Exploring ICT adoption by SMEs in southern Africa

The main objective of this paper is to critically explore the inter-relationships between ICT adoption
factors in the small firm sector in countries of southern Africa. The paper draws and builds on previous
research that focused on issues related to ICT adoption process among SMEs operating in South Africa,
Botswana and Zimbabwe The ICT adoption theories derived from the Technology Acceptance Model
(TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) underpinned the investigations in previous work, which
highlighted the influence of several key factors that include Government role, Environmental, Social
networks, Technological, Organisational and Owner-manager (GESTOO). The results based on over
60 semi-structured interviews with participants from case studies in the small hotel industry in South
Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe highlighted the influence of several key factors that include
Government role, Environmental, Social networks, Technological, Organisational and Owner-manager
(GESTOO) on the ICT adoption process of SMEs. However, the initial results of the study could not
explain the inter-relationships existing between the identified ICT adoption factors. In another study, a
total of 130 small firms surveyed from both logistics and manufacturing sectors in Johannesburg (South
Africa) and 52 interviews carried out mostly with owner-managers, the survey results also showed the
influence of technological, organisational, owner-manager and environmental (TOOE) factors in the ICT
adoption process and use in SMEs.