Analyzing the obstacles of electronic commerce: A study of sample companies operating in Sulaymaniyah city

The spread of e-commerce in the global borders particularly in the western countries reached a significant level. Thus, e-commerce becomes a capable engine for stimulating the economic activities among the various parties including businesses, institutions, and different economic sectors, that provides an opening to the creation of large markets in which products and services of organizations are exposed. Therefore, this is a prospect for those seeking to find the most profitable ways to promote and search for new clients and markets, over electronic means based on new payment and payment systems. Consequently, the main purpose of this study was to analyze the obstacles to e-commerce. The results revealed that there were financial obstacles to electronic commerce at a significant level in Sulaymaniyah city. Also, there is a human obstacle in front of operating e-commerce applications. Mainly there was a lack of awareness among employees on e-commerce applications. The study also confirmed that there was a lack of knowledge among managers of the importance of electronic commerce. Further, the consumer culture in the region about electronic commerce is limited. There are the technological obstacles to e-commerce operations, particularly the weakness of electronic infrastructure, and weakness of the culture and electronic awareness in the region. Besides, many companies in the Sulaimaniyah city and the region faced the problem of slow internet. The results found the legal obstacles, so, there was a lack or not enough laws to clarify the nature and scope of electronic commerce. The results also confirmed that there were no critical political or governmental obstacles to electronic commerce. Keywords: Economy, E-commerce, and Obstacles of Electronic Commerce