E-COMMERCE IN DEVELOPING NATIONS: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES. CONSUMER ATTITUDE IN THE NIGERIAN MARKET

ABSTRACT

This thesis is an explorative research that aims to explore further on earlier research on issues and challenges of E-Commerce in developing nations, with a focus on consumer attitude in the Nigerian market, which is one of the largest markets in Africa. This re-search made use of quantitative written questionnaires that was administered to users of different E-Commerce platforms in Lagos, Nigeria, results were analyzed using SPSS and interpreted using Descriptive Analysis and Simple Relative Percentages, which clearly shows major issues and challenges such as infrastructural, risk and security, education and awareness, finance and cost, trust and confidence in the Nigerian online business ter-rain. Several E-Commerce platforms that are available in the business environment were identified and cross tabulations were made among different age groups and genders that use these platforms. From the result of the research, it was clear that the issues and chal-lenges notwithstanding, consumer attitude is on the positive side but issues of trust/confidence in the system needs to be addressed as well as improvement in infra-structure especially internet supply which is the platform on which E-Commerce stands, also recommendations for further studies and also constant attitudinal checks must be performed regularly as E-Commerce is an evolving trend, and as it evolves, consumer attitude need to be evaluated to ensure its survival in developing counties.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Thesis

List of Tables

List of Figures

CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW

1.1       Definition of E-Commerce

1.2       History of E-Commerce

1.3       Classification of E-Commerce

1.4       E-Commerce Platforms

1.5       An Overview of Developing Nations Peculiarities

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1       Sources and Collection of Data

3.2       Research Design

3.3       Sampling Techniques and Sample Size Determination

3.4       Validity and Reliability of Study Instrument

3.5       Administration of Data Collection Instrument

3.6       Procedure for Processing Collected Data

3.7       Limitation of Methodology

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1       Analysis of Data

4.2       Interpretation of Data

CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

5.1       Recommendations

5.2       Summary of Thesis

5.3       Conclusion

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDIX

CHAPTER 1

A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF E-COMMERCE AND THE PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPING NATIONS

1.1 Definition of E-Commerce

There are many definitions for the concept of E-Commerce depending on the perspec-tive of the viewer or commentator. Some authors define E-Commerce as being different from E-Business; others see and define both concepts as same. When we look at it from the perspective of differentiating both concepts, E-Commerce is keenly looked at from the commercial aspect, in which there are values and also corresponding payments. This can however be described as financial transactions which are mediated electronically between organizations and stakeholders alike. E-Commerce however can be looked at from a broader perspective which includes different forms of business dealings that may not most often times involve forms of payments or from another perspective, beyond what may be generally refer to as commerce in the real sense but rather all types of transactions which are mediated electronically either commercial or otherwise between an organization and its transactions with individuals and third parties alike that its vari-ous dealings with them. This is however seen by some authors as defining E-Business which makes E-Commerce an aspect of E-Business, while others see it as defining E-Commerce which invariably makes it the same as E-Business which makes them use the two concepts interchangeably. For the purpose of this study however, below are a few definitions of E-Commerce as described by different authors.

•                     “Electronic commerce is the sharing of business information, maintaining busi-ness relationships and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunication networks”. (Vladimir Zwass, 1996).

•                     “Electronic  Commerce  deals  with  facilitation  of  transactions  and  selling  of

products and services online either via the internet or any other telecommunications network”. (Jelassi and Enders 2005).

•                     “The use of electronic communication or and digital information processing

technology in business transactions to create, transform and redefine relationships for value creation between or among organizations and between organizations and individ-uals”. (Emmanuel Lallana et al, 2000)

•                       In the World Trade Organization (WTO) Work Programme on Electronic Com-merce (1998), E-Commerce is understood to “mean the production, distribution, mar-keting, sale or delivery of goods and services by electronic means”. A commercial

transaction can be divided into three main stages: the advertising and searching stage, the ordering and payment stage and the delivery stage.

•                     “The exchange of information across electronics networks at any stage in the

supply chain, whether within an organization, between businesses and consumers, or between the public and private sector, whether paid or unpaid”. (UK Government Cabi-net office, 1999).

Some authors however could not describe E-Commerce in one definition, as the opined that E-Commerce can be viewed from different perspectives. According to Turban et al (2008), E- Commerce can be defined from different perspectives which include but not limited to:

From a communications perspective, E-Commerce is perceived as the delivery of in-formation, products and services and/or payments over varied communication lines i.e. telephones, computer networks, or other electronic channels.

From a business perspective, E-Commerce is perceived as the application of techno-logical applications towards the automation of business transactions and flow of work. From a service perspective, E-Commerce is perceived as a tool that caters for consum-ers, management of firms to reduce service costs in an effort to improve quality of goods and foster the speed of delivering services.

From an online perspective, E- Commerce makes possible an enabling atmosphere for products transaction, services and information via the internet and other services that are available online.

The definitions above however reflects the many different views and perspectives of E-Commerce proposed by varied authors and commentators, are we want to believe they all have a point depending on which perspective we view this from. However for the purpose of this research work, E-Commerce will be looked at from a perspective that involves transactions that maybe either commercial or non commercial and also if there is either a corresponding payment or otherwise thereby making E-Commerce synony-mous with E-Business. In the light of all the above, E-Commerce is all about fully... 

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