Technology adoption determinants: strategic management implications for small, owner-managed travel firms in Jamaica.

This thesis begins by thoroughly reviewing classical theories of adoption such as the diffusion of innovation theory, and the technology acceptance model, and subsequently analyses literature on pertinent theories which have been highlighted as drivers of adoption such as the Resource-Based View, Firm Strategy, Culture and the Digital Divide. Prior to this however, the afore-mentioned classical adoption theories were contrasted with the Post-Internet debate which explored Information Asymetry and Disintermediation. Having conducted this review it was determined that the leadership/ownership role had not been sufficiently emphasized in technology adoption, therefore this work sought to more clearly identify these personal factors in combination with the previously explored factors. The overarching theory of Organizational Decision-Making was used to provide a framework to identify drivers of decision-making processes in general and then apply these to the internet adoption context. This thesis aims to identify the combination of antecedents of technology adoption for travel firms and distil factors to identify the key determinant of the adoption of the internet for sales and marketing purposes in small, owner-managed travel firms. It examines the firm characteristics which are associated with adoption behaviour such as strategy and resources, as well as external factors such as culture and the digital divide. In addition to external and firm factors, personal factors such as ownership and leadership are explored at various stages of adoption. A predominantly qualitative methodology was used to interview travel agencies in the context of Jamaica. All firms which have similar characteristics in terms of ownership and management structure, in particular where owners are themselves the managers and provide leadership for the organization, were interviewed. The owner-managers of these firms were interviewed to gather deep perspectives from local industry experts on industry challenges, current technology involvement and future directions. Exploratory descriptive quantitative methods were used to analyze firm characteristics and their relationships to internet adoption for sales and marketing as well as the intention to use these technologies in firms, while a deeper exploration into owner-managers was achieved through qualitative enquiry. A pilot study and 2 phases of data collection were carried out. The findings indicate that the leadership role is more significant than has been previously posited. The contribution to knowledge is new in that it takes a unique approach to an understanding of technology adoption in firms by creating a comprehensive conceptual framework for adoption based on previous research and then creates a model that shows the factors and variables that drive adoption at each stage of the adoption process from a personal leadership perspective as well as the organizational perspective. Ultimately it is hoped that this focus on each stage of adoption will provide insights into firm adoption behaviour as a consequence of leadership characteristics

Adoption of smartphones: iPhone. Research of adopting a mobile phone innovation from private consumers' viewpoint.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of the research was to find out what affects the decision when people adopt or reject a new mobile phone innovation; an iPhone. The already existent research did not answer the question of motivators of adopting mobile phone innovations except for at the most on a very general level which makes the topic of the research fresh. In this research is widely used and discussed technology adoption models that are central to research in information systems science and which have been used as a basis for a large amount of scientific research. Also in this research are used models from behavioral science and social science such as the theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior and diffusion theory. These sciences in part aim to explain the motivators of human behavior and general adaptation behavior. The research was done from a consumer’s viewpoint. Since the consumer market is filling up with new smartphone innovations, the research topic is current and will be interesting at least in the near future as well as no end to the trend of new smartphones can yet be seen. iPhone was selected for the research as it has been the first product to introduce some specific qualities in a smartphone when entering the private consumers’ market. METHODS USED IN RESEARCH In the research qualitative analysis was used as a research method. Research data was obtained from respondents by individual interviews. Main theories used in the research were Diffusion theory, the Theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the Theory of planned behavior (TPB). RESULTS Research results reveal that a too high price can seriously impair the adoption possibilities of an innovation. By using Mill’s method of agreement it could be deduced that pricing of technology to be adopted has heavy relational weight as one of the motivators in making the technology adoption decision. As a result of this it could be argued that adoption could be speeded up by offering low-priced tying deals and leasing contracts through businesses for their employees

