Web Acceptance and Usage Model: A Comparison between Goal-directed and Experiential Web Users

In this paper we analyse the Web acceptance and usage between goal-directed users and experiential users, incorporating intrinsic motives to improve the particular and explanatory TAM value –traditionally related to extrinsic motives-. A field study was conducted to validate measures used to operationalize model variables and to test the hypothesised network of relationships. The data analysis method used was Partial Least Squares (PLS).The empirical results provided strong support for the hypotheses, highlighting the roles of flow, ease of use and usefulness in determining the actual use of the Web among experiential and goal-directed users. In contrast with previous research that suggests that flow would be more likely to occur during experiential activities than goal-directed activities, we found clear evidence of flow for goal-directed activities. In particular the study findings indicate that flow might play a powerfulrole in determining the attitude towards usage,intention to useand, in turn,actual Web use among experiential and goal-directed users

EDMS Use in Local E-Government: Extent of Use and Overall Performance Mediated by Routinization and Infusion

This study analyzes the effects of several post-adoption behaviors (extent of use, routinization and infusion) on overall performance in using an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). Furthermore, we test whether the routinization and infusion variables mediate the influence of the extent of use on overall performance. This research collects data from a survey answered by 2,175 employees (EDMS users) of Portuguese municipalities. The Partial Least Squares technique is applied to test the model. The results showed that routinization is directly predicted by the extent of use, whereas infusion is directly affected by the extent of use and also by routinization. Consequently, such post-adoptive behaviors are interrelated not only in a sequential process, but also in parallel. In addition, overall performance is directly influenced by routinization and infusion. Finally, an indirect effects analysis shows that routinization and infusion mediate the relationship between extent of use and overall performance

The moderator role of Gender in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT): A study on users of Electronic Document Management Systems

Venkatesh et al. [1] tried to integrate predictability capabilities from the different existing models of technology acceptance. This produced the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). This comprehensive model resulted in the identification of common aspects. It proposed several constructs with a greater explanatory power and analyzed moderating drivers, such as age, Gender, experience and voluntariness of use. By doing so, UTAUT identifies three major drivers of behavioral intention: performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence. On the other hand, facilitating conditions and behavioral intention were identified as determinant factors of actual use [1]. In addition to previous considerations about UTAUT, empirical research has scarcely analyzed the moderating role of Gender [2]. This is why this paper particularly aims to fill this gap. Hofstede [3] describes strength, competitiveness and guidance for material success as social roles linked to male values, whilst modesty, tenderness, sensitivity and concern for the quality of life are values associated with women. With respect to UTAUT, existing studies have shown that performance expectancy positively influences behavioral intention more strongly for men (cf. [4], [5], [6] and [7]). Moreover, it has been observed that effort expectancy positively influences behavioral intention more strongly for women (cf. [4], [5] and [6]), while social influence positively affects behavioral intention more strongly for women (cf. [5], [7] and [8]). In our research, with the aim of testing the moderating effects of Gender, a sample of 2,175 users of Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) in Portuguese municipalities was used. Taking into account that Gender is a categorical variable, we have adopted a multi-group or multi-sample analysis [9] -dividing the sample into two groups (male = 748; female = 1,427) and estimating each group of observations separately. Before comparing the groups, an analysis of the measurement invariance was carried out to make sure that the construct measures were invariant between both groups [10]. Once the metric invariance had been assessed, we carried out a set of multi-group analyses –interpreting statistically-significant differences in path coefficients as moderating effects. On the one hand, the parametric approach considering both equal variances and different variances has been used [11, 12]. On the other hand, we have applied non-parametric approaches exemplified by the permutation test [13], and Henseler’s PLS multi-group analysis [10, 12, 14]. This study notes slight differences in the results of the aforementioned methods. As a result, the moderating effect of Gender on the relation between performance expectancy and behavioral intention showed that this relationship is stronger among men than women. Finally, a discussion on the implications of Gender as a moderator for the UTAUT model is included

Determinants of User Acceptance of a Local eGovernment Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)

On numerous occasions the significant value of the investments involved in the development of eGovernment and the expectations of governmental information systems use do not correspond to the rate of effective use. This scenario makes it difficult to justify the development of electronic government by governments and local authorities among its citizens. It is therefore important to understand the factors that influence the employees' intention of using governmental information systems. With the aim of understanding the determining factors of using an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) in the context of Portuguese municipalities, this study develops an empirical analysis using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, (Venkatesh et al., 2003). This model's application for information systems research in the governmental context has a weak expression and is unique in EDMS research. This empirical research follows a realist and positivist approach. Data was collected from a survey answered by 2,175 employees of Portuguese municipalities (EDMS users). Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used to test the model proposed. The results showed that Intention to Use is positively affected by Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions. With respect to the EDMS Use, the results showed that it is positively influenced by Intention to Use and Facilitating Conditions. The main result indicates that EDMS users believe that the use of this information system will help them to obtain performance benefits in their work. However, the increasing use of EDMS is not very influenced by the system's perceived ease of use. In short, this study provides a contribution to the Information Systems Acceptance and Adoption literature in local eGovernmental contexts. In addition, our contribution empirically tests the model for implementation in governmental organizations and provides a better understanding of the adoption and use of an EDM

