Inter - and intra - firm diffusion of technology : the example of e - commerce : an analysis based on Swiss firm - level data

The paper aims at a joint analysis of inter-firm and intra-firm diffusion of technology, taking as an example E-selling and E-purchasing. The analysis is based on an encompassing model of diffusion, drawn from the literature, which is extended by considering technology-specific obstacles and benefits of adoption. As hypothesised, we find, firstly, that the determinants of inter-firm and intrafirm diffusion differ in case of both types of E-commerce; secondly, that the drivers of the diffusion of E-selling and E-purchasing are not the same, and, finally, that uncertainties and adjustment costs, mostly neglected in previous work, are important factors in explaining technology diffusion.