Introduction: In recent decades, the expansion of digital technologies and the evolution of information platforms have transformed the traditional structure of businesses and paved the way for the formation of new patterns of technology-based economic activities. Accordingly, the main goals of this research is to explain the synergy mechanism between e-commerce and entrepreneurship and design a native model for small and medium-sized enterprises in Kermanshah province.
Methodology: The present study is classified as applied-developmental research. First, a meta-synthesis method was conducted to identify a network of fundamental concepts and the links between them. The stage of refining and confirming the components was carried out through the fuzzy Delphi method and relying on the collective wisdom of experts.Then, the logic of ISM was used. In the third step, the PLS method was used. The present study was designed as a cross-sectional survey study that used four main tools, including library studies, a fuzzy Delphi questionnaire, ISM questionnaire, and a quantitative analysis questionnaire. The statistical population related to the fuzzy Delphi and ISM sections includes a set of academic experts, specialists in the field of e-commerce and entrepreneurship, and senior managers of small and medium-sized companies in Kermanshah province. Sampling in this section was carried out in a purposeful and non-probability manner. In the fuzzy Delphi method, 15 selected experts, including university professors, managers of technological units, and successful entrepreneurs of Kermanshah province, were selected as members of the final panel. The two-stage Delphi process led to theoretical saturation and convergence of views. Also, the same expert panel was used in the ISM stage.
Results and Discussion: In the meta-synthesis method, a large collection of valid studies was reviewed and 115 initial codes were extracted from them, which, after being combined and categorized, were organized into 71 subcategories and 13 main categories. To validate these constructs, the fuzzy Delphi technique was used with the participation of 15 experts, and the necessary consensus was reached for the components to enter the modeling stage. Then, based on the ISM method and using MICMAC software, the causal relationships between the components were analyzed and the seven-level hierarchical structure of the model was drawn. In the quantitative part, the extracted model was tested using a questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale with the participation of 150 managers and experts from small and medium-sized companies in the province. Data analysis was performed using the PLS method and SMART PLS software, and the results showed that the coefficient of determination of the constructs was at a strong and very strong level, the path coefficients were significant, and the fit indices confirmed the adequacy of the model. The findings showed that technological infrastructure and digital security, as well as policy facilitation and a supportive legal environment, play the role of key drivers at level seven and activate strategic entrepreneurial orientation at level six. This orientation paves the way for strengthening digital financial inclusion, adopting new digital technologies, developing digital entrepreneurship skills and competencies, training and empowering digital skills, as well as creating innovation in value proposition, improving customer experience, strengthening dynamic capabilities and digital innovation, entrepreneurship ecosystem interactions, and developing the digital market. Therefore, the middle levels of the model ultimately strengthens the performance of digital entrepreneurship and organizational productivity in small and medium-sized enterprises in Kermanshah province.
Conclusion: Strengthening this orientation leads to key constructs such as digital financial inclusion, adoption of new technologies, digital entrepreneurship skills, technological learning, and innovation in value proposition, which in turn leads to the growth of ecosystem interactions, the development of the digital market, and the increase in the ability of firms to enter domestic and international markets. The ultimate outcome of this causal flow is to enhance digital entrepreneurship performance and improve organizational productivity.