Information & Management

In the practical manufacturing field, we need to develop large scale manufacturing information systems especially in the field of the Japanese steel manufacturing industry where CIM is the core management technology. But they require a large amount of time and manpower, and furthermore it is very difficult to manage their projects. Therefore, we propose analyzing and designing procedures based on a two dimensional template and their criteria for the large scale manufacturing information system architecture in order to ease the analysis and design. In the manufacturing system, there are two important elements which correspond to the two dimensions of the template. One is a functional category and the other is a management structure, and we show its effectiveness by applying this method to the system planning of large scale information systems in a steel manufacturing plant

Information system development methodologies for complex management support systems require the information analyst to utilize concepts and techniques which are frequently viewed as being too intangible and abstract. The analyst's knowledge and techniques must accommodate the increased variations and complexities which commonly exist for management support systems at all levels of management.In this article, power is examined as an information systems development concept and as a basis for a technique which will enable the information analyst to identify the information requirements for management support systems more effectively.

Mass information systems (mass IS) support on-line information retrieval and routine tasks by way of self-service for a great number (thousands or millions) of occasional users. Delivered through public terminals, the services of mass IS are designed to cater to passer-by types of audiences, such as visitors of exhibitions, spectators at major sports events, travellers at airports and train stations, or users of automated teller machines (ATMs). In the last issue of Information and Management the author gave an overview of mass IS and outlined a conceptual framework for mass IS development. This paper presents a case study that summarizes the experiences of an Austrian university with such a videotex-based system.

A survey of expert system (ES) business application papers published between 1977 and 1993 indicates that an increasing amount of ES research is being conducted for a diverse range of business activities. The classification of literature by (1) year of publication, (2) application area, (3) generic problem area addressed, (4) problem domain, (5) level of management, (6) level of task interdependence, (7) means of development, (8) corporate/academic interaction in development, and (9) technology integration provides some insights in the trend. Implications to ES developers are discussed.

Soon after the MIS concept was formed in the mid-1960s, the marketing function applied it to its own information needs, creating a formal effort called the marketing information system, or MKIS. This study surveys Fortune 500 companies to reveal their pattern in MKIS usage. The findings are compared to two previous studies a decade apart. It provides a gauge of the evolution of computer use not only in marketing but also in large firms. This study is the first where the marketing managers reported a decrease in the existence of an MKIS in their firms. Nonetheless, the study found that many firms are linking their marketing plans with their information resources. Besides telephone, facsimile, and e-mail, electronic commerce is widely adopted in these large firms. Most importantly, many marketers today are using computers and the Internet. They are more and more knowledgeable about computer technologies and actively taking part in creating computer applications to meet their own information needs.

This study surveyed the information system management issues for the 1990s as perceived by the leading EDP users of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Responses were obtained from 297 people, of which 72% were senior IS managers. The R.O.C. respondents are equally concerned about management and technology related issues both currently and in the future (in the next 3–5 years). With respect to management related issues, IS strategic planning, goals alignment, and competitive advantages are currently (and will continue to be) on the top list of IS managers. Respondents also perceive that top management support is (and will continue to be) crucial for the IS department to achieve its mission. They believe that there is a continual need to close the communication gap between end users and the IS department. In terms of technology related issues, IT infrastructure, systems integration, security and control, and software development quality, are currently important, and they are expected to become more important in future. Computerization of routine work was found to be currently important, however its relative importance is expected to decrease. Systems friendliness is (and is expected to be) important for overcoming the resistance to change in both end users and top management.

Key human resource (HR) issues in IS for the 1990s were identified by separate Delphi studies of IS executives and human resource executives in Fortune 500 firms. Three rounds of survey of participants were used to move opinions toward consensus. For IS executives, acquiring a stronger business orientation was the top ranked issue. For HR executives, better HR planning was the top ranked issue. Six issues were ranked in the top ten by both groups: however ranking differed considerably. The article discusses survey methodology, analyzes results, and provides conclusions.

