Digital Technology Adoption in SMEs: An Entrepreneurial Learning Perspective

The aim of this project is to investigate how entrepreneurial learning, taken as a dynamic concept, enables small tourism-related businesses to capitalise on the marketing opportunities presented by digital technology. Research by the European Commission Strategic Policy Forum on Digital Entrepreneurship found that less than two per cent of companies take full advantage of digital opportunities, and that the smaller the company, the lower the use of the latest digital technologies. A recent pan-European survey of nearly 3,000 tourism SMEs undertaken by the European Commission Digital Tourism Network Steering Group (of which Dr Alford is a member) found that less than a third were using any form of CRM or analytics tools.

A recent ESRC-funded study by Alford and Page (2015) found that small tourism firms were enthusiastic about the opportunities presented by digital marketing technology but they lacked the required competencies to fully leverage the benefits. In addition, there was a sense that these small business owners were constrained by a business model and mind-set which was rooted in a pre-digital era – for example a reliance upon static websites which are unable to analyse how users interact with a business’s digital content.

The PhD will address a range of research questions, framed within the literature on exploitative versus exploratory learning, in the context of digital technology adoption in the tourism sector: How do small businesses and their owners successfully introduce digital technologies into the business model? What are the current approaches adopted by small business owners to learning in the digital context? This will be underpinned by subsidiary questions that include: What learning processes are involved? How can the lessons be captured and used to improve the speed of technology adoption? To what extent can a more exploratory approach to learning be developed?

The PhD will adopt a mixed methods approach in addressing the aims of the study. The first phase is quantitative involving a pan-European survey of small firm owners (using the sample from the EC digital tourism network study referred to above). In the second, qualitative, phase a set of cases will be drawn from the good practice identified in the survey to provide more nuanced examples of small business entrepreneurial learning in the digital economy. In-depth interviews will be conducted face to face and via Skype to gain in-depth insight across European countries.

The PhD will lead to several outcomes: Firstly, it will help us to understand how small business owners learn to adopt digital technology. Secondly, it will provide a detailed framework for learning that can act as a diagnostic tool for small business owners – for example by being able to self-assess their level of learning. Thirdly, how learning can be embedded in the firm leading to a dynamic, self-perpetuating process. Finally, the study will identify exploratory learning in a digital context as distinct from exploitative learning and thereby identify a more transformative approach to technology adoption and learning within SMEs.

How to apply: Applications are made via our website using the Apply Online button below. If you have an enquiry about this project please contact us via the Email NOW button below, however your application will only be processed once you have submitted an application form as opposed to emailing your CV to us.

Candidates for funded PhD studentship must demonstrate outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years.
Fully-funded studentship candidates must demonstrate outstanding academic potential with preferably a 1st class honours degree and/or a Master’s degree with distinction or equivalent Grade Point Average. An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (with a minimum 5.5 in each component) is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful completion.