Clean technology adoption in the context of climate change: Application in the mineral products industry

With the adoption/diffusion of clean technologies, it is possible to reach most of the required amount of emission reduction to address climate change. In this regard, identifying its variables and understanding the adoption process deeply will help to accelerate clean technology adoption (CTA) and develop effective policies and strategies on clean technologies. The aim of this study is to determine the CTA process through a new model based on the Technology-Organization-Environment Framework (TOE) applied to mineral products industry in Turkey. The results revealed that the CTA is considerably affected by technological and organizational factors but not by external environmental factor. Among these factors, complexity, relative advantage and compatibility of the technology, human resource quality and firm vision are listed as key. In addition, the results showed a difference between CTA levels in terms of technological and organizational factors, and CTA is positively affected by the level of R&D activities of the firm.     

Exploring behavioural intentions toward smart healthcare services among medical practitioners: a technology transfer perspective

Recently, a variety of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven smart healthcare services are rapidly emerging in the medical market, such as intelligent image analysis, surgical navigation systems, and aided diagnosis. However, one of the major challenges is practitioners’ hesitation and unwillingness to employ these new technologies in medical practice. This study focuses on identifying the influential factors of adoption intention of smart healthcare services for both clinicians and non-clinicians from the perspective of technology transfer. Through collecting 484 questionnaire data from doctors in Anhui, China, we find support to show that perceived usefulness (PU), attitude, and the experience of using mHealth are key factors that influence both clinicians and non-clinician’s adoption intention. Meanwhile, it is confirmed that subjective norm has a positive effect on only clinicians’ behavioural intention (BI) while perceived risk (PR) has a negative impact on only non-clinicians’ attitude. Among all the constructs, the experience of using mHealth has the strongest positive effect on doctors’ adoption intention on smart healthcare services, a positive impact on the PU and perceived ease of use, and a negative impact on the PR. This study provides an improved understanding of doctors’ BI of smart healthcare services, and practice guidance for product development and marketing strategies.     

Factors affecting the adoption and use of AVR technology in higher and tertiary education

The research study assesses the factors that determine the adoption of Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR) technology in Higher and Tertiary Education. In spite of the well-established potential benefits of AVR technology in education, it appears that most Higher and Tertiary Institutions have not holistically adopted it as a method of teaching and learning. Thus, it is important to investigate the reasons why AVR has not been adopted. Inductive qualitative research was conducted virtually with the aid of a questionnaire instrument. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to establish the determinants for the adoption of AVR Technology. The research study found out that the main reasons for the lack of adoption of AVR technology were due to the lack of coordinating policies; lack of enabling infrastructures; perceived complexity of the use of AVR technology and a lack of a framework that guides the holistic as well as homogenous adoption of AVR technology in Higher and Tertiary Education. The research concluded that an AVR technology was necessary and should factor in the barriers to adoption. The study recommends inter-professional working of key players such as the Ministry of Higher Education (in endorsing an AVR technology model), the lecturers (using and encouraging AVR technology), and the students (active participation and use of AVR technology to learn). Prior to this study, the aspect of inter-professional working as a solution to the adoption and use of AVR in Higher and Tertiary Education had not been explored. However, more still needs to be done within Virtual Training and the development of an AVR model for teaching and learning.     

疫情防控下基于老龄病患的医疗服务设计研究

基于老龄病患的医疗服务设计是人文关怀下的设计伦理,老年人在生理与心理上相较于常人具有特殊性,医疗空间与医护环境的设计应考虑到通用化设计、情感化设计因素,降低病患对环境的陌生感,增强就医体验,关注“情感无障碍”设计与关爱设计的融入。伴随信息技术与通信技术的进步,5G通信、物联网、智能穿戴、无人智能设备等技术已普遍应用于医护工作,但在对于老龄病患的医护工作中应考虑到老年人的使用需求和习惯,注重设备的可操控性和易用性,避免老龄病患因信息传达障碍导致的负面就医体验,做到高效与安全就医。     

Understanding the use of mobile banking in rural areas of Brazil

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the adoption of mobile banking by farmers and some of its potential determining factors. Our sample comprises 115 complete questionnaires answered through the paper-and-pencil method. The respondents are farmers who have properties located close to 20 different cities in Brazil, specifically in the state of Minas Gerais. We employed the confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the constructs and the structural equation modeling to test the study hypotheses. The main results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and trust are the main constructs related to the use of mobile banking by the farmers who answered the questionnaire. However, the relationship between social influence and the use of mobile banking was negative. This result is opposite to the one usually found in the literature. This research contributes to expand the understanding about the benefits of information technology to the financial routine of farmers, since they operate in a relevant economic sector in Brazil.     

