Determining critical factors of e-procurement adoption among suppliers in Iraq

There is a lack of studies on e-procurement adoption among suppliers in developing countries that are facing civil conflicts. Similarly, there are limited studies in developing countries that aim to investigate the e-procurement adoption and e- procurement activity rank. Hence, the objectives of this study were to investigate the factors influencing e-procurement adoption in the Republic of Iraq, and the e- procurement activities rank conducted by suppliers. This study used the Technological, Organizational and Environmental (TOE) framework to develop the research framework factors. Seven variables represented the TOE model, technology context (awareness, compatibility, and complexity), organizational context (top management support, and firm size) and environmental context (external pressure and perceived intensity of civil conflict) were tested. Data were collected online through 800 e-mail survey sent to firms (suppliers) in Iraq using the systematic random sampling method. However, only 460
samples were collected from respondents, yet only 426 were received from e-procurement adopters and were included in the data analysis. The results reveal that five variables (compatibility, awareness, top management support, external pressure, and perceived intensity of civil conflict) have a significant relationship with e-procurement adoption. This study contributes to the richness of the TOE framework, with the inclusion of perceived intensity of civil conflict and awareness to the research framework. Also, this study offers valuable insights to a government office for assisting suppliers in the new business operations. The result also contributes to the explanation of e-procurement activity performed by the suppliers. The government could use this research to encourage suppliers in adopting e-procurement in the areas affected by civil conflict and in developing countries. From the research finding conclusions, limitations and suggestions for future studies are also highlighted.