Many studies have proposed new website evaluation frameworks and criteria. We have attempted to understand and improve website evaluation through the analysis of 83 articles by classifying them into IS, marketing, and combined-approaches. Our findings showed that most early studies adopted the IS-approach but that later ones (after the burst of the dot-com bubble) shifted to a combined-approach. Our study also revealed that most papers analyzed the evaluation factors via a ranking list.Our review showed that most studies conducted user-based surveys to examine a website, but that very few addressed strategic issues of website evaluation. We therefore proposed a strategic framework as an internal evaluation to ensure consistency between web strategy and actual website presence. The framework involved analysis of web strategy and a hybrid approach that included evaluation during three transaction phases; the framework was designed to be applied by a specific website vis-à-vis its goals and objectives through a five-stage evaluation process.

Recently, studies of B2C e-commerce have used intention theory to understand the role of trust of Internet transactions but most have investigated only a component of e-commerce (e.g., initial adoption or continuance) and neglected the role of good relations with the consumer in ensuring a successful sustained relationship. Therefore, a model that went beyond intention and included key relational concepts (satisfaction, value, loyalty, etc.) was developed. Trust and its components are a major part of this model, which was based on strong theoretical foundations. Fifteen hypotheses were formulated. Data on the constructs were collected from 420 respondents and analyzed using elliptical re-weighted least squares as the estimation method to test model validity and the hypotheses. An additional relationship between satisfaction and customer loyalty was investigated. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

The website is the portal through which most of the electronic transactions are conducted today. The site’s development provides a glimpse of the firm’s electronic commerce (E-commerce) strategic objectives. Yet, few studies on E-commerce have related the firm’s website to its strategy. This paper examined the relationships between the strategic variables of competitive intensity, existing competencies of the firm, firm size, and strategic commitment on the one hand, and the development of the firm’s website, on the other. We developed a model based on existing literature in E-commerce and strategy. The study was conducted with 135 firms from the travel, financial and information technology (IT) sectors in Singapore. Results show that competitive intensity, firm size and existing competencies positively influence the firm’s strategic commitment to E-commerce. The commitment in turn affects the website development. We also show that websites can be classified according to their developmental level.

Several studies of eCommerce in developing countries have emphasized the influence of contextual impediments related to economic, technological, legal, and financial infrastructure as major determinants of eCommerce adoption. Despite operating under such constraints, some organizations in developing countries are pursuing the eCommerce agenda while others are not. However, our understanding of what drives eCommerce among businesses in developing countries is limited by the absence of rigorous research that covers issues beyond contextual imperatives. This paper discusses a holistic and theoretically constructed model that identifies the relevant contextual and organizational factors that might affect eCommerce adoption in developing countries. It provides a research-ready instrument whose properties were validated in a survey of 150 businesses from South Africa. The instrument can be used as a decision tool to locate, measure, and manage some of the risk of adopting eCommerce. Implications of the study are outlined; they indicate a need to consider eCommerce, micro, meso, and macro issues in understanding the adoption of eCommerce in developing countries.

The executive information system (EIS) has long promised to provide executives with computing power and information access. The reality is that the EIS of today is moving down the organisational structure and the executive is still waiting for the benefits of information technology. This paper describes and extends an executive implementation methodology as a tool in re-engineering executive work practices in two Australian firms. It first describes the nexus between computing, executive management style and information systems. Then it discusses action research, as carried out on two small Australian companies. In using this methodology particular attention was paid to addressing any inherent weaknesses. The outcomes provided one executive with information tools that allowed for an extension of his creative work processes and the other with rapid internal monitoring of crucial production data. In the former case, all aspects of the methodology were successful, however the latter was flawed due to external commercial forces.

Privacy concerns and practices, especially those dealing with the acquisition and use of consumer personal information, are at the forefront of global business and social issues associated with the information age. Our research examined the privacy policies of the Fortune 500 to assess the substance and content of their stated information practices and the degree to which they adhered to the fair information practices (FIP).From the observations, we developed a Privacy Policy Assessment Matrix that can be used to evaluate how well a firm addresses information privacy concerns. The matrix was used to analyze the Fortune 500 firms to understand their privacy maturity. The results provided practical and theoretical implications for addressing information privacy issues.