Understanding the Blockchain technology adoption in supply chains-Indian context

Blockchain technology (BT) is expected to bring a revolutionary paradigm shift in the manner the transactions are carried in the supply chains. BT provides better visibility and transparency by removing the disadvantages of trust related issues in a supply chain. In this paper, we advance the literature on BT and its adoption in the supply chain by developing, and statistically validating a model for understanding the user perceptions on BT adoption. The model is based on the integration of three adoption theories- technology acceptance model (TAM), technology readiness index (TRI) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Based on a survey of 181 supply chain practitioners in India the proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling. The study found that the TRI constructs- Insecurity and discomfort have an insignificant effect on the perceived ease of use and usefulness. Perceived usefulness, attitude, and perceived behavioural control affect the behavioural intention. Subjective norm has a negligible impact on behavioural intention. This is one of the preliminary studies on BT adoption in supply chain and the findings imply that the supply chain practitioners perceive BT adoption free of efforts and would help them to derive maximum benefits for improving the supply chain effectiveness.     

Factors that influence users’ adoption intention of mobile health: a structural equation modeling approach

Mobile health represents the future trend of health care due to its great potential in improving health care efficiency, accessibility and quality. It is particularly beneficial for chronic disease patients who require long-term and regular services. To improve the products, mobile health developers need to understand patient needs, values and preferences, and assess the key factors that influence their mobile health adoption intentions. This study focuses on identifying the influential factors of patients’ adoption intention of m-Health. A structural equation model is constructed, and the confirmatory factor analysis and standard path coefficient are used to explore the key factors in chronic disease patients’ adoption process of m-Health. The results show that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have the strongest positive effect on patients’ adoption intention. Meanwhile, subjective norm, existing degree of satisfaction, network effect, and cost factor also influence adoption intention. Finally, the House of Quality method is used to examine the relative importance of various properties of m-Health. The Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch method is applied to resolve the contradictions between these properties. Our study offers important insights for mobile health developers on how to optimally design a product, thereby increasing users’ adoption intention and overall satisfaction.     

老年人在线学习平台使用意愿及设计策略研究

目的 针对人口老龄化问题,从老年人在线学习平台使用意愿及其影响因素入手,结合现有学习平台的特征,探求老年人在线学习平台的设计策略,进而增强老年人的使用意愿,使在线教育的价值得以体现。方法 首先,以文献研究为基础,结合扩展技术接受模型与创新扩散理论构建使用意愿影响因素假设模型;其次,选取研究对象进行问卷调研,并对数据进行信效度分析;最后,运用结构方程模型分析老年人在线学习平台使用意愿的主要因素和内在因果关系。结果 感知有用性与兼容性直接影响用户的使用意愿;感知易用性、感知自主性、内容质量则间接影响用户的使用意愿。结论 根据各因素导向,提出增强老年人在线学习平台用户体验设计策略,包含有效性原则、简易性原则、胜任性原则、一致性原则,以期为在线学习平台的适老化设计与改造提供有效依据。     

Environmental air pollution management system: Predicting user adoption behavior of big data analytics