Examining emerging ICT's adoption in SMEs from a dynamic process approach

Purpose – This paper aims to advance information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption research and practice by examining and understanding the emerging ICT adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from a dynamic process perspective using actor-network theory (ANT). Design/methodology/approach – This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate how services SMEs are constantly engaging in ICT adoption for improving business performance. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with 26 interviewees. Data collected from the unstructured and semi-structured interviews were analysed to understand the dynamic adoption process, actors involved and their interactions. Findings – The findings reveal the recursive and dynamic nature of the emerging ICT adoption process and the constant interactions and negotiations of various actors. Underpinned by the key concepts of ANTand validated by the empirical data, a framework is developed to depict the stages of dynamic process of emerging ICT adoption, the actors involved and the associated key activities. Research limitations/implications – Qualitative research is interpretive in nature and the size of the sample used is limited. These limitations require caution for the generalization of the findings. The framework can be further validated across a wider population using mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Practical implications – Emerging ICT adoption has moved from a simple adopters’ participation process to involving various actors that constantly interact and influence the process. SMEs manager can be influenced by and influence the technology advancement. As a result, SMEs need constantly interact with various human and non-human actors to keep up with the new ICT development and benefit from the emerging opportunities. Originality/value – The research focuses on the emerging ICT adoption in SMEs from the dynamic process perspective using ANT. It advances ICT adoption research and practice by developing a framework to depict the dynamic and interactive nature of ICT adoption process, and the actors involved and their interactions in the adoption process. Keywords Adoption, Technology adoption, Actor-network theory, Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Paper type Research pape

E-book adoption in academic and research libraries

Electronic books (e-books) have grown in importance in Academic and Research Libraries (ARLs). Some ARLs are now spending more on e-book acquisitions than hardcopy books. Whether this investment in e-book provision is justified by adoption outcomes is often the subject of simplistic, rather than rigorous research. This research has attempted to rigorously explore the phenomenon of e-book adoption in a case study ARL, namely, Edith Cowan University (ECU) Library. The study population consisted of ECU academics, students and non-academic staff. The research had three aims. First, by employing a theoretical framework based on technology adoption and information behaviour theory, the study sought explanations of adoption behaviours in the population. In a triangular research design, that included a survey, ECU users were invited to self-describe their own patterns of e-book behaviour. Survey data was used to determine if behaviour observed in transactions could be explained in terms of constructs derived from technology acceptance, information behaviour and other domain theories that seek to understand user interaction with information sources. Next, applying log analysis techniques to system-generated datasets of e-book usage, the researcher documented and analysed patterns of ECU e-book user behaviour in terms of the transaction record. Lastly, the study investigated whether transaction logs could be used with high reliability to profile users’ information behaviour providing the basis of a method for e-book individualisation. The study attempted to profile power users and to derive a predictive method for identifying them in log data. The study found many factors in technology acceptance theory that were significant in terms of adoption behaviour. E-book adoption in the case study ARL was found to be related to culture of use across the dimensions of habit/automaticity, preference for online resources and platforms, and information literacy. E-book collection sufficiency, purpose or task fit, convenience, functionality, and access/copy/print/download provisions were found to be significant in terms of performance expectancy. Dimensions of effort expectancy in finding/searching/reading e-books also significantly affected user behaviour. Other significant relations comprised perceived e-book hedonic attributes (pleasantness of experience, attractiveness of formats), familiarity (awareness, prior experience, differentiability), intimacy (personal likeness, emotional attachment, preferences), facilitating conditions (such as discovery, findability, connectivity/access, courseware embedded links), moderating factors (including respondent category, student programme, age, gender, and experience/years). These factors were found to be significant as sources of gratification and continuance intention. An original contribution to knowledge was also made by deriving a predictive equation for classifying users based on transaction log data. Further, the research developed a new model of higher level information behaviours displayed by sophisticated or so-called ‘power users,’ and generated a model of e-book information behaviour maturity that distinguishes nascent from mature behaviours. The model is grounded in self-reported information behaviour. As an expansive exploration of e-book usage patterns in a case study ARL using multiple methods, the work is also innovative both in terms of scope and as an exploration of e-book adoption in an Australian context. This research is significant in laying the foundations for machine-based user profiling and enhanced individualisation of e-books to make for more satisfying user experience and acceptance of e-books

Measuring Behavioural Intention to Accept Autonomous Vehicles: A Structural Equation Model