The growing popularity of the information superhighway has opened up exciting opportunities for companies looking to, not only maintain their current customer base, but also to reach new customers. One of the most popular methods to enter into cybermarketing has been to establish a home page or Web site on the Internet. Almost two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies currently maintain home pages on the Web. An analysis of the content of corporate home pages provides useful insights. Over four-fifths of the companies display products and services (93.2%) and company overview (86.1%) information. Roughly three-fourths of the companies present interactive feedback (79.3%) and what's new (71.1%). Less than one-third (26.2%) of Fortune 500 companies provide for online business. An analysis of the data also provides valuable insight into the future trends of home page usage by large business organizations.

Few researchers have attempted to model group support system meeting behavior mathematically. Using Abductive Information Modeling (AIM), we show that group size and idea generation type are primary predictors of group process satisfaction. While similar to artificial neural networks, abduction frequently provides simpler models and yields weights for links among the model variables. Results show that the interrelationships among the model variables are non-linear.

This study provides information and direction regarding the skills needed by current and future information systems (IS) professionals. Based on information gathered in 1978, 1987, and 1988 through structured interviews with a total of one-hundred-eighty senior information systems managers responsible for planning, training, and hiring IS personnel, the trends in the current and future usefulness to project managers, systems analysts/designers, and programmers of twenty dimensions of knowledge, skill, and ability are evaluated. The results indicate that senior IS managers believe that human factors and managerial knowledge, skills, and abilities have and will continue to increase in importance for all IS professionals, particularly for project managers. The findings also confirm the increasing need to personnel with knowledge of advanced technologies and an increased awareness of the value of information as a corporate resource. Collectively, the results suggests a clearer division of labor among IS professionals, precipitated by advances in technology and their application to ever increasingly complex and ill-structured problems.

We offered a new perspective on communication in computer-mediated environments by examining communicative practices used during discussion in an online financial forum about a listed company that was experiencing abnormal trading behavior. The analysis of communicative practices showed how the linguistic nature of the online forum allowed covert manipulation of inexperienced and unsuspecting forum participants – against all the norms and rules governing online financial forums. Based on our theoretical understanding of communicative practices, we found a discrepancy between the expectations of and the actual divergence from an ideal communicative environment free from distortion and manipulation that is normally assumed to govern online forums. The discrepancy, which remains largely concealed, can be seen as a major factor in the negative implications of online financial forums.

This study identifies evaluative, attitudinal, and behavioral factors that enhance or reduce the likelihood of consumers aborting intended online transactions (transaction abort likelihood). Path analyses show that risk perceptions associated with e-shopping have direct influence on the transaction abort likelihood, whereas benefit perceptions do not. In addition, consumers who have favorable attitudes toward e-shopping, purchasing experiences from the Internet, and high purchasing frequencies from catalogs are less likely to abort intended transactions. The results also show that attitude toward e-shopping mediate relationships between the transaction abort likelihood and other predictors (i.e., effort saving, product offering, control in the information search, and time spent on the Internet per visit).

We examined the effect of absorptive capacity of users on their use of ERP in a Korean context. The three components considered were understanding, assimilating, and applying ERP knowledge. We found that the capacities of users to assimilate and apply the knowledge had both direct and indirect effects on its value. The users’ ability to understand ERP knowledge was found to influence its performance by their assimilating and applying the knowledge. We also found that organizational support moderated the relationship between their absorptive capacity and performance.

The hypothesis that absorptive capacity leads to greater innovation/productivity has been supported at the country, inter-organizational, organizational, and group levels. We adapted the absorptive capacity concept to individuals engaged in IT enabled engineering work, which is a situated and emergent phenomenon that requires individuals to posses or develop ability to acquire new task and computer knowledge; use or develop analytical and intuitive problem solving skills to assimilate and integrate these two types of knowledge; and apply them to their work.A model was developed linking the absorptive capacity of individuals, through enhanced IT utilization for problem solving/decision support, to task innovation and productivity. It was tested using a sample of 208 engineers using computers in their work. The results suggested that using IT innovatively and productively in such a work environment requires a mix of task knowledge, computer knowledge, and problem solving modalities.

