Digital transformation among SMEs: does gender matter?
Article
Article Title | Digital transformation among SMEs: does gender matter? |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 41498 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Alam, Khorshed (Author), Ali, Mohammad Afshar (Author), Erdiaw-Kwasie, Michael O. (Author), Murray, Peter A. (Author) and Wiesner, Retha (Author) |
Journal Title | Sustainability |
Journal Citation | 14 (1), pp. 1-20 |
Article Number | 535 |
Number of Pages | 20 |
Year | 2022 |
Publisher | MDPI AG |
Place of Publication | Switzerland |
ISSN | 2071-1050 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010535 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/1/535 |
Abstract | The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated some of the challenges that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face in times of crisis, disrupting their operations, weakening their financial positions, and exposing them to a wide range of financial risks. While previous studies have viewed digital transformation as a vital source of innovation and productivity growth for economic recovery in SMEs, there has been limited focus on digital transformation in the regional context, with very little attention focused on women-led enterprises. This study aims to investigate (i) the determinants of perception of digital transformation among regional SMEs, and (ii) whether the gender of the SME owner or manager has an impact on the drivers of the digital transformation experiences of SMEs operating in regional Australia. Building upon the resource-based view, this study uses a unique dataset of 281 SMEs collected from a survey conducted within a regional area of Queensland, Australia. Employing Feasible Generalised Least Squares and Generalised Least Squares estimations, the study found that the perceptions of digital transformation can be explained by the use of social network platforms, innovation processes, workplace culture, and information and communication technologies. This study also found that there is a significant difference between female-led and male-led SMEs regarding their perceptions of digital transformation. This study offers two key policy and practical insights: (i) digital transformation of regional SMEs should be used as a fundamental tool for crisis recovery strategies, and (ii) the need for policymakers to mainstream gender into post-crisis transformative interventions and policies should be fast tracked. |
Keywords | Australia; Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition; digital transformation; resource-based view; small and medium enterprise (SME); COVID-19 |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 330406. Regional analysis and development |
350716. Small business organisation and management | |
380201. Cross-sectional analysis | |
Byline Affiliations | School of Business |
Charles Darwin University | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q6z90/digital-transformation-among-smes-does-gender-matter
Download files
346
total views108
total downloads4
views this month1
downloads this month