved strategies for SMEs in developing countries seeking to use e-commerce to expand their markets.

IT Foundations for E-commerce: A Survey of Executives in Five Caribbean Countries is a title that suitably describes what this article proceeds to delve into and is appropriately clear in terms of the subject matter. The abstract does help the reader gain an understanding of what the purpose of the paper is, and I cannot find fault in the way it was laid out.

The introduction does deal with quite clearly with subject matter of e-commerce barriers and limitations in developing countries and the purpose for interviewing successful business leaders in five Caribbean countries.

I find it tough to find many errors in the authors interpretation, the information that they presented seem to correlate well with the abstract. The discussion did provide evidence of the difficulties that telephone/internet access, site development and hosting, logistics and banking and security.

The underlying assumptions by the authors is that well-known technical barriers to e-commerce still exist in the Caribbean countries were surveyed, but there are promising business models and persistent executives who are able to overcome at least some of these barriers.

Overall