An Empirical Comparison of Consumer Innovation Adoption Models: Implications for Subsistence Marketplaces

So called “pro-poor” innovations may improve consumer wellbeing in subsistence marketplaces. However, there is little research that integrates the area with the vast literature on innovation adoption. Using a questionnaire where respondents were asked to provide their evaluations about a mobile banking innovation, this research fills this gap by providing empirical evidence of the applicability of existing innovation adoption models in subsistence marketplaces. The study was conducted in Bangladesh among a geographically dispersed sample. The data collected allowed an empirical comparison of models in a subsistence context. The research reveals the most useful models in this context to be the Value Based Adoption Model and the Consumer Acceptance of Technology model. In light of these findings and further examination of the model comparison results the research also shows that consumers in subsistence marketplaces are not just motivated by functionality and economic needs. If organizations cannot enhance the hedonic attributes of a pro-poor innovation, and reduce the internal/external constraints related to adoption of that pro-poor innovation, then adoption intention by consumers will be lower

Factors limiting microbial activities in soil. II: The effect of sulfur

The only nutrient element other than nitrogen and phosphorus which limited microbial activity in a sandy soil was sulfur. The addition of extremely small quantities of MgSO 4 , ranging from 0.32 to 1.6 mg sulfur/100 g soil, markedly increased the rate of oxidation of glucose. The optimum concentration of sulfur was correlated with the levels of glucose added, and a C/S ratio of 900 or less was required for maximum respiration. A number of compounds containing sulfur at different oxidation stages and in various structural configurations readily satisfied the sulfur requirement, indicating that the response was to sulfur as a nutrient and not to sulfate as an electron acceptor. Thiourea and elemental sulfur were utilized only slightly. The differential utilization of the various sulfur-containing compounds and the implications of sulfur as a limiting factor of microbial activities in soil were discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46140/1/203_2004_Article_BF00422051.pd