Peer Influence in Network Markets: An Empirical Investigation

We analyze the effect of peer influence on the diffusion of an innovative network good. We argue that the adopters of a network good have an incentive to convince others to purchase the same product because their utility depends on the number of other users. This peer-effect influences individuals’ adoption decisions alongside the more familiar installed-base-effect, based on the individual’s own insight that a larger number of installed units increases his/her benefit of adopting. We test empirically which effect dominates with Instant Messaging, an innovative network good. We arrive at surprising results with far-reaching implications for research and management. The diffusion of Instant Messaging was to a large extent driven by the peer-effect, but the installed-base-effect seemed to play no role. We perform our estimation with a discrete time hazard rate model that controls for unobserved heterogeneity.Hazard Rate Model;Innovation Diffusion;Instant Messaging;Network Markets;Peer Influence

Peer Influence in Network Markets: An Empirical Investigation

We analyze the effect of peer influence on the diffusion of an innovative network good. We argue that the adopters of a network good have an incentive to convince others to purchase the same product because their ut

Understanding the Determinants of User Acceptance of Enterprise Instant Messaging: An Empirical Study

As modern organizations increasingly depend on information systems (IS) to enhance work productivity and seek new business opportunities, communication effectiveness has become one of the key factors that underlie the effective performance of IS implementations and applications. Instant Messaging (IM) presents a revolution in enterprise communication. As more organizations are findings ways to utilize this near-synchronous computing communication technology to enhance communication effectiveness in the workplace, there is a compelling need to understand the factors that are important for the adoption of enterprise IM. We have developed an integrative model based on constructs of the existing IT adoption models as well as theories on motivation, innovation diffusion, and critical mass. Using responses from 140 intended subjects, we have found the results of survey data support the contentions that perceived usefulness, compatibility, enjoyment, and security are significant predictors of intention to use enterprise IM. Although perceived connectivity did not predict the intention directly, it did indirectly through perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Implications and future research are discussed

Implementing Web 2.0 in secondary schools: impacts, barriers and issues

One of the reports from the Web 2.0 technologies for learning at KS3 and KS4 project. This report explored Impact of Web 2.0 technologies on learning and teaching and drew upon evidence from multiple sources: field studies of 27 schools across the country; guided surveys of 2,600 school students; 100 interviews and 206 online surveys conducted with managers, teachers and technical staff in these schools; online surveys of the views of 96 parents; interviews held with 18 individual innovators in the field of Web 2.0 in education; and interviews with nine regional managers responsible for implementation of ICT at national level

The Role of Social Capital in Cell Phone Adoption Behavior

As advances in cellular phone technology allow for greater functionality, cell phones are beginning to take on much more prominent and multi-faceted roles in our lives. Once viewed simply as a replacement of the landline, cell phones are now used for much more than communicating with friends, family, and coworkers; indeed, they are used to send and receive text-messages, carry out mobile banking services, listen to music, play games, and browse the internet. These advances require the development of more granulated theory in regard to how individuals adopt and use their cell phones, in both work and social contexts. In this research-in-process, we blend social capital theory and media richness theory in an attempt to determine why different individuals use the (common) features of their cell phones differently - why do some people text more than they call, and vice versa? Further, we investigate how individuals cope when they are prohibited from using a technology that they have already adopted for hedonic purposes (e.g. cell phones). To begin answering these questions, we collected and interpreted exploratory data from students, and developed a research model that we intend to test in the future

Catching the Video Virus

In the process of computer-mediated exchange, some online videos travel from one person to another resulting in the process of diffusion of the video. However, there are very few empirical investigations of the audience involved in the process. This exploratory research employs Rogers\u27 diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework to study online video users. Theories from social networks on tie strength and homophily are applied to create an integrated diffusion model. Based on survey data from college students, online video audience was profiled in two ways: one based on individual characteristics and another on activities with video content. Participants in the viral transmission process were found to be novelty-seekers, highly connected to others and appreciative of entertaining videos. An integrated model exploring the antecedents of viral transmission of online videos identified age, sex, Internet usage, and network connectedness as significant predictors. Contrary to previous findings, strong and homophilous ties were found to significantly contribute toward the viral spread. The findings of this study will add to the body of knowledge on diffusion research by enhancing understanding of individuals involved in an evolving medium. A profile of online video users will help marketers identify and reach the right audienc