This study has a dual purpose: to explore the novel phenomenon of a big data analytics-environmental air pollution (BDA-EAP) management system, and to propose a research model of factors influencing adoption of such a system. The research model is based on task-technology fit (TTF) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) concepts. A comprehensive BDA-EAP management system is proposed and the potential adoption speed of such a system evaluated by sending structured questionnaires to the employees of relevant environmental agencies, yielding 412 valid responses, using the structural equation modeling approach. The results of the study predict that factors of TTF including task characteristics and technology characteristics are strong influencers of TTF, and TTF is a strong predictor of the behavioral intention of users to adopt a BDA-EAP management system. The results demonstrated that the combination of TTF and UTAUT is a stronger predictor of behavioral intention than either TTF or UTAUT alone. Furthermore, resistance to change negatively moderates and extrinsic motivation positively moderates the significant positive relationship between behavioral intention and adoption of a BDA-EAP management system. Meanwhile, behavioral intention, resistance to change, and extrinsic motivation have a significant three-way interaction impact on adoption of a BDA-EAP management system such that an increase in users’ extrinsic motivation will decrease the negative impact of resistance to change during the process of adoption. The study findings contribute to the literature regarding the use of BDA to manage EAP, and provide a basis for future research in this area.     

Examination of trust and sustainability concerns in autonomous vehicle adoption

The latest developments regarding autonomous vehicles (AVs) have drawn the attention of tech-savvy individuals and marketers. AVs are expected to cause a major change in the markets of vehicle selling, transportation and logistics. Therefore, it is crucial to understand consumer acceptance so that the companies in these markets can develop their penetration strategies accordingly and technology companies can shape their technology development strategies. This study aims to examine individuals' adoption attitudes toward AVs by considering trust and sustainability concerns. This was achieved by expanding the technology acceptance model (TAM). A survey of 391 participants was conducted and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results confirmed previous technology acceptance models by showing the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioral intention. Moreover, the direct and indirect effects of trust on behavioral intention were also shown. This study provides evidence to extend the TAM to the adoption of AVs by uncovering individuals’ sustainability concerns.     

Developing a general extended UTAUT model for M-payment adoption

To determine the most frequent factors that extended the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in the context of Mobile payment (M-payment) adoption, a quantitative meta-analysis approach of 25 studies was undertaken. The results indicated that perceived risk, perceived trust, perceived cost, and self-efficacy were the most frequent factors that achieved significant results in the surveyed studies. Accordingly, this study is an attempt to extend the UTAUT model with these factors; proposing a general extended UTAUT model for M-payment adoption. The proposed model is validated using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The data were collected from a total of 436 M-payment users in Oman. The results indicated that the best predictor of M-payment users’ intention to use the M-payment system is performance expectancy, followed by social influence, effort expectancy, perceived trust, perceived cost, and self-efficacy, respectively. Nonetheless, perceived risk was found to have an insignificant negative impact on the behavioral intention to use M-payment systems. The conclusions derived from this study enhance the understanding of the factors determining the adoption of M-payment systems in Oman.     

数字化科普展品用户的行为意向研究

目的探究影响数字化科普展品用户行为意向的因素,促进数字化科普展品的创新设计发展。方法基于技术接受模型,结合产品创新度和用户体验,构建数字化科普展品用户的行为意向理论模型,探讨产品创新度、感知有用、感知易用、用户体验与行为意向的影响关系。根据数字化科普展品用户的行为意向理论模型设计量表和问卷,并进行实证研究,通过结构方程模型对理论模型进行验证。结论感知有用和用户体验显著正向地影响行为意向;产品创新度显著正向地影响感知有用、感知易用和用户体验;感知易用对感知有用和行为意向不存在显著影响关系。产品创新度是数字化科普展品用户的行为意向的关键影响因素,为数字化科普展品的设计创新研究提供一定的理论参考及建议。     

文化遗产类AR中用户使用意愿影响因素研究

目的 构建文化遗产类AR中用户使用意愿模型,探究影响用户使用文化遗产类AR产品的主要因素。方法 基于技术接受模型与心流理论,通过扎根理论的质性研究方法引入临场感、交互性和美学质量三个用户感知因素为外部变量,构建文化遗产类AR中的用户使用意愿理论模型,探讨相关因素与用户使用意愿的映射关系。根据理论模型设计量表进行实证检验。结果 文化遗产类AR中的美学质量、临场感与交互性是衡量用户使用意愿的重要指标;并且用户在文化遗产类AR中对系统的感知有用、易用与心流体验正向影响其使用意愿。结论 心流体验、美学质量、感知易用性、感知有用性、交互性、临场感的关联度由大到小依次影响用户在文化遗产类AR中的使用意愿,是文化遗产类AR中用户使用意愿提升的关键,为文化遗产类AR的设计创新研究提供指引。     

What will it take to adopt smart glasses: A consumer choice based review?

