The present report examines a variety of aspects related to the adoption and use of a wide range of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and e-commerce practices by Greek firms. The new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has highlighted, perhaps more than ever, the critical role that ICT, and especially e-commerce, can play in crisis periods, ensuring firm survival as well as maintaining or restoring the operation of markets and value chains. Given the lack of relevant studies in the Greek context, this research is intended to significantly advance our knowledge on the topic by providing a multi-faceted, systematic, and evidence-based analysis of the issue.
To this end, comparative analyses are undertaken using both country- and firm-level data to identify digital gaps between Greece and the other EU member-states, as well as among firms of different size, sector and location in Greece. Emphasis is also placed on exploring potential differentials in the digitalization patterns between low- and high-productivity firms. In addition, primarily based on the "Technology, Organization, Environment - TOE" theoretical framework, the report empirically investigates the determinants of e-commerce adoption in Greek firms using proper econometric methods.
The analyses show that Greece, compared to the EU average, underperforms in most of the examined ICT and e-commerce indicators. Moreover, firm size, location, and labour productivity are found to play a relevant role in exploring and evaluating digital gaps among Greek firms. The econometric results point to specific factors related to the technological infrastructure, human capital, organization-visibility, and external environment of firms as the most significant for their engagement in e-commerce activities. Based on the research findings specific implications and recommendations are presented and discussed being particularly relevant for policy and future research.