Empirical study on continuance intentions towards E-Learning 2.0 systems

Although E-Learning 2.0 has played a significant role in training and development within the organisational environment, after an initial acceptance, its use is frequently discontinued. Prior studies offered insights into participation in E-Learning; however, there is limited research on continuance intention towards E-Learning 2.0 systems in organisational contexts. Furthermore, the most widely used research models, such as technology acceptance model (TAM), neglect the interactive social processes in E-Learning 2.0. Therefore, this study proposes a unified model integrating the TAM, the information system success model and social motivation theories to investigate continuance intentions towards E-Learning 2.0 in an organisational context. A sample of 284 participants from companies in China that have already implemented E-Learning 2.0 systems took part in this study. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the research hypotheses. The results show that the unified model provides a more comprehensive understanding of the cognitive processes and behaviours related to this context: (1) perceived usefulness and attitude were critical to the continuance intention towards an E-Learning 2.0 system; (2) perceived usefulness was a significant mediator of the effects from perceived ease of use, information quality and social influence on continuance intention; (3) perceived ease of use, information quality and social influence were found to play important roles in predicting the continuance intention; (4) system quality played an important role in affecting the perceived ease of use; and (5) unexpectedly, social motivations had no significant effect on attitude.     

Understanding information proactiveness and the content management system adoption in pre-implementation stage

The overall technology acceptance literature does not pay sufficient attention to the issue of the mandated use of systems as the traditional acceptance models (e.g. TAM) were originally built, tested, and validated by being applied to technologies that were mainly voluntary in nature, that is, the users had the choice of whether to use or not use the technology. Few have studied end users' proactive motivation to use information and attitude toward newly implemented technologies within organizational contexts, before end-users start using the technology or pre-implementation stage. This research proposes that information proactiveness has influences on the content management systems adoption beliefs such as perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The proposed model was empirically tested using the data collected from content management systems end-users. As theorized, information proactiveness was found to be a significant determinant of system users' perceived ease of use but not perceived usefulness in pre-implementation stage. Furthermore, perceived behavioral control was found to be a strong determinant of systems users' attitude. The study findings provide important insights on enhancing system users' adoption behavior in pre-implementation stage.     

Do I really have to? User acceptance of mandated technology

Extensive research supports the notion that usefulness and ease of use are primary drivers of user intentions to adopt new technology. However, this research has been conducted primarily in environments in which adoption was voluntary. When technology use is mandated, as it is in many organizations, we expect that the underlying relationships of traditional technology acceptance models will be different. In this paper, we discuss our current understanding of technology acceptance, as well as the notion of mandated use. We then discuss a field study conducted in the banking industry to examine technology acceptance models in a mandated use environment. The results indicate that there are, in fact, differences in the underlying relationships of technology acceptance models in this mandatory use situation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for research and practice.     

Why adoption and use behavior of IT/IS cannot last?—two studies in China

It is often observed in China that the user acceptance of a new information technology starts satisfactorily well when it is strongly promoted or even enforced to be used, but declines sharply after the initial stage. Based on an extended model derived from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this paper presents two studies in academic and governmental contexts respectively to analyze such phenomena from a post-adoption perspective. Results from structured equation model (SEM) analyses demonstrate the ability of the model to interpret the IT acceptance behavior of Chinese users both during and after the initial stage. It is then inferred that the initial rise of user acceptance is usually driven by mandatory instructions due to the managerial characteristics of long power distance in Chinese organizations, while the drop in the second period is caused by changes that occur in some of the recognition factors in the model, which may reflect the lack of fit between technology and work style. In the two specific cases studied in the paper, the lack of compatibility and facilitating conditions made the user acceptance decline after the initial period when the effects of training and mandatory instructions faded away.     

