TY - JOUR
T1 - Value creation and the internet
T2 - Entrepreneurial behaviour in Dutch SMEs
AU - van der Veen, Marijke
AU - Wakkee, Ingrid
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Although almost all Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have adopted the internet and e-mail, only those entrepreneurs that realise how these innovations can be applied in their business are able to recognise opportunities to create value. Based on a sample of 614 Dutch SMEs, we examine what factors determine the recognition of such opportunities. Particularly, we argue that the use of the internet and e-mail has a positive relationship to organisational and strategic value creation; that organisational value creation precedes strategic value creation; and that entrepreneurs who are able to actually create strategic value - and thus have actually recognised entrepreneurial opportunities from these technologies - have higher levels of knowledge and experience, are more proactive networkers and have higher levels of entrepreneurial orientation. Our findings suggest that there are clear possibilities for SMEs to capitalise on adopting the internet and e-mail because all the associated factors can be enhanced through choices consciously made by the entrepreneurs.
AB - Although almost all Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have adopted the internet and e-mail, only those entrepreneurs that realise how these innovations can be applied in their business are able to recognise opportunities to create value. Based on a sample of 614 Dutch SMEs, we examine what factors determine the recognition of such opportunities. Particularly, we argue that the use of the internet and e-mail has a positive relationship to organisational and strategic value creation; that organisational value creation precedes strategic value creation; and that entrepreneurs who are able to actually create strategic value - and thus have actually recognised entrepreneurial opportunities from these technologies - have higher levels of knowledge and experience, are more proactive networkers and have higher levels of entrepreneurial orientation. Our findings suggest that there are clear possibilities for SMEs to capitalise on adopting the internet and e-mail because all the associated factors can be enhanced through choices consciously made by the entrepreneurs.
KW - Entrepreneurship
KW - Innovation adoption
KW - Internet
KW - Opportunity recognition
KW - Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises
KW - SMEs
KW - Value creation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=66149092749&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1504/IJESB.2009.025089
DO - 10.1504/IJESB.2009.025089
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:66149092749
VL - 8
SP - 411
EP - 430
JO - International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business
JF - International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business
SN - 1476-1297
IS - 3
ER -