The influence of marketing communications on the youth's adoption of m-payments in KwaZulu-Natal.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.There has been poor subscription and usage of m-payments in the recent past in South Africa (RSA), especially with the failure of Vodacom M-Pesa and MTN Mobile Money. Presumably, this is attributed to a lack of knowledge on the functionality and benefits of such services and the fact that ‘cash is king’. This study places integrated marketing communications (IMC) at the centre of the adoption of m-payments, as it plays a key role in informing users on the effect of reducing user uncertainties and risks as knowledge structures are built. The study adopted a survey research design to determine the influence of IMC on the adoption and use of mpayments among the youth in KwaZulu-Natal. The questionnaire utilised in the study adopted scale items from constructs embedded within the Unified Technology Acceptance and Use Theory 2 (UTAUT2) and the communication performance construct, to obtain quantitative data. Quota sampling was used to draw a sample of 383 respondents from three institutions of higher learning located in the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. With a 73% response rate, analysis of the gathered data was carried out using descriptive and inferential techniques. Hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression, Student’s t Test, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, so as to refine and develop a conceptual model. The structural model was found to have a good fit with all but two hypotheses-linked paths being statistically significant and hence supported. IMC measured in the form of communication performance was found to have a strong direct positive impact on the risk factors (functional risk, social influence, price value and facilitating conditions). Communication performance had the greatest positive impact on price value, suggesting that the youth are a rational user market segment with a need for utilitarian motivation within m-payment purchase or use situations, regardless of gender. This study explored the relationship between IMC and innovation adoption, thereby extending the body of knowledge in a multidisciplinary field of marketing and information technology, producing a model that may be used in probing m-payments use behaviour from a marketing perspective. Key words: Integrated marketing communications, mobile payments, structural equation modelling, technology adoption, youth market.List of Exhibits on page xvi of thesis

Acceptance of Technology with Network Externalities: An Empirical Study of Internet Instant Messaging Services

Many researchers have examined the technology acceptance model (TAM) that Davis (1986) created to predict the voluntary use of information systems. However, TAM\u27s primary focus is on how ease of use and usefulness influence acceptance, without looking at the effects of network externalities. In this study, we examined adoption behavior involving Internet-based instant messaging services (IMS). A questionnaire was used to collect data on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived number of users for external network utility, and technology utility. The results indicate an acceptable goodness-of-fit statistic for our proposed TAM model, which combines the original TAM concept and network externality theory. The results also support the importance of network externalities in considering IT acceptance

Informal eCollaboration Channels: Shedding Light on “Shadow CIT”

There is some evidence of the unabated proliferation of employee-autonomous, informal in an enterprise sense, collaborative information technologies (CITs) to perform collaborative activities despite huge investments in CIT enterprise systems. This article will introduce the metaphorical construct of “shadow CIT” (similar to “shadow IT” – Raden, 2005; Schaffner, 2007) to describe the strategic choice to use autonomous CITs instead of formal enterprise CITs. “Shadow IT” has been defined by Raden (2005) as a set of IT tools used “for performing IT functions but not part of the mainstream IT organization” (p.1). Similarly, “shadow CIT” solutions are employee-autonomous: they are not implemented as part of the organisational IT infrastructure, neither have they received any targeted organisational investment. Several research questions are explored in this paper. The existence of “shadow IT” has been argued to imply a failure on the part of enterprise IT to provide all of the services to meet their users‟ needs. Does the existence of “shadow CIT” imply a failure of enterprise CITs of a similar kind? If shadow CITs are found to be [capable of] filling gaps within enterprise CITs, what kind of gaps are these? Often, without being able to articulate why, users appear to shun solutions and good architecture within enterprise CITs in favour of the ability to get their work done through autonomous “shadow” solutions. What kind of motivation may be driving such decisions