Özet:

The adoption of Information Technology (IT) is widely discussed but the barriers to adopting IT do not gain the same attention. The current research tries to explore IT adoption barriers, particularly in the international arena and within smaller firms. As models that deal with IT adoption either concentrate on individual-level or firm-level IT adoption and as the current study tries to explore barriers that hinder Small and Medium Sized Enterprises or SMEs from using IT effectively in their international activities, the research model covers both levels. The current exploratory study used a qualitative approach, using selected models of each level and interviewing three SME owners/managers to gain their perceptions. Hence the study proposes barriers that are perceived by those entrepreneurs. The results surprisingly find that the cost is not as important a factor as predicted from previous studies and several obstacles (e.g. trust, security and international legal issues) are perceived to be important IT adoption barriers for smaller firms in the international business context.

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