Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Business (Honours)

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Public Management.

First Supervisor

Dr Simone Pettigrew

Abstract

Despite its young age the Internet has grown to become a significant new medium for businesses and their customers. The existing literature suggests that some businesses are not going on-line whilst others are: embracing the new technology, but as yet little research has been conducted as to the reasons for this difference in take-up rate. Even less research has been conducted from an Australian perspective, with most research originating in the United States. This preliminary study explored the differing perceptions of eight Perth-based managers of businesses that are on-line compared to those that are not on-line. Of particular interest was whether these perceptions differed between managers of small and medium-sized businesses. An exploratory method, relying on in-depth one to one interviews, was utilised to identify and interpret themes and underlying patterns among the responses of the managers interviewed. The perceptions of the managers interviewed varied in only one respect between businesses that are on-line compared to those that are not on-line. This point of difference was the perceptions held as to whether their respective consumer markets were accessible via the Internet or not. Otherwise, the managers interviewed appeared to share similar perceptions with regards to such Internet issues as: whether the Internet represented an opportunity; Internet security concerns; and the role of Internet advertising in the media mix. Furthermore, no apparent differences were found to exist between the perceptions of the sampled managers of small and medium-sized businesses.

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