Socio-cultural dimensions of online service adoption in developing countries: if you build it, will they come?

For developing countries, the question is not whether to deploy e-commerce, but when to deploy and how to deploy it. These countries have little choice if they want to sustain a competitive advantage in the new global economic environment. Thus, they mimic e-commerce models in their countries. However, these new technologies and new business models have emerged from the value of western culture. If developing countries succeed in building these infrastructures and are able to launch the same online service models as western countries, the questions remain where will such investment lead these countries and will they gain the same benefits from e-commerce model as western countries do. In order for developing countries to succeed in deploying e-commerce, it is necessary to understand local culture context. We purpose an eleven socio-culture dimensions for e-commerce adoption in developing countries, which consists of power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term/short term orientation, language, technological adoption pattern and attitude towards western culture, colonial and national historical background, trust, life style and custom. This model serves as a guideline for analysis the adoption of ecommerce in developing countries.