Abstract:

Companies in general and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in particular in Oman have been slow in adopting Internet technologies in their daily business affairs. The study explores the reasons for the slow adoption of Internet technologies. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 60 private Omani organizations. One of the main reason for not adopting internet technologies was that internet is not relevant to their business. An insufficient level of demand for purchasing through Internet, lack of availability of skilled employees and security concerns were cited as the main barriers for adopting Internet in Omani organizations. It also appears that negative attitudes of business decision makers about the use and benefits of internet maybe a major obstacle in adopting Internet in their businesses. In addition to that, Omani businesses prefer face to face interaction with their customers.