Adoption of new information technologies in rural small businesses

The media discussion on 'information superhighway', 'Internet' and 'national information infrastructure (NII)' has highlighted the potential of information technology in modem society. The changes in information and communication technologies provide both opportunities and threats to small businesses located in rural communities. The objective of this study is to identify the state of use of various communications technologies and the factors that influence the adoption of these technologies in small businesses located in rural communities in the US. A research model is postulated that contains 10 independent variables under three broad categories innovation, organizational and environmental characteristics, The dependent variable, adoption of information and communication technologies, is measured as the degree of adoption of four modern communication technologies by the organization. Data from 78 organizations were collected using a structured interview process. The results of data analysis using discriminant analysis indicate that relative advantage, top management support, organizational sire, external pressure and competitive pressure are important determinants of adoption. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.