The process of information requirements determination requires effective communication between systems analysts and users of the system to be developed. The analyst's ability to discover user requirements is partially determined by the analyst's familiarity with and ability to communicate in the user's domain of knowledge and discourse. One such aspect of the user knowledge domain is concrete terminology versus more abstract, conceptual understanding. This paper documents the results of an experiment which compared knowledge representation used by analysts in a systems development discovery task. We hypothesized that the discovery task would be more effective when the analyst's representation was biased toward the concrete. We found that systems analysts whose initial representation was a physical data flow diagram (concrete) made more correct modifications and fewer errors than systems analysts who started with a logical data flow diagram (abstract). The two groups used the same amount of time for each of the sub-tasks. These results indicate that analyst knowledge and use of concrete terms in the user knowledge domain is of more utility in the discovery task than abstract, conceptual domain knowledge.

In spite of continuous organizational efforts and investments, computer abuse shows no sign of decline. According to social control theory (SCT), “organizational trust” can help prevent it by enhancing insiders’ involvement in computer abuse. The aim of our study was to develop a new integrative model for analyzing computer abuse through assessing the role of Self Defense Intention (SDI) and Induction Control Intention (ICI). The results show that deterrence factors influence SDI and organizational factors significantly affect ICI and ICI decreases insiders’ abuse. Interestingly, SDI negatively affects both insiders’ and invaders’ abuses.

The task of scheduling, especially when it affects the performance of people, is a very complex endeavor. Satisfying a variety of needs and requirements while maintaining standards for efficiency and effectiveness is difficult due to political pressures exerted by those who are scheduled. The assignment of courses to professors, timeblocks, and classrooms impacts strategic planning issues such as the need for new buildings, expansion of course offerings and admission policies. This paper describes an interactive computer system made of three interrelated subsystems: the database which stores the course, professor, and classroom information; the modeling subsystem which includes all of the mathematical models used to produce the schedules, and the dialog subsystem which is designed to allow the user to change the database, execute the models to change assignments at any time, and input priorities or other subjective inputs to produce schedules. This paper also describes analysis, design, and implementation issues that arose during the creation of a Decision Support System (DSS) to aid administrators in course scheduling activities. The constraining effects of the political environment upon decision-making and DSSs are treated through the discussion of policies and their effect on DSS design. Examples from the Spring 1985 schedule of the Anderson Schools are used to expound on the issues.

A survey was conducted on 322 new MIS doctoral graduates in the USA to investigate their profiles, qualifications, research and teaching interests, and job placement during the two years of their graduation. Several important findings emerged: the MIS candidates are found to be more experienced in teaching and productive in research publication than previously; more candidates are found to be interested in teaching MIS, Systems Analysis and Design, and Decision Support Systems; Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems are found to be the most intensive research areas of recent MIS graduates; the average salary for new MIS hires, on a 9-month basis, was found to be slightly above $50,000; and finally their degree stage, gender, proceedings publication, and DSS/AI/ES specialty are found to be significant factors in affecting job placement.

The proliferation of information technology (IT) in supporting highly specialized tasks and services has made it increasingly important to understand the factors essential to technology acceptance by individuals. In a typical professional setting, the essential characteristics of user, technology, and context may differ considerably from those in ordinary business settings. This study examined physicians’ acceptance of telemedicine technology. Following a theory comparison approach, it evaluated the extent to which prevailing intention-based models, including the technology acceptance model (TAM), the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and an integrated model, could explain individual physicians’ technology acceptance decisions. Based on responses from more than 400 physicians, both models were evaluated in terms of overall fit, explanatory power, and their causal links. Overall, findings suggest that TAM may be more appropriate than TPB for examining technology acceptance by individual professionals and that the integrated model, although more fully depicting physicians’ technology acceptance, may not provide significant additional explanatory power. Also, instruments developed and repeatedly tested in prior studies involving conventional end-users and business managers may not be valid in professional settings. Several interesting implications are also discussed.

