Implementing e-business through organizational learning: An empirical investigation in SMEs

This paper examines the relative importance and significance of the four learning processes introduced by Huber (knowledge acquisition, knowledge distribution, knowledge interpretation and organizational memory) on four different levels of e-business (null, external, relational and internal), through an empirical investigation of 130 SMEs in the Spanish telecommunications sector. This was conducted by using a multinomial logistic model, validated by factor analysis. Our results support that in order to implement e-business, companies need to provide the acquisition, interpretation and storage of knowledge as prior steps. Then, to consolidate e-business, companies need to support the distribution of the knowledge learnt during previous phases. Our findings further suggest that knowledge acquisition is necessary to progress from relational level to internal level. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.