Understanding relationship quality in hospitality services : A study based on text analytics and partial least squares

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the occurrence of terms to identify the relevant topics and then to investigate the area (based on topics) of hospitality services that is highly associated with relationship quality. This research represents an opportunity to fill the gap in the current literature, and clarify the understanding of guests’ affective states by evaluating all aspects of their relationship with a hotel. Design/methodology/approach – This research focuses on natural opinions upon which machine-learning algorithms can be executed: text summarization, sentiment analysis and latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA). Our data set contains 47,172 reviews of 33 hotels located in Las Vegas, and registered with Yelp. A component- based structural equation modeling (partial least squares (PLS)) is applied, with a dual – exploratory and predictive – purpose. Findings – To maintain a truly loyal relationship and to achieve competitive success, hospitality managers must take into account both tangible and intangible features when allocating their marketing efforts to satisfaction-, trust- and commitment-based cues. On the other hand, the application of the PLS predict algorithm demonstrates the predictive performance (out-of-sample prediction) of our model that supports its ability to predict new and accurate values for individual cases when further samples are added. Originality/value – LDA and PLS produce relevant informative summaries of corpora, and confirm and address more specifically the results of the previous literature concerning relationship quality. Our results are more reliable and accurate (providing insights not indicated in guests’ ratings into how hotels can improve their services) than prior statistical results based on limited sample data and on numerical satisfaction ratings alone

Amor a lo visible: tras las huellas de la Compañía de Jesús en Córdoba. Catálogo de documentos

Catalog of the exhibition that with the name "Amor a lo visible: tras las huellas de la Compañía de Jesús en Córdoba" took place in the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba during October 2018. The exhibition collected a selection of books and documents related to the Jesuit schools of Montilla and Córdoba

Frequency response of Valencia oranges to selective harvesting by vibration

Citrus mechanical harvesting has been investigated since the 1960’s. Even though mechanical harvesting could significantly lower production costs, the implementation by the private sector has been slow. The current harvesting technologies detach the fruits with trunk, canopy or branch vibration. For late-season sweet orange varieties which simultaneously bear mature fruit, immature fruitlets and flowers shaker harvesting decreases the subsequent year’s yield. This study, investigated the frequency response of mature fruits and immature fruitlets to determine the optimum frequency range for an efficient and selective harvest. Laboratory vibration transmission tests were conducted with 14 branches bearing 76 mature fruits and 151 immature ‘Valencia’ fruitlets. The fruit and branch response to the forced vibration was measured by several sets of five triaxial accelerometers with a dynamic signal analyser. Three frequency ranges with the highest vibration transmission values were identified for mechanical harvesting lower than 10 Hz. The first frequency range (1.5-2.5 Hz) corresponded best with the most efficient vibration transmission, involving more than 90% of fruit. The second frequency range (4.5-5 Hz) successfully discriminated between mature fruit and immature fruitlets. In this frequency range, 53.4% of mature fruit amplified the acceleration a mean value of 2.2 times, while only 7.3% of immature fruitlets amplified the acceleration with a mean value of 4.4 times. The lowest third frequency range had a vibration transmission value of 7-8 Hz. The frequency response of mature citrus fruits, and their markedly higher fruit mass, were significant factors in efficient selective mechanical harvesting

Acercamiento a la disfunción sexual femenina desde la fisioterapia : una cuestión de género y salud

Existe un déficit de estudios que analicen la integración de la Fisioterapia en la disfunción sexual femenina en los ámbitos del género y la salud, siendo nuestros objetivos en este trabajo determinar la frecuencia de existencia de disfunción sexual y la frecuencia en la que las mujeres experimentan dolor en las relaciones sexuales, los niveles de satisfacción y la posible relación entre ambas dimensiones. El diseño es de corte cuantitativo, descriptivo, observacional y transversal con una muestra de 20 mujeres. Se implementa el Cuestionario sobre la Función Sexual Femenina (FSFI) conformado por 19 ítems categorizados en 5 variables de las que destacamos dos: el “dolor” y la “satisfacción”. En cuanto a resultados, presentan disfunción sexual un 75% de la muestra con valores similares y más bajos que los obtenidos por Rosen y cols. Un 67,7% de las mujeres del estudio consideran el dolor sufrido durante o después de la penetración vaginal como muy alto o alto. El 52,3 % de las mujeres del estudio se muestran satisfechas con su relación sexual en pareja y un 47,6% con su vida sexual en general. Finalmente, existe una elevada correlación entre el dominio dolor y el dominio satisfacción entre las participantes de esta investigación

Users’ perception of visual design and usefulness of a web-based educational tool

Our research has become increasingly aware of the relevance of visual design in understanding learners’ attitudes towards the use of virtual tools. Likewise, perceived usefulness is an essential antecedent of the cumulative impressions of and preferences for them. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the main effects of visual design and usefulness on learning and productivity in the domain of web-based educational tools. A Structural Equation Modelling, specifically Partial Least Square (PLS), is proposed to assess the relationships between the constructs. Visual design and usefulness have a significant effect on the learner’s perception of the extent to which needs, goals and desires have been fully met, and, by extension, learning performance. Furthermore, higher expressive aesthetics reduces the impact of classical features on satisfaction