For decades, the user acceptance of information technology has been a vital field of study for psychologists and sociologists investigating new insights into the acceptance of behaviour at individual and organisational levels. Despite numerous models being proposed to predict consumer use of the behaviour of technology; the latest models and theories are still not able to fully capture the complexity of the factors influencing people behavioural intention to adopt Autonomous Vehicles (AV). The research adopts a pragmatic approach using multiple methods that was executed in the following phases. In phase I, the key factors influencing behavioural intention to use AV were identified using an initial survey with 408 participants, interviews were conducted with experts in the field of Psychology, Sociology and Computer Science, then the model was developed, and finally the hypothesis defined. In phase II, the conceptual model was empirically validated and refined by employing a survey research approach with another 482 participants. The constructs were operationalised by developing and validating the research instrument with content validity, reliability, construct validity approach and Structure Equation Modelling (SEM). In phase III a tool for information visualisation was developed bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and practical industry requirements. The findings suggested that all the constructs included in the conceptual model significantly influence the consumers’ behavioural intention (BI) to adopt AVs. Based on our evaluation we take the determinants self-efficacy, perceived safety, trust, anxiety and legal regulations into consideration and propose a theoretical AV technology acceptance model (AVTAM) by incorporating these determinants into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model. The results show that anxiety is negatively correlated with BI. The contribution of this research towards theory is the development and validation of a research instrument that future studies can utilize to examine AV and other similar emerging technologies from a consumers’ perspective. An added contribution to practice is the development of an information visualisation tool to further explain different group behaviours towards technology adoption

The supply side of innovation diffusion - A UK SME broadband adoption perspective

Recent research suggests that the majority of the Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) e-business research focusses primarily on studying innovation diffusion within the SMEs themselves with limited research into the supply-side of innovation diffusion This study examines the supply side of innovation diffusion to SMEs in south east United Kingdom (UK). It aims to examine and provide an indepth view of the broadband diffusion process to SMEs in UK by exploring the views and activities of the various groups involved in the process with a particular focus on the supply side. Innovation diffusion and social construction of technology theory are applied to extend a framework with a view to address some of the issues not covered in previous literature. Our research results suggest that even though the various social groups are working towards the same goal, both sides have a very different view of what the expectations are from the supply side of innovation diffusion. We believe that our results are useful to providers looking to diffuse broadband as well as other IT innovations to SMEs

Research Agenda for Studying Open Source II: View Through the Lens of Referent Discipline Theories

In a companion paper [Niederman et al., 2006] we presented a multi-level research agenda for studying information systems using open source software. This paper examines open source in terms of MIS and referent discipline theories that are the base needed for rigorous study of the research agenda

A theory-grounded framework of Open Source Software adoption in SMEs

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in European Journal of Information Systems. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Macredie, RD and Mijinyawa, K (2011), "A theory-grounded framework of Open Source Software adoption in SMEs", European Journal of Informations Systems, 20(2), 237-250 is available online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ejis/journal/v20/n2/abs/ejis201060a.html.The increasing popularity and use of Open Source Software (OSS) has led to significant interest from research communities and enterprise practitioners, notably in the small business sector where this type of software offers particular benefits given the financial and human capital constraints faced. However, there has been little focus on developing valid frameworks that enable critical evaluation and common understanding of factors influencing OSS adoption. This paper seeks to address this shortcoming by presenting a theory-grounded framework for exploring these factors and explaining their influence on OSS adoption, with the context of study being small- to medium-sized Information Technology (IT) businesses in the U.K. The framework has implications for this type of business – and, we will suggest, more widely – as a frame of reference for understanding, and as tool for evaluating benefits and challenges in, OSS adoption. It also offers researchers a structured way of investigating adoption issues and a base from which to develop models of OSS adoption. The study reported in this paper used the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) as a basis for the research propositions, with the aim of: (i) developing a framework of empirical factors that influence OSS adoption; and (ii) appraising it through case study evaluation with 10 U.K. Small- to medium-sized enterprises in the IT sector. The demonstration of the capabilities of the framework suggests that it is able to provide a reliable explanation of the complex and subjective factors that influence attitudes, subjective norms and control over the use of OSS. The paper further argues that the DTPB proved useful in this research area and that it can provide a variety of situation-specific insights related to factors that influence the adoption of OSS