Wearable technologies have become a reality already. Their impact in some fields has already been seen. We explore the factors which are important and help the adoption of these technologies. Specifically we study the adoption factors of smart glasses. Technology adoption process depends on preferences and needs of people who use the systems under study. We explore these phenomenon through two frameworks: Product Characteristics and User Intention Characteristics. The purpose of the first framework is to examine the effects of smart glass design features; Stand-alone device, field of view, interaction, price, and display resolution on user preference through an experimental study and we use conjoint analysis. The second framework explore many more factors such as self-efficacy, anxiety, involvement, risk-task characteristics, enjoyment, usefulness, ease of use, attitude and intention. A web survey supplemented by visual aids was used.     

Evidence-based medicine: is translating evidence into practice a solution to the cost-quality challenges facing medicine?

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) and practice guidelines have been embraced by increasing numbers of scholars, administrators, and medical journalists as an intellectually attractive solution to the dilemma of improving health care quality while reducing costs. However, certain factors have thus far limited the role that EBM might play in resolving cost-quality trade-offs. FACTORS FOR SUCCESS OF EBM RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES: Beyond the quality of the guideline and the evidence base itself, critical factors for success include local clinician involvement, a unified or closed medical staff, protocols that minimize use of clinical judgment and that call for involvement of so-called physician extenders (such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants), and financial incentive. TROUBLESOME ISSUES RELATED TO COST-QUALITY TRADE-OFFS: Rationing presents many dilemmas, but for physicians one critical problem is determining what is the physician's responsibility. Is the physician to be the patient's advocate, or should the physician be the advocate of all patients (the patients' advocate)? How do we get physicians out of potentially conflicted roles? EBM guidelines are needed to help minimize the number of instances physicians are asked to ration care at the bedside. If the public can decide to share and limit resources--presumably based on shared priorities--physicians would have a basis to act as advocates for all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although EBM alone is not a simple solution to the problems of increasing costs and public expectations, it can be an important source of input and information in relating the value of service and medical technology to public priorities.     

Investigating acceptance of telemedicine services through an extended technology acceptance model (TAM)

BackgroundDeveloping countries around the globe are striving continuously to provide free access to health care services. Telemedicine services represent a significantly increasing form of an adequate health care delivery mechanism in developing countries.Research objectiveThis research study was aimed at investigating the factors influencing the acceptance of telemedicine services among the rural population of Pakistan. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as a theoretical framework for this research, with the inclusion of several other antecedents.Research methodA face-to-face survey method was used to collect research data from 275 participants. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) method.ResultsThe findings suggest that usage intention of telemedicine services is a function of perceived ease of use, technological anxiety, social influence, perceived ease of usefulness, trust, facilitating conditions, perceived risk, and resistance to technology.ConclusionsThis research study confirms the applicability of TAM with the inclusion of additional variables to model the adoption of telemedicine services in developing countries. The study offers valuable information for policymakers and health service providers for understanding the facilitators and inhibitors influencing the large scale implementation of telemedicine services. The research findings regarding factors including perceived risk, trust, facilitating conditions and resistance to change can aid in the design and adequate provision of telemedicine services in developing countries.     

Exploring relative deprivation theory in the rice industry: Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) in northern Ghana

The determinants of adoption of technologies are mostly focused on socio-economic and demographic characteristics of farmers, overlooking the impact of corruption and preferential treatments (partisanship, nepotism and tribalism). We extend technology adoption predictors to include preferential treatment, and the results are explained with Relative Deprivation Theory. We used survey data collected from participants and nonparticipants of Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme in 2019. Respondents were rice farmers from three regions (Northern, Savannah and North-East regions) of Northern Ghana. We analysed the data using Systematic Probit Regression model after satisfying variables differential and correlation assumptions. The results revealed that while partisanship and tribalism are significant inverse factors, corruption is an insignificant negative determinant of participation in PFJ. We find nepotism to have a strong positive correlation with participation in PFJ. We recommend that government should plug all the loopholes facilitating corruption and preferential treatment if it intends to increase participation and rice productivity effectively.     