User acceptance model of open source software

The development and implementation of open source software (OSS) is one of the most current topics within the academic, business and political environments. Traditionally, research in OSS has focused on identifying individual personal motives for participating in the development of an OSS project, analyzing specific OSS solutions, or the OSS movement, itself. Nevertheless, user acceptance towards this type of technology has received very little attention. For this reason, the main purpose of the current study is to identify the variables and factors that have a direct effect on individual attitude towards OSS adoption. Therefore, we have developed a technological acceptance model on behalf of the users towards a solution based on OSS. For this development, we have considered the technology acceptance model. Findings show that OSS is a viable solution for information management for organizations.     

Espoused organizational culture values as antecedents of internet technology adoption in an emerging economy

Success of an organization, both in the public and private sectors, depends on increases in efficiency due to acceptance of information technology. This has focused attention on factors that influence individuals’ acceptance and subsequent use of information technologies in organizations using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. In this research, we investigate the role of espoused organizational culture traits as an antecedent to the UTAUT model. We found that espoused cultural traits influence users’ acceptance and use of the Internet technology in a government agency in an emerging economy, India.     

Acceptance of online banking information systems: an empirical case in a developing economy

This paper proposes an extended model of technology acceptance to understand potential users’ acceptance of online banking information systems (OBIS). The proposed model integrates key constructs from information systems and e-commerce acceptance research streams into the theoretical frame of the technology acceptance model. The model was tested on a sample of 353 Internet banking users in Pakistan. Using structural equation modelling with Analysis of Moment Structures software, data analysis showed considerable support for the extended hypothesised model. The results suggested that, in order of importance: perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and trust explained 45.7% of the variance in intended acceptance behaviour. Trust and technological self-efficacy (TSE) predicted 28.1% of the variance in PU. While in PEOU 21.8% of the variance was predicted by TSE, accessibility and terminology clarity. This study produced valuable insights into the factors that influence acceptance of OBIS by intended users and offers new ideas in understanding the acceptance of technology, especially in developing countries.     

A multiple narrative approach to information systems failure: a successful system that failed

We discuss the introduction of an information system where the dominant coalition claimed project success. While the key users did not use the system as intended and the project goals were not achieved, the project committee reported success to the top management board. Using a multi-methodological approach, we can follow how different stakeholders attributed different meanings to the system introduced over time. The rhetorical tools used are analysed using a narrative methodology. We draw on the social construction of technology and use the concept of relevant social groups to understand the different interests influencing the organisational dynamics. We complement this approach by employing the concepts of organisational power and cultural fit between the new system and the different subcultures. We found that this multiple approach explains well how the acceptance of the new software processes was interpreted differently within the organisation, and also by the software supplier. Although limited, our case study reveals the process of socially constructing the success or failure of an information system using this multiple research approach. We compare our results with the literature on IS failures and we consider the value of combining constructionist and critical approaches through a narrative methodology.     

User adoption and purchasing intention after free trial: an empirical study of mobile newspapers

Marketing stimuli such as free trial has been widely used to increase user acceptance and intention to purchase information services. Information technology (IT) acceptance theories, such as the technology acceptance model and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, have been widely used to explain information system (IS) usage. These theories, however, do not explicitly consider the effect of marketing stimuli that would influence and shape user beliefs, attitude and behavior towards the use and purchase of new IS/IT. Echoing calls for advancing knowledge in technology acceptance, we propose a theoretical model based on expectation conformation theory to investigate the effect of marketing stimuli in the form of free trial and price of using IS on consumers’ acceptance decision process. In this study, free trial of mobile newspaper is used as the research context. A survey sample of 192 responses is used to test the model. Results suggest that the trial experience has an impact on post-trial beliefs and attitude. Perceived fee also has an effect on the acceptance of the information service when the users need to pay for the service.     

