The influence of national culture on the attitude towards mobile recommender systems

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.This study aimed to identify factors that influence user attitudes towards mobile recommender systems and to examine how these factors interact with cultural values to affect attitudes towards this technology. Based on the theory of reasoned action, belief factors for mobile recommender systems are identified in three dimensions: functional, contextual, and social. Hypotheses explaining different impacts of cultural values on the factors affecting attitudes were also proposed. The research model was tested based on data collected in China, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Findings indicate that functional and social factors have significant impacts on user attitudes towards mobile recommender systems. The relationships between belief factors and attitudes are moderated by two cultural values: collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. The theoretical and practical implications of applying theory of reasoned action and innovation diffusion theory to explain the adoption of new technologies in societies with different cultures are also discussed.National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean governmen

Switching Intention and Intention to Use Personal Cloud Storage Services Among Chinese Undergraduates

Purpose: As one of the emerging Internet technologies, cloud technology may be broadly categorized as cloud computing and cloud storage. Personal Cloud Storage Service (PCSS) is an important part of cloud technology. Thus, this study investigates the factors influencing Hangzhou undergraduates' switching intentions and intention to use personal cloud storage services. Research design, data, and methodology: The data were collected from 515 undergraduates at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Gongshang University, and Zhejiang University of Technology. The sampling techniques are judgmental sampling, stratified random sampling, and snowball sampling. The item-objective congruence (IOC) and Cronbach's Alpha of the pilot test were approved before the data collection. Afterwards, this study applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: The findings indicate that perceived ease of use has a significant impact on perceived usefulness. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude significantly affect intention to use. Perceived risk significantly affected the switching intention. Finally, switching cost and perceived usefulness significantly affect the switching intention. Conclusion: Personal cloud storage service providers should enhance the security and should continue to improve its PCSS products and optimize the membership price model, enabling free users to use the service by sending them advertisements

How Do Undergraduate Students Adopt Online Learning in Chengdu, China During COVID-19?

Purpose: This study aims to examine the online learning adoption of college students in Chengdu, China. The main variables constructed in a conceptual framework based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) are perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, social influence, facilitating conditions, behavioral intention, and user behavior. Research design, data, and methodology: The target population is 500 undergraduates. The sample techniques are purposive, stratified random, convenience, and snowball samplings. Before collecting the data, The Item Objective Congruence (IOC) Index and the pilot test (n=50) by Cronbach’s Alpha were used to assure content validity and construct validity. The data were analyzed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The results reveal that perceived ease of use significantly impacts perceived usefulness and behavioral intention. Attitude and facilitating conditions significantly impact behavioral intention. Behavioral intention has a significant impact on user behavior. On the contrary, perceived usefulness and social influence have no significant impact on behavioral intention. Conclusions: To ensure that all students can adopt digital learning successfully, educational institutions and the Chinese government needs to improve accessibility with the highest-performance online learning infrastructure for the country

Exploring Behavioral Intention Towards Hybrid Education of Undergraduate Students in Public Universities in Chongqing, China

Purpose: This study investigates key factors influencing behavioral intention to use hybrid education of undergraduate students in Arts and Design of three universities in Chongqing, China. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, performance expectancy, self-efficacy, effort expectancy, social influence, and behavioral intention were associated in a conceptual framework. Research design, data, and methods: The researchers used a quantitative approach for survey distribution to 500 participants. The sampling techniques involve judgmental, quota and convenience sampling. Item Objective Congruence (IOC) Index and Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test were approved prior to the data collection. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Model (SEM) were used to test models’ goodness of fit, validity, and reliability. Results: Perceived usefulness has the strongest significant impact on behavioral intention, followed by perceived ease of use, self-efficacy, effort expectancy, and social influence. Furthermore, perceived ease of use strongly and significantly impacts perceived usefulness. In contrary, the relationship between performance expectancy and behavioral intention was not supported. Conclusion: Hybrid education has gained the most concern in the system adoption for teaching and learning effectiveness. Therefore, educational stakeholders should identify the main contributors to achieve the hybrid learning implementation and increase student engagement and learning performance

Understanding adoption and continual usage behaviour towards internet banking services in Hong Kong