Service transformation under industry 4.0: Investigating acceptance of facial recognition payment through an extended technology acceptance model

Technological development has drastically changed customers' daily lives by offering them new ways to shop. It also creates more opportunities for business to achieve sustainable success; however, both scholars and managers are still having relative difficulty in fully grasping customer behavior in terms of technology acceptance during the Industry 4.0. This study aims to investigate the possible factors that drive Chinese customers' willingness to utilize facial recognition payment. The findings showed that factors such as perceived enjoyment, facilitating conditions, personal innovativeness, coupon availability, perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and users' attitude are main drivers of customers' decisions to use facial recognition payment. Also, we found that gender differences exist in the adoption of facial recognition payment. Facilitating conditions have stronger effects on men's attitude towards usage, while coupon availability shapes female users' perception of usefulness more powerfully. By testing the extended technology acceptance model (TAM), this study seeks to gain more insight into technological change within society. Overall, investigation of the drivers of customer intention to use facial recognition payment, and exploration of their internal relationships will fulfil theoretical requirements and lead to a better understanding of customers' technology acceptance behavior, which in turn will provide greater theoretical and practical guidance for scholars and managers.     

Understanding the determinants of mHealth apps adoption in Bangladesh: A SEM-Neural network approach

Due to the low adoption rate of mHealth apps, the apps designers need to understand the factors behind adoption. But understanding the determinants of mHealth apps adoption remains unclear. Comparatively less attention has been given to the factors affecting the adoption of mHealth apps among the young generation. This study aims to examine the factors influencing behavioral intention and actual usage behavior of mHealth apps among technology prone young generation. The research model has extracted variables from the widely accepted Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) alongside privacy, lifestyles, self-efficacy and trust. Required data were collected from mHealth apps users in Bangladesh. Firstly, this study confirmed that performance expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation and privacy exerted a positive influence on behavioral intention whereas facilitating conditions, self-efficacy, trust and lifestyle had an influence on both behavioral intention and actual usage behavior. Secondly, the Neural Network Model was employed to rank relatively significant predictors obtained from structural equation modeling (SEM). This study contributes to the growing literature on the use of mHealth apps in trying to elevate the quality of patients' lives. The new methodology and findings from this study will significantly contribute to the extant literature of technology adoption and mHealth apps adoption intention especially. Therefore, for practitioners concerned with fostering mHealth apps adoption, the findings stress the importance of adopting an integrated approach centered on key findings of this study.     

E-Learning during COVID-19 Outbreak: Cloud Computing Adoption in Indian Public Universities

In the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the need to adopt cloud computing (CC) applications by education institutions, in general, and higher education (HE) institutions, in particular, has especially increased to engage students in an online mode and remotely carrying out research. The adoption of CC across various sectors, including HE, has been picking momentum in the developing countries in the last few years. In the Indian context, the CC adaptation in the HE sector (HES) remains a less thoroughly explored sector, and no comprehensive study is reported in the literature. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to overcome this research vacuum and examine the factors that impact the CC adoption (CCA) by HE institutions (HEIs) in India. The scope of the study is limited to public universities (PUs) in India. There are, in total, 465 Indian PUs and among these 304 PUs, (i.e., 65% PUs) are surveyed using questionnaire-based research. The study has put forth a novel integrated technology adoption framework consisting of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE), and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) in the context of the HES. This integrated TAM-TOE-DOI framework is utilized in the study to analyze eleven hypotheses concerning factors of CCA that have been tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The findings reveal that competitive advantage (CA), technology compatibility (TC), technology readiness (TR), senior leadership support, security concerns, government support, and vendor support are the significant contributing factors of CCA by Indian PUs. The study contends that whereas the rest of the factors positively affect the PUs’ intention towards CCA, security concerns are a significant reason for the reluctance of these universities against adopting CC. The findings demonstrated the application of an integrated TAM-TOE-DOI framework to assess determining factors of CCA in Indian PUs. Further, the study has given useful insights into the successful CCA by Indian PUs, which will facilitate eLearning and remote working during COVID-19 or similar outbreak.