Adoption and Use of Computer Technology in Canadian Small Businesses: A Comparative Study

INTRODUCTION This chapter examines the impact of company size on the adoption, use and perceived impact of computer technology in Canadian businesses. Such research is critical for several reasons. First, while there is a large body of research that examines the adoption, use and impact of computer technology, most studies either ignore workplace size or focus exclusively on medium and large workplaces. That research which is available would suggest that small businesses differ in many key ways from larger organizations. They are, for example, more likely to: (1) have simple and highly centralized structures, (2) experience severe financial constraints on growth, (3) lack trained personnel resources, and (4) take a short-range management perspective imposed by a volatile competitive environment (Welsh and White, 1981). These differences