The Impact of Entrepreneur Behaviors on the Quality of e-Commerce Security: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Findings

Abstract

This research examines the impact of entrepreneur behaviors on the quality of e-commerce security in urban small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. It hypothesized that the influence of these behaviors would be stronger in rural than urban SMEs. Stevenson's descriptive model of the behavior of managers and Miller's entrepreneurial orientation concept were used to examine this relationship. One hundred and six SMEs participated in the survey and the results show that lack of propensity for risk handling; irrational commitment to opportunities, propensity for resource minimisation and desire for control influence negatively affect the quality of e-commerce security. Over-reliance on external resources did not have a significant effect. A comparison of urban and rural correlation coefficients did not support the claims that the above behaviors were much stronger in rural than urban SMEs.

KEYWORDS:

• E-commerce
• Security
• Entrepreneur behaviors
• Urban-Rural SMEs

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael Kyobe

Michael Kyobe is an associate Professor of Information Systems at University of Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems and has consulted extensively with the public and private sectors in information systems management and computer security. His research interests include: strategic alignment, strategic information systems planning; computer security; SMEs and knowledge management.