The article reports the results of a survey on the optimal legal way to protect developers' rights to their intellectual property in the US. Two groups were incorporated: software developers and attorneys. The majority of both groups favor copyright as the legal method, but attorneys prefer patenting with a longer protection period. There is no difference between the groups with respect to the desired length of copyright protection. Majorities in both groups prefer the current period of 75 years for corporations. By comparing information from 1992 and 1996, we find that software developers now are more in favor of protection of user interfaces. We found little differences between the groups regarding different categories of software. We also found high proportions of support for protection of source and object codes. Both groups prefer stronger protection for systems than application software. Attorneys, more than developers, favored greater protection for application software than for game software. We expected software developers to favor regulations that would force owners of systems software to offer their creation to any interested party for equal terms. To our surprise, there was significantly more support for this idea among attorneys than among the developers. Majorities in both groups support a special law for protection of software intellectual property.

My study extended TAM to include individuals’ intention to use mobile wireless technology (MWT). It added two new constructs, Perceived Cost Savings and Company's Willingness to Fund, and two causal relationships, Job Relevance and Experience, as moderating effects. The 286 sets of data collected in an online survey were tested against the model using SEM. Results supported my new model: the new constructs and variables accounted for 62.7% of the variance found in an individual's behavioral intention to use MWT. The path coefficients between the constructs ranged from 0.26 to 0.85 also supporting the model.

The business-to-consumer aspect of electronic commerce (EC) is the most visible business use of the World Wide Web (WWW). A virtual store allows companies to provide product information and offer direct sales to their customers through an electronic channel. The fundamental problem motivating this study is that: in order for a virtual store to compete effectively with both physical stores and other online retailers, there is an urgent need to understand the factors that entice consumers to use it. This research attempted to provide both theoretical and empirical analyses to explain consumers’ use of a virtual store and its antecedents.By applying the technology acceptance model (TAM) and innovation diffusion theory (IDT), this research took an extended perspective to examine consumer behavior in the virtual store context. The data from a survey of online consumers was used empirically to test the proposed research model. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model, and the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to evaluate the causal model. The implication of the work to both researchers and practitioners is discussed.

The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), a model of the user acceptance of IT, synthesizes elements from several prevailing user acceptance models. It has been credited with explaining a larger proportion of the variance of ‘intention to use’ and ‘usage behavior’ than do preceding models. However, it has not been validated in non-Western cultures. Using a survey sample collected from 722 knowledge workers using desktop computer applications on a voluntary basis in Saudi Arabia, we examined the relative power of a modified version of UTAUT in determining ‘intention to use’ and ‘usage behavior’. We found that the model explained 39.1% of intention to use variance, and 42.1% of usage variance. In addition, drawing on the theory of cultural dimensions, we hypothesized and tested the similarities and differences between the North American and Saudi validations of UTAUT in terms of cultural differences that affected the organizational acceptance of IT in the two societies.

We investigated the effect of playfulness on user acceptance of online retailing and tested the relationship between Web quality factors and user acceptance behavior. A survey of 942 users of Web-based online retailing was conducted to test our model.The results showed that playfulness plays an important role in enhancing user attitude and behavioral intention to use a site. We also found that Web quality, categorized into system, information, and service quality, had a significant impact on the perceived ease of use, playfulness, and usefulness, and consequently, that it encouraged website use in the context of online retailing.Our study thus provided a balanced and integrative framework for determining Web quality. It enhanced our knowledge of the effect of playfulness, which should help Web practitioners and researchers better understand user behavior in Web-based online retailing.

With the rapid change in all types of working environment, there is a need to implement electronic learning (e-learning) systems to train people in new technologies, products, and services. However, the large investment in e-learning has made user acceptance an increasingly critical issue for technology implementation and management. Although user acceptance received fairly extensive attention in prior research, efforts were needed to examine or validate previous results, especially in different technologies, user populations, and/or organizational contexts. We therefore proposed a new construct, perceived credibility, to examine the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in explaining engineers’ decisions to accept e-learning, and address a pragmatic technology management issue. Based on a sample of 140 engineers taken from six international companies, the results strongly support the extended TAM in predicting engineers’ intention to use e-learning.

Previous studies on technology adoption disagree regarding the relative magnitude of the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. However these studies did not consider moderating variables. We investigated four potential moderating variables – perceived risk, technology type, user experience, and gender – in users’ technology adoption. Their moderating effects were tested in an empirical study of 161 subjects. Results showed that perceived risk, technology type, and gender were significant moderating variables. However the effects of user experience were marginal after the variance of errors was removed.

