Maqsood Mahmud
Digital Business Ecosystem as a free, open source and distributed software platform, based on internet technologies, has enabled entrepreneurs specifically the Small and medium entrepreneurs to create, integrate and provide products and services more efficiently and more effectively. The impact of this ecosystem on the business enterprises across the sectors is so fast and central that it has significantly changed almost all the paradigms of the entrepreneurship process. Aware of this colossal impact, economies all over the world are providing favourable policy framework support to facilitate the establishment of this ecosystem so that it becomes easier for the entrepreneurs to transform their business operations on the digital platforms. The same thinking is finding its prominence and importance in the policy corridors of Saudi Arabia as reflected very vividly also in its Vision 2030. It is in this setting that the present study aims to explore the existing digital business ecosystem with special reference to its impact on the success of entrepreneurs in eastern province of Saudi Arabia. For the study a stratified sampling survey was conducted online with a sample of 111 entrepreneurs spread across different sectors in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. The collected data was analysed by using statistical packages like SPSS and Smart PLS. The results show: that (43.2%) of the entrepreneurs in the eastern province agree that the digitalization has a high impact on their business revenue generation; (30.6%) agree that the digitalization has a high impact on their profits; (68.5%) agree that the digitalization has high impact on their business brand image; and (33.3%) think that the digitalization makes the business operations cost effective. In view of these results, the study brings into fore the importance of further research in this direction that will help towards the development of an effective and efficient Digital Business Ecosystem for Saudi Arabia entrepreneurs.