Banks and financial institutions in Hong Kong are increasingly finding themselves facing rapid increases in turbulence and complexity, leading to greater uncertainty and increased competition. Customers are also becoming more demanding. Apart from the traditional type of banking services, customers today require more personalized products and services, and access to such services at any time, and at any place. Although there is no panacea for banks to stay competitive, Internet Banking is one of the advanced information technologies they can employ to achieve a high level of customer services. Internet Banking is an emerging technology that permits conduct of banking transactions through the Internet. From the banks’ point of view, it requires the lowest transaction cost among various channels, just one percent of branch-based banking. It also can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate business processes through elimination of paper work. One of the many benefits of Internet Banking is that customers can use bank services 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. This study investigates university students\u27 adoption/continual usage behaviour within the context of Hong Kong Internet Banking services. A research framework based on the extension of Technology Acceptance Model and Social Cognitive Theory was developed to identify factors that would influence the adoption/continual usage of Internet Banking. The framework includes subjective norm, image, result demonstrability, perceived risk, computer self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and intention constructs. A diverse sample of undergraduate and postgraduate students of seven universities in Hong Kong was used to test the models. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the entire pattern of intercorrelations among the eight proposed constructs and to test related propositions empirically. The results reveal that both subjective norm and computer self-efficacy play significant roles in influencing the intention to adopt Internet Banking indirectly. Perceived usefulness has significant positive effect on intention to adopt, this result supports the extension of the Technology Acceptance Model. Perceived ease of use has significant indirect effect on intention to adopt/continual usage through perceived usefulness, while its direct effect on intention to adopt is not significant in this empirical study. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented

TESL Teachers’ Online Teaching during COVID-19: Preferences of Online Tools and Factors Affecting Behavioural Intention

The use of online tools has become more prominent as the global lockdown of education institutions in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Teachers all over the world resorted to continue the teaching and learning process online using different online tools. In this study, the preferred online tools, and the relationship between the factors of TESL teachers’ use of online tools and their behavioural intention are investigated. A survey was conducted on 56 Malaysian TESL teachers using purposive sampling technique. The data were collected through online survey questionnaires assigned using Google Forms. The findings showed the top 3 major online tools used by TESL teachers were WhatsApp (80.4%), Google Form (71.4%), while Quizizz and YouTube both achieved a 62.5% among the 56 respondents. Regression analysis showed that Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating Condition were positive predictors of teachers’ Behavioural Intention to use online tools, with Effort Expectancy being the factor that affects Behavioural Intention the most. Since the findings pointed out that Effort Expectancy was the main factor that influences teachers’ online teaching and learning experience, the ministry of education and online tools developers should ensure the online tools are user friendly to reduce teachers’ burden and hence, encouraging the use of online tools

Determinants of Undergraduate Students’ Continuance Intention to Use E-learning of at a Public University in Chengdu, China

This study aims to examine the students’ continuance intention of using e-learning platforms in a public university in Chengdu, China. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Information System Success Model (ISSM), and Expectation-confirmation Model (ECM), this study comprises seven variables, including computer self-efficacy, system quality, information quality, service quality, perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and continuance intention. The researcher applied a quantitative survey approach with 497 undergraduates with at least one semester of e-learning experience in the School of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Environment, School of Food and Bioengineering, School of Law and Sociology, and School of Science of Chengdu Xihua University. The index of item-objective congruence (IOC) was applied and a pilot test (n=50) were conducted to evaluate the reliability using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were employed in this study to assess the data, the validity, reliability, factor loadings, and the path coefficient. The results of the data analysis confirmed that perceived usefulness indicated the most powerful direct impact on satisfaction. In conclusion, administrators and teachers should pay adequate attention to computer self-efficacy, system quality, information quality, service quality, perceived usefulness and satisfaction that have had a substantial effect on students’ continuance intention to use e-learning platforms and consider the associated teaching reform in the future according to the findings of this research

Undergraduates’ Behavioral Intention to Use E-Guests to Facilitate Online Learning in The Public Universities in Chongqing, China

Purpose: This study evaluates the determinants that significantly affect undergraduate design students’ behavioral intentions to invite e-guests in online education from three essential public universities in Chongqing, China. A conceptual framework proposes the relationship between self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, social influence, and behavioral intention. Research design, data, and methodology: A quantitative approach was used with 495 samples, and a questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate students at three target universities. The sampling techniques are judgmental stratified random and convenience sampling. Content validity was reserved by index of item objective congruence (IOC) at a score of 0.6 or over. Pilot test of 30 samples was approved by Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test at a score of 0.7 and above. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and the Structural Equation Model were utilized for statistical analysis (SEM), as well as evaluations of the goodness of model fit, correlation validity, and reliability of each factor. Results: Seven hypotheses have been established to accomplish the research objectives, with the attitude has the strongest effect on behavioral intention. Conclusion: It is recommended that the administrations of public universities should enhance the critical determinants of effective implementation of e-guests in online learning to enhance students’ behavioral intentions

Exploring the Preference Structure for Online and Traditional Retail Formats

retail, structure, formats

Older Adults’ Informal Learning Using Mobile Devices: A Review of the Literature

This literature review will examine and critique literature concerning older adults’ use of mobile devices for informal learning. Findings have implications for adult educators and the barriers to the mobile device adoption among older adults for informal learning