As more information technology (IT) is deployed in organizations, it is important to understand its impact on individual performance and organizational productivity. Most past research has concentrated on identifying determinants of computer acceptance. This may be inadequate in determining the value and return on investment due to IT. Organizations are able to deploy IT more effectively if the consequences of its acceptance are obviously valuable. This study seeks to investigate the implications and consequences of IT acceptance by examining the relationships between IT acceptance and its impact on the individual user. The research model involves three components: user satisfaction, system usage, and individual impact. It is hypothesized that user satisfaction and system usage affect individual impact and that usage partially mediates the effect of satisfaction on individual impact.A comprehensive questionnaire on computer acceptance was used to collect data from 625 employees of a large organization in Singapore. The results suggest that user satisfaction is an important factor affecting system usage and that user satisfaction has the strongest direct effect on individual impact. The results also demonstrate the importance of system usage in mediating the relationship of user satisfaction on individual impact.

This paper presents an extension to the technology acceptance model (TAM) and empirically examines it in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation environment. The study evaluated the impact of one belief construct (shared beliefs in the benefits of a technology) and two widely recognized technology implementation success factors (training and communication) on the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use during technology implementation. Shared beliefs refer to the beliefs that organizational participants share with their peers and superiors on the benefits of the ERP system.Using data gathered from the implementation of an ERP system, we showed that both training and project communication influence the shared beliefs that users form about the benefits of the technology and that the shared beliefs influence the perceived usefulness and ease of use of the technology. Thus, we provided empirical and theoretical support for the use of managerial interventions, such as training and communication, to influence the acceptance of technology, since perceived usefulness and ease of use contribute to behavioral intention to use the technology.

TAM specifies a pathway of technology acceptance, from external variables to beliefs, attitudes, and system usage. We tested one of its assumptions that the ‘perceived ease-of-use’ and ‘perceived usefulness’ constructs fully mediate the influence of external variables on usage behaviors. Using a survey of 125 employees of a U.S. Government agency we found, contrary to the normally accepted assumption, that external variables could have direct effects on usage behavior over and above their indirect effects. We also found that TAM is significantly and consistently better at predicting frequency than volume of usage.

Based on the belief–attitude–performance chain, this study combines Davis’s technology acceptance model (TAM) and the information behavior model to develop an extended TAM for Internet use. The theoretical model was tested via a questionnaire survey of 203 Taiwanese office workers. The empirical results not only confirmed TAM, but also showed that the relevance of information needs strongly determines perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user attitudes toward Internet use for information seeking, as well as strongly influencing individual performance during the information use stage. More importantly, relevance has greater positive effect on perceived performance and perceived usefulness for enterprise Intranet users than for simple/interactive Intraweb users. Enterprise Intranet users have more positive attitudes toward the Internet and more positive perceptions of system effectiveness for supporting office tasks than simple/interactive Intraweb users. Furthermore, perceived ease of use is the strongest determinant of user attitude toward Internet use in both enterprise Intranet and simple/interactive Intraweb applications. Overall, the extended TAM explains the behavior of enterprise Intranet users better than that of simple/interactive Intraweb users. Limitations of this study are discussed.

Selecting the appropriate mix of functional and/or interface characteristics to achieve user acceptance has proven to be a more challenging and difficult decision than expected. While numerous studies have shown that the technology acceptance model (TAM) is useful for predicting acceptance, estimates of its structural weights are not consistent across studies. Using initial exposure data from 742 users of office suite applications (i.e., spreadsheet, database, word processing, and graphics), our research illustrated the use of multi-group analysis of structural invariance (MASI) to test differences in structural weights across population subgroups for latent variables in TAM. We argue that, for large sample studies containing latent variables, MASI may be a more appropriate test of differences for structural weights/regression coefficients than analysis of covariance. The managerial implications of the results in setting functionality and interface goals and allocating resources to continued development efforts are discussed.

