The Impetus for Embracing Cyber Entrepreneurship Intention Among Small Businesses

Abstract

Nowadays, the term cyber entrepreneurship, or an acronym for online business has sparked a tremendous phenomenon among small businesses. It can be seen by the blooming of popular fashion brands through a vast network of the Internet; preferably marketplaces, websites, and social media. Nevertheless, the adoption of cyber entrepreneurship among small businesses, particularly in Malaysia and Kelantan, is still in the infancy stage although the adoption of cyber entrepreneurship offers many benefits to companies. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the impetus that influences the entrepreneurs’ intention towards embracing cyber entrepreneurship by consolidating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). This study adopted a quantitative approach which was collected from 300 selected respondents consisting of small business entrepreneurs in Kelantan from various sectors such as services, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. The finding from the study indicated that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions significantly influenced the intention of cyber entrepreneurship, while other factors, namely hedonic motivation, price value, and habit did not significantly influence. This study also tested the extended unified theory (UTAUT2) to measure the intention of cyber entrepreneurship as a business platform among small business entrepreneurs, providing a foundation for the design and the implementation that cope with the fourth industrial revolution. This study is essential to enhance the cyber entrepreneurship intention not only among small business entrepreneurs, but also among society and policymakers for the sake of Malaysia’s economic growth.