The Effects of E-commerce on the Performance of SMEs in Uganda
Lule, Esther; Tusiime, Betty (2019)
Lule, Esther
Tusiime, Betty
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019052010607
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019052010607
Tiivistelmä
This thesis was conducted on the topic assessing the impact of E-commerce adoption on the expansion of SMEs in Uganda. The study was commissioned by a fashion company called Kyaligonza, which is gradually integrating E-commerce into its operations, and it was guided by the following objectives: 1. To examine E-Commerce adoption by SMEs in Uganda; 2. To identify the benefits of E-commerce adoption to SMEs in Uganda; 3. To examine the barriers to E-commerce adoption by SMEs in Uganda, 4. To identify measures of SMEs expansion used in Uganda; 5. To establish the relationship between E-Commerce Adoption and the expansion of SMEs. In order to achieve the above objectives, a sample of 80 respondents from Ugandan SMEs using E-commerce was collected.
Using a questionnaire and interview guide, data was collected from them and analyzed in order to provide answers to the research questions raised. The key findings of the study were that the adoption of E-commerce by SMEs in Uganda was low because of many barriers, such as a great many SMEs customers not being connected to the Internet.
The study revealed that E-commerce provided many benefits to the expansion of SMEs, as it provided businesses with the opportunity to sell their products and services to a vast number of customers beyond Uganda. Further, the study revealed that sales volume and number of customers were critical measures of business expansion. There was a strong positive relationship between E-commerce adoption and business expansion reflected by the Pearson correlation coefficient. From that, it was concluded that if Kyaligonza wanted to achieve a cost-effective expansion of their shops, they should open an E-commerce shop.
Using a questionnaire and interview guide, data was collected from them and analyzed in order to provide answers to the research questions raised. The key findings of the study were that the adoption of E-commerce by SMEs in Uganda was low because of many barriers, such as a great many SMEs customers not being connected to the Internet.
The study revealed that E-commerce provided many benefits to the expansion of SMEs, as it provided businesses with the opportunity to sell their products and services to a vast number of customers beyond Uganda. Further, the study revealed that sales volume and number of customers were critical measures of business expansion. There was a strong positive relationship between E-commerce adoption and business expansion reflected by the Pearson correlation coefficient. From that, it was concluded that if Kyaligonza wanted to achieve a cost-effective expansion of their shops, they should open an E-commerce shop.