Hedonic digital artifacts have become prevalent in today's society. Their users typically pay for them, and in exchange are generally provided with benefits involving enjoyment. Today's research on technology adoption and use, though, has focused mostly on organizational or personal aids that provide efficiency and effectiveness and are free of charge for users. To bridge this gap, we identified several value drivers of hedonic digital artifacts and measured them in the context of mobile phone ringtones using the theory of consumption values. Hypothesis testing was performed using PLS on data collected from 422 ringtone users. Results confirmed that the overall value of hedonic digital artifacts is a third-order composite assessment, which successfully predicted behavioral usage and positive word-of-mouth intentions. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

The results of studies concerning the effect of personality variables on the successful implementation of management science recommendations have been equivocal. Although several studies in the past have shown significant effect of personality variables, recently a few studies have shown that lack of any impact due to these variables. Very few studies have considered the effect of dogmatism which has been shown in psychological literature as a powerful restrictor in entertaining new ideas and suggestions for decision making. Our study examines the effect of dogmatism and cognitive styles in choosing management science recommendations. The results show the need for special efforts required in choosing report format and style to suit different categories of individuals with varying cognitive skills and level of open-mindedness. Even subtle variations seem to produce the difference between success and failure of implementation.

Derived from the theory of reasoned action, the technology acceptance model (TAM) focuses on two specific salient beliefs—ease of use and usefulness. It has been applied in the study of user adoption of different technologies, and has emerged as a reliable and robust model. However, this has not discouraged researchers from incorporating additional constructs to the original model in their quest for increased predictive power. Here, an attempt is made in the context of explaining consumer intention to use on-line shopping. Besides ease of use and usefulness, compatibility, privacy, security, normative beliefs, and self- efficacy are included in an augmented TAM. A test of this model, with data collected from 281 consumers, show support for seven of nine research hypotheses. Specifically, compatibility, usefulness, ease of use, and security were found to be significant predictors of attitude towards on-line shopping, but privacy was not. Further, intention to use on-line shopping was strongly influenced by attitude toward on-line shopping, normative beliefs, and self-efficacy.

Service level is considered to be the most important criterion in evaluating application services. In our study we empirically investigated how perceived service level (PSL) influenced healthcare workers’ willingness to use application service oriented medical records. In particular, we extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) by embedding PSL as a causal antecedent. We found that PSL explained 61% of the variation in ease of use, which is twice as much as our current understanding. We also found that TAM was validated when tested in isolation but failed within the larger nomological network. We provided an explanation based on the notion of conditional independence. We further applied TETRAD III to explore the phenomenon and discovered two spurious associations in TAM, successfully confirming the explanation.

As much of the work of service employees is supported by IT, the quality of the service often depends on how the technology is used. Most employees only use a fraction of the functionality available on their desk-top. This may also depend on their personality. We performed research on the relationship of personality and technology acceptance.In our study we combined the technology readiness index (TRI) and TAM into one model. Specifically, we measured the relation between TRIs personality trait dimensions – optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity – and the cognitive dimensions of TAM. Data was collected from 810 employees of a multi-site financial service provider. Analysis revealed that personality traits had the expected impact on user perceptions. Surprisingly, Innovativeness was negatively related to usefulness.

This study develops an extended model to predict consumer acceptance of electronic-shopping (e-shopping) based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Our model was tested using data collected from 212 questionnaires and analyzed using multiple regression. The results show that individual attitudes toward e-shopping are strongly and positively correlated with user acceptance. The empirical results confirmed that perceived ease of use of trading on-line (PEOUT) and perceived usefulness (PU) significantly determine individual attitudes toward e-shopping, as well as confirming the significant effect of perceived ease of use of the Web on PEOUT, which in turn affects PU. However, PU was not found to affect user acceptance significantly. Additionally, user satisfaction with the Internet/WWW and perceptions of information, system and service were shown to affect user acceptance significantly. Overall, the proposed model could be used to predict consumer willingness to shop on the Web.

Understanding user acceptance of the Internet, in particular user acceptance of general information-searching sites, is important in assessing its effectiveness. Such sites provide users with various information options while navigating the Internet. A well-designed general information-searching site helps to ensure a positive user experience and therefore repeat usage. This study extended existing research into user acceptance of the Internet. It explored the antecedents of Playfulness. Results indicated that website characteristics play a dominant role in influencing a user’s experience of Playfulness and that cognitive aspects and motivations for searching are also important. Implications are discussed.

