Analysis on business to business (B2B) e-commerce infrastructure of Sri Lanka

Abstract

This thesis presents the findings from a comprehensive survey done to find out to how far the Sri Lankan Industries have adapted E Commerce technology and also the bottlenecks faced by them in adapting E Commerce" This research has three main Objectives:  To identify the obstacles faced by the Sri Lankan industry to enter into  132B E-commerce through a comprehensive survey To investigate the possibility of B2B Framework specifically suitable for  Sri Lanka and also investigate the services expected by the participants, To propose a suitable framework according to the findings of the survey A general questionnaire was used to gather information of Companies* current use of Internet, their website status and barrier and drivers in adapting E Commerce: and a System Integration questionnaire was designed to feed core indicators on the usage of ICT in those enterprises. At the Pilot Analysis stage population for the direct interviews was selected among the major Companies in Sri Lanka. The research survey covered only the private sector organizations, due to their ability for quick implementation possibility of theB2B e-commerce trading, as they have the potential in entering into L-Commerce. A comprehensive survey was administered by Postal mail, Internet, e-mail and personal interviews. The questionnaire was web enabled to reach larger population, so that the si/e of the sample, together with its geographical dispersion, has a significant bearing on the research. The comprehensive study showed the current situation of B2B E Commerce Infrastructure in the Sri Lankan Industries have barriers and drivers, where recommendations are made to rectify those barriers and make advantages of the drivers, so that they can be in par with the global E commerce. One of the major findings was that the current E commerce regulatory factors in SriLanka do not support the Companies doing B2B E Business. Companies who have technical facilities up to some standards should be encouraged to upgrade their systems to venture into E Business. The available data shows that Sri Lanka Telecommunication Infrastructure availability is not a problem for companies to commence E Business. It is the reliability, running cost and connection cost that mainly affect the businesses* confidence to venture into E business. E commerce solution providers in Sri Lanka are competent in developing Ecommerce solutions but again it is clear that insufficient in-house skills and training and non-availability of in-house technology arise among the organisations which do not engage in E Business. It was revealed that even an enterprise with a single person can practice E Commerce. This is an encouragement to new businessmen in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to use the advantages in E Commerce.