strategy-making modes in a narrower e-commerce context had yet to be undertaken.  Verreynne (2006) and others (Hart, 1991; Dess, Lumpkin, & Covin, 1997) first identified general business strategy-making attributes and subsequently grouped these attributes into strategy-making modes (Appendix A).  Furthermore, these works indicate that certain strategy-making modes lead to certain levels of firm performance.  From the strategy-making literature, it is evident that identifying strategy-making attributes is a requisite first step in understanding how a certain group of attributes (a strategy-making mode) impacts firm performance.

Given the distinct and significant role that e-commerce is expected to play in the future fortunes of small firms, it can be argued that there is a pressing need to understand how certain e-commerce strategy-making modes lead to certain levels of e-commerce performance.  Borrowing from small firm strategy-making research (Verreynne, 2006), it can be surmised that identifying e-commerce strategy-making attributes  is a requisite first step in understanding how certain e-commerce strategy-making modes impact e-commerce performance.  To date, no known study identifies e-commerce strategy-making attributes small firms.  Therefore, the first research question was stated as

follows:

 What e-commerce strategy-making attributes characterize e-commerce strategy making modes in small firms?

Verreynne (2006) identifies twenty-three strategy-making attributes that broadly characterize strategy-making modes in small firms.  Subsequently, these attributes are grouped to form specific strategy-making modes.  The response to the first research question yielded a range of attributes that broadly characterize e-commerce strategy- making modes in small firms.  Subsequently, it was necessary to group these attributes to form specific e-commerce strategy-making modes.  Hence, the second research question for this study can was stated as follows:

 How can e-commerce strategy-making attributes be grouped to form e-commerce  strategy-making modes in small firms?

It could be said that the combined attributes that form a given mode provide a description or nature of that mode.  Once e-commerce strategy-making attributes were identified and grouped, e-commerce strategy-making modes in use in small firms emerged, thereby answering the third research question for this study, which was stated

as follows:

  What e-commerce strategy-making modes are in use in small firms?Relevance and Significance

   The information systems and business literature includes broad coverage of e-commerce best practices, processes, and strategies, and provides insight for aligning business strategies with technology implementations in firms of all sizes.  However, neither the information systems nor business literature adequately addresses the specific area of e-commerce strategy-making in small firms.

   Many small firm leaders have enough technical skills and determination to launch an e-commerce web site.  Continuously improving e-commerce tools marketed to small firms are relatively inexpensive, easy-to-use, point-and-click applications.  For example, see mivamerchant.com, volusion.com, and bigcommerce.com.  However, in spite of having the skills, determination, and user-friendly applications, generating profits from e-commerce operations has proven to a difficult task (Lee & Brandyberry, 2003) to achieve.  Certainly, some small firms have enjoyed e-commerce success (R. Jacques, personal communications, February 10, 2012).  However, it is also true that many small firms have not been successful with their e-commerce initiatives.  Regardless of where a firm stands in their current e-commerce operations, it is assumed that most small firms seek to increase e-commerce revenues.  This study reasons that a better understanding of e-commerce strategy-making will eventually help small firms improve their e-commerce performance.