A statistical meta-analysis of the technology acceptance model (TAM) as applied in various fields was conducted using 88 published studies that provided sufficient data to be credible. The results show TAM to be a valid and robust model that has been widely used, but which potentially has wider applicability. A moderator analysis involving user types and usage types was performed to investigate conditions under which TAM may have different effects. The study confirmed the value of using students as surrogates for professionals in some TAM studies, and perhaps more generally. It also revealed the power of meta-analysis as a rigorous alternative to qualitative and narrative literature review methods.

This paper presents a Business-Oriented Model of Factors that affect the adoption of wireless High Speed Data Services (HSDS). We reviewed business IT acceptance literature and developed an explorative survey of a sample of twelve companies in Europe and USA. From this, a theoretical model was created and hypotheses were formulated. Data were then collected on a sample of 1545 companies in USA and Europe. Based on these results, we developed a model that combined the key ideas of both TAM and TTF and showed that both were necessary in predicting wireless High Speed Data Service adoption.

Computer self-efficacy (CSE) is a person's judgment of his or her ability to use a computer system. We investigated cognitive engagement, prior experience, computer anxiety, and organizational support as determinants of CSE in the use of a multimedia ERP system's training tool. We also examined the impact of CSE on its acceptance. We determined the benefits of a sequential multi-method approach using structural equation modeling and neural network analysis. High reliability predictions of individual CSE were achieved with a sequential multi-method approach. Specifically, we obtained almost 68% perfect CSE group prediction overall, with almost 85% perfect CSE group prediction using fuzzy sets and over 94% accuracy within one group classification. The resulting CSE assessment and classification enables management interventions, such as allocating users to appropriate instruction for more effective training.

Understanding the factors that contribute to the success of systems implementation efforts is a central concern in the field of information systems (IS). One key factor to which many implementation problems have been attributed is user resistance to change. Different types of systems tend to be associated with different organizational functions and classes of users, and thus may be resisted for different reasons. This paper reports the results of a study investigating the link between resistance reasons and system types and assessing managerial perceptions of the relative importance of various strategies for promoting acceptance in the context of those types. Surveying 66 managers in a variety of organizations, our results suggest that decision support systems (DSS) and transaction processing systems (TPS) are resisted for different reasons, and that promotion strategy effectiveness also differs. Additionally, our study attempts to make explicit, based on system type, key reasons for user resistance and the remedies designed to promote acceptance. This improves our overall understanding of the resistance phenomenon and guides analysts in selecting an appropriate strategy for a given system type.

Using a modified TAM as a conceptual framework and SEM for analysis, we determined the factors influencing the adoption of Internet Protocol Television by surveying 320 consumers. The modifications involved new constructs that incorporated user-perceived control and security in the model. The perceived quality of the content and system were found to have a significant effect on perceived usefulness and perceived playfulness. In addition, perceived control was found to have a significant effect on both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. A significant relationship was also found between consumer-perceived security and intention. Also consumers regarded price as a main driver for switching TV services. We discuss the significance of this observation in the context of the emerging trend of technology convergence and importance in acquiring customer preference and other strategies.

During the past decade, two significant models of information technology (IT) utilization behavior have emerged in the MIS literature. These two models, the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the task–technology fit model (TTF), provide a much needed theoretical basis for exploring the factors that explain software utilization and its link with user performance. These models offer different, though overlapping perspectives on utilization behavior. TAM focuses on attitudes toward using a particular IT which users develop based on perceived usefulness and ease of use of the IT. TTF focuses on the match between user task needs and the available functionality of the IT. While each of these models offers significant explanatory power, a model that integrates constructs from both may offer a significant improvement over either model alone. We discuss the theoretical foundation of both these models and present a theoretical rationale for an integrated model. The result is an extension of TAM to include TTF constructs. We test our integrated IT utilization model using path analysis. Our integrated model provides more explanatory power than either model alone. Research using the integrated model should lead to a better understanding of choices about using IT.