Entrepreneurial characteristics. In a study done by Kirby (2004), the entrepreneurial
characteristics discussed includes need for achievement, risk-taking ability and locus of control
which have been chosen as the dimensions under the entrepreneurial characteristics. An
entrepreneur will normally possess a high need for achievement and hence, entrepreneur is prone
to adapt easily to the needs of emerging markets including adopting necessary technology to
enhance the firm performance as discuss by Kirby (2004). Moreover, entrepreneurs with high
need for achievement will basically anticipate for future possibilities and with this emerging
demand in the new virtual market, the entrepreneurs are fond to embrace latest technology and
innovation in order to keep them competitive in the market (Kirby, 2004; McClelland, 1961).
With enough evidence from literature, need for achievement can be predicted to have a
relationship with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of e-commerce.
According to Kirby (2004) as well, entrepreneurs that are classified as risk-takers tend to be more
predisposed to take calculated risk. They are also more readily to tolerate ambiguity and
uncertainty as compared to non-entrepreneurs. Thus, entrepreneurs will tend to adopt the latest
technology or innovation although it is not certain that the technology will contribute to the
higher firm performance or profit in order to keep the firm competitive. Entrepreneurs’ selfconfidence
is believed to be a pre-requisite of successful entrepreneurship which tend to distort
their perceptions of risks as well (Kirby, 2004; Koh, 1996). With enough evidence from the
literature, risk taking can be predicted to have a relationship with perceived usefulness and
perceived ease of use of e-commerce.
Entrepreneurs are believed to possess a high internal locus of control as suggested by Kirby
(2004) in which they have faith to believe that the achievement of any goal they pursue deeply
bonds them to their inner-self. In other words, they tend to believe that the main reason for their
success depends singly on their behavior or individual characteristic whereby they earn what they
sow. Hence, the act of adopting latest technology that leads to the success of their business can be
linked closely as they believe that they are making the right choice to adopt e-commerce which
will lead to the higher performance of their firm eventually. Therefore with this evidence from
the literature locus of control can be predicted to have a relationship with perceived usefulness
and perceived ease of use of e-commerce.