A Mediated–Moderated Model for Innovation Attributes and E-Commerce Adoption of SMEs

Abstract

Understanding how innovative attributes influence adoption decisions is still a hot topic in the innovation management literature, prompting a call for more research. This study intends to evaluate a constructed conceptual model that depicts the relationship between the three aspects of innovation and E-commerce adoption as mediated by attitude and organizational resource readiness, based on theories of innovation and behavior. The moderating influence of innovativeness in the link between attitude and organizational resource readiness and E-commerce adoption is also investigated in this study. The findings are based on data from 259 Kuwaiti SME owners and managers. The mediation of attitude and organizational resource readiness was investigated using a bootstrapping method based on the PLS-SEM technique. The findings show that attributes of innovation can improve attitude and organizational resource readiness. Furthermore, the relationship between the three independent constructs, namely relative advantages, compatibility, complexity, and E-commerce adoption, is mediated by attitude and organizational resource readiness. Meanwhile, the association between attitudes, organizational resource readiness, and E-commerce adoption is strongly moderated by innovativeness. The findings of this study provided insights into the causal mechanisms behind the relationships between attributes of innovation and E-commerce adoption that could not be acquired using a single theory-driven model.