Convenience and TAM in a ubiquitous computing environment: The case of wireless LAN

Ubiquitous computing technology is seen as an emerging new information technology with such potency that it has changed the way we view IT. Although perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness constructs have been considered important in determining the individuals’ acceptance and use of IT in the last few decades, factors contributing to the acceptance of a new IT are likely to vary according to the technological characteristics, the target users, and the context.In this study, we will introduce convenience as a new factor that reflects the characteristic of ubiquitous computing technology. In addition, we chose wireless LAN as an initial stage technology of ubiquitous computing to empirically validate the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) applied in a ubiquitous computing environment.     

Human factors in information technology: The socio-organisational aspects of expert systems design

This paper looks beyond the mostly technical and business issues that currently inform the design of knowledge-based systems (e.g., expert systems) to point out that there is also a social and organisational (a socio-organisational) dimension to the issues affecting the design decisions of expert systems and other information technologies. It argues that whilst technical and business issues are considered before the design of Expert Systems, that socio-organisational issues determine the acceptance and long-run utility of the technology after it has been implemented. It shows how four issues within the organisation can affect the design or the after-effects of the design and implementation of the technology. It also shows how the four issues can be considered within the structured phases of expert system development.     

Exploring the continuance intention of social networking websites: an empirical research

Despite the increasing popularity of social networking websites, very little is known about users’ extrinsic and intrinsic motivations that influence their continued use of these websites. The long-term development of social networking websites depends on their users’ continuance of use. To examine the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, this study integrates the technology acceptance model, the theory of planned behavior, the expectation disconfirmation model, and flow theory to construct a research model which investigates the factors that motivate users to continue to use social networking websites. The research model was tested empirically within the context of Facebook and 482 samples of data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach. The analysis showed that the proposed theoretical model provided a deep understanding of user continuance behavior towards social networking websites. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

Online Social Network Adoption: A Cross-Cultural Study

This research explores the extent to which users across cultures adopt the technology of online social networks (OSNs) in order to promote or support a social cause. By surveying graduate-level university students at institutions in the United States, China and India, this research builds on prior work in technology acceptance to model and explain how three elements of the task domain – the cultural aspects of the user, the social nature of the technology, and the social nature of the task – combine to influence the constructs and relationships within a modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework as well as the behavior that flows from it. This study contributes to our understanding of technology adoption by showing how OSNs are adopted by users across cultures in promoting and supporting social causes.     

Adoption of Open Source Software: The role of social identification

While the benefits of incorporating Open Source Software (OSS) into personal and organizational systems have been widely touted, OSS must be adopted and used by end users before these benefits can be realized. Drawing on research in information systems and sociology, this study develops and evaluates an integrated model for the acceptance of OSS. In addition to the traditional technology adoption variables the findings stress the importance of social identification as a key driver of OSS adoption. The proposed model provides a useful decision support tool for assessing and proactively designing interventions targeted at successful OSS adoption and diffusion.     

Learning new uses of technology: Situational goal orientation matters

We study the decision to learn a new use of technology within a post-adoption context. This particular nuance of technology adoption is interesting because while the technology has been adopted at some level by both users and organizations, expanding technology use relies on users adopting additional tools and features within a given system on their own accord. This study addresses how situational goal orientation moderates the effects of ease of learning perceptions within the post-adoption context. We find that when a potential user has a situational learning goal orientation, they indicate intent to learn a new use of technology regardless of whether the technology is perceived to be easy or difficult to learn. However, potential users with a situational performance goal orientation indicate intent to learn the new system feature depending on ease of learning. These results have implications for future research using traditional technology acceptance parameters in the post-adoption context, and provide evidence that situational goal orientation is an effective managerial intervention for use in organizational training.     

