Strategic Internet Business Management - An Assessment of Internet Business Growth Strategies

Empirical Evidence from listed SMEs in Denmark

Thèse de Master , 2011 , 110 Pages , Note: 12 (Distinction)

Gestion d'entreprise - marketing en ligne et marketing hors ligne

Abstract
It is widely recognized that Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises play a significant role in the economic vitality of local and national economies in Denmark. Over the years, these sectors are faced with an increasingly unstable marketplace and stiff competition from large firms. It is believed that the advancement of internet and its related communication technologies have the ability to give these firms the potential advantage to reach wider geographical markets and compete with larger organizations for customers’ attraction, market share, and sustainable growth. As a result, the Danish government has over the years collaborated with industry and commercial associations to bolster the integration of Information Technology and diffusion of e-commerce among SMEs.

This thesis used quantitative survey questionnaire and qualitative interview approaches to assess how SMEs in Denmark are using the internet as a business strategy to enhance growth and sustainability. In accordance with the theoretical model developed by synthesizing existing internet adoption and business growth models, three key determinants such as: the level of internet adoption, growth strategy, and competitive environment were investigated. Result indicates that SMEs have a considerable integration of internet particularly at the lower level which includes e-mail and website. While more than half of the firms who have fully integrated internet as part of their growth strategy have experienced exponential growth by developing new product and reaching new markets. Competitively, these firms are also able to offer high and unique value of proposition mainly through niches.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER ONE
  • INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM FORMULATION
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 Research Question
  • 1.3 Definition of Terms
  • 1.4 Delimitation
  • 1.5 Structure of the Study
• CHAPTER 2
  • Literature Review and Conceptual framework
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 How do we define Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
  • 2.3 SMEs Growth and Performance context
  • 2.4 SMEs Growth Strategy
  • 2.5 Product Development
  • 2.5.1 Innovation
  • 2.6 Market Development
  • 2.7 SMEs and Internet Adoption Growth Strategies
  • 2.7.1 Teo and Pian Model
  • 2.7.2 Afuah and Tucci model
  • 2.8 Conceptual framework
  • 2.9 Categorisation of firm Growth
• CHAPTER THREE
  • METHOD
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Survey Research
  • 3.3.1 Sampling
  • 3.2.2 Questionnaire Development
  • 2.2.3 Question Formulation
  • 3.2.4 Questionnaire design
  • 3.2.5 Software for Questionnaire Design and implementation
  • 3.2.6 Pretesting
  • 3.2.7 Data Collection
  • 3.2.8 E-mail Questionnaire
  • 3.2.9 Quantitative data management and analytical approach
  • 3.3 Qualitative method
  • 3.3.1 Qualitative method as complimentary to quantitative method
  • 3.3.2 Interview and data collection
• CHAPTER FOUR
  • OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES IN DANISH ECONOMY
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Brief overview of Denmark Economy
  • 4.3 Role of SMEs in Denmark Economy
  • 4.4 Role of Danish Government in SMEs development
• CHAPTER FIVE
  • QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
  • 5.1 Quantitative data analysis
  • 5.1.1 Firms Demographic
  • 5.1.2 Internet Adoption
  • 5.1.3 Purpose of Internet Adopting
  • 5.1.4 Internet adoption and Firm efficiency
  • 5.2 Product and Market Development
  • 5.2.1 How Internet facilitates Product or service development
  • 5.3 Competitive Advantage
  • 5.3.1 Value Proposition
  • 5.4 Qualitative Results
  • 5.4.1 Characteristics of the Firms
  • 5.4.2 General-use internet purposes
  • 5.4.3 Market-oriented internet purposes
  • 5.4.4 Internet- adoption for innovation and production purposes
• CHAPTER SIX
  • DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Internet adoption
  • 6.2.1 High Growth Quadrants: Business Integration and Business Transformation
  • 6.2.2 Low Growth Quadrants: prospecting and brochureware
  • 6.3 Competitive Advantage
  • 6.4 Market development
  • 6.4.1 Internet websites and market development
  • 6.4.2 Internet Ubiquity on market development and communication
  • 6.5 Product development

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis aims to assess how Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Denmark are utilizing the internet as a business strategy to enhance growth and sustainability. The study explores the relationship between internet adoption, growth strategies, and competitive environment within the Danish SME sector. This research investigates how SMEs leverage the internet to achieve organizational strategic objectives and enhance their performance.

• Internet adoption and its impact on SME growth and sustainability in Denmark.
• The role of the internet in facilitating product development and market development strategies for SMEs.
• The impact of internet adoption on the competitive advantage of SMEs, including their value proposition.
• The role of the Danish government in supporting the development and adoption of internet technologies among SMEs.
• The relationship between internet adoption, growth strategy, and the competitive environment within the Danish SME sector.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter One provides an introduction to the study, outlining the research question, defining key terms, and explaining the study's delimitation and structure. Chapter Two delves into the literature review and conceptual framework, defining SMEs and exploring their growth and performance context. This chapter also examines SMEs' growth strategies, particularly in relation to product development, market development, and internet adoption. It presents relevant models for understanding SMEs' internet adoption strategies, such as the Teo and Pian Model and the Afuah and Tucci model, and discusses the categorization of firm growth. Chapter Three details the research methodology, focusing on the quantitative survey research approach and the qualitative interview method. The chapter explains the sampling strategy, questionnaire development, data collection procedures, and data analysis methods. Chapter Four provides an overview of the role of SMEs in the Danish economy, including an overview of the Danish economy, the role of SMEs in the Danish economy, and the role of the Danish government in supporting SME development. Finally, Chapter Five presents both quantitative and qualitative data analysis findings. The chapter examines key themes such as firm demographics, internet adoption, the purpose of internet adoption, internet adoption and firm efficiency, product and market development, and the competitive advantage of SMEs. The chapter also presents qualitative findings related to firm characteristics, general-use internet purposes, market-oriented internet purposes, and internet adoption for innovation and production purposes.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This research focuses on the role of internet adoption in the growth and sustainability of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Denmark. Key themes include internet adoption, growth strategy, competitive advantage, product development, market development, and the role of the Danish government in supporting SME development. The study utilizes a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including survey research and interviews, to investigate these themes.

• Cours: Strategic Business Communication
• Note: 12 (Distinction)
• Auteurs: Steven Sam (Auteur), Jared Makor (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2011
• Pages: 110
• N° de catalogue: V179587
• ISBN (ebook): 9783656021100
• ISBN (Livre): 9783656021919
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: strategic, internet, business, management, assessment, growth, strategies, empirical, evidence, smes, denmark