Structural analysis of value creation in software service platforms

As software service platforms grow in number of users and variety of service offerings, it raises the question of how this phenomenon impacts the value obtained by users. This paper identifies system usability, service variety, and personal connectivity to be the major determinants that contribute to the value offered to users on mobile software service platforms. A structural equation model, which is based on utility theory, technology acceptance theory, and the theory of network externalities, has been constructed from seven observed constructs, reflecting the three determinants and the user value. The lower bound of user value is estimated through the user’s willingness-to-pay for services and the user’s willingness to spend time on using services. For the validation, a co-variance-based structural equation analysis has been conducted on online survey data of 210 users of mobile service platforms (e.g., Android, iOS). The results show that the number of services used and the number of active user connections were found to be the strongest constructs explaining user value. Perceived usefulness did not explain user value as much. In total, they can explain 49 % of the value that the user receives from the platform. The implication of this result is that users’ value from a software service platform cannot be explained by the technology acceptance model itself. Instead, an approach that, as used in this research, of integrating network externality theory, utility theory, and technology acceptance theory is necessary.     

Predicting uptake of technology innovations in online family dispute resolution services: An application and extension of the UTAUT

Parental separation can be psychologically distressing for families—particularly when conflict between parents is high. In Australia, reforms to Family Law legislation have introduced mandatory mediation, which has increased the need for community-based family dispute resolution (FDR) services. Providers have responded to these needs with innovative solutions, including online computer-assisted mediation technologies. We evaluated the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) within the context of an Australian online family dispute resolution (OFDR) system. The model was extended to include trust and personal web innovativeness, which we proposed would be implicated in the intentions of staff to use a family mediation service. A cross-sectional web-survey methodology was employed to collect data from 127 staff in the implementation organization. The measurement and structural models were evaluated with partial least squares (PLS) modeling and the results provided some support for our hypotheses. Specifically, the core UTAUT model was partially validated in this context. Moreover, effort expectancy mediated the effects of trust in technology on behavioral intention. Contrary to expectations, trust in the organization and innovativeness did not produce significant effects on intention. Practically, these results suggest that pre-contemplation technology acceptance research can have utility for change management and system design.     

Organisational champions of IT innovation

This paper reports on an investigation of the characteristics of 10 organisational champions of information technology (IT) innovation in The Netherlands. The institutions at which they work are in the financial, transport, government and software sectors. Much of the research in this area has focused considerable attention on the individual personality traits of champions. This research project was positioned to contribute to the literature by broadening the focus of attention beyond individual-level characteristics. Since IT innovations occur within an organisational context, there is also a need to explore the role of organisation-level characteristics. This study explored both the individual- and the organisation-level characteristics exhibited by those promoting IT innovations in their firms. The results of this study show that these organisational champions fall somewhere in between the classic IT champion and the project manager. While personal leadership characteristics are not as much in evidence, organisational characteristics are emphasised more. They use their political skills to obtain resources and organisational acceptance of the IT innovations as they are shepherding the innovation through the organisational bureaucracy. However, these champions seem to place as much emphasis on creativity as classic IT champions. When necessary, they break rules, give veiled threats and find ways to get around the organisational bureaucracy. They seek creative outlets for themselves and those they manage. These findings suggests that a promising way to reduce the rate of information system (IS) project failures is to learn not only from IS projects undertaken by IT champions but also from innovation undertaken by other champions — business champions and champions of other technologies.     

Investigating critical success factors in online learning environments in higher education systems in the Caribbean*

ABSTRACT

Online learning has grown as a key method in education management over the last couple of decades. Studies have shown that significant investments in this technology are being made by universities, yet the full benefits expected have not been realized due to issues and challenges experienced by stakeholders such as learners and instructors in adopting and effectively using e-learning. This is especially true in developing economies where they may be attempting online delivery modes for the first time. In this study, we explore the question “What are the factors that influence university students’ adoption and use of an e-learning system in the context of the English-speaking Caribbean?” using an extended technology acceptance model framework. Partial least squares analysis was used to test the derived research model and found that critical success factors influencing students’ perception and use in online learning settings, particularly those within a developing economy conditions, include supportive cultural practices, access to computers, system or online environment availability, computer and online learning self-efficacy, user perception of usefulness and ease of use. These results have significant implications for university executives and policy-makers as they consider adopting online learning delivery modalities for users.