Exploring factors affecting Chinese consumers' usage of short message service for personal communication

Abstract. Short message service (SMS) is very popular in China. While many reports indicate that the SMS market has great potential, little is known about why people adopt SMS. This study uses the technology acceptance model and network externalities to examine the factors influencing the adoption of SMS for personal communication in China. Using data collected from 262 mobile phone users, we find that perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived service cost affect SMS use. Perceived network externalities also contribute to higher perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and affect SMS adoption. The results provide insight to SMS marketing strategies.     

A two-staged SEM-neural network approach for understanding and predicting the determinants of m-commerce adoption

The advancement in wireless and mobile technologies has presented tremendous business opportunity for mobile-commerce (m-commerce). This research aims to examine the factors that influence consumers’ m-commerce adoption intention. Variables such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, trust, cost, network influence, and variety of services were used to examine the adoption intentions of consumers. Data was collected from 376 m-commerce users. A multi-analytic approach was proposed whereby the research model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), and the results from SEM were used as inputs for a neural network model to predict m-commerce adoption. The result showed that perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, trust, cost, network influence, and trust have significant influence on consumers’ m-commerce adoption intentions. However, the neural network model developed in this research showed that the best predictors of m-commerce adoption are network influence, trust, perceived usefulness, variety of service, and perceived enjoyment. This research proposed an innovative new approach to understand m-commerce adoption, and the result for this study will be useful for telecommunication and m-commerce companies in formulating strategies to attract more consumers.     

Exploring Factors Affecting the Adoption of Internet of Things Services

The Internet of things (IoT) is seen as a potentially effective means of integrating multiple technologies to improve the quality of life. However, little attention has been paid to factors that may have a significant effect on a user’s intention to use the IoT services. This study applies the value-based adoption model to examine the influences of benefits (i.e. perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment) and sacrifices (i.e. perceived privacy risk and perceived costs) on the user’s perceived value of and intention to use the IoT services. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to a survey of 489 IoT users, with results indicating that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment significantly affect behavioral intention through perceived value. Moreover, perceived privacy risk also plays a key factor in determining IoT adoption. The implications of this study are discussed.     

Web-enabled wireless technology: an exploratory study of adoption and continued use intentions

This study builds upon previous research by comparing and contrasting the decision to adopt wireless technologies with the decision to continue to use wireless technologies. In the context of web-enabled cell phones, we propose, test and compare the predictive ability of two value-based models using a multi-group analysis. The findings suggest that regardless of whether an individual was choosing to adopt or continue to use a web-enabled cell phone, perceived usefulness, enjoyment and perceived fee influenced perceived value. In turn, perceived value influenced the adoption or continued use decision. Technicality had a significant negative effect on perceived value in the context of continued use, but not for adoption. Our results also suggested a shift in the importance of benefits in the formation of perceived value; perceived usefulness played a greater role for adopters, while enjoyment played a better role for continued users. Lastly, our results indicated that uncertainty avoidance did not mediate the relationship between perceived value and intention in either the continued use or adoption contexts, while habit was significant in its mediation of the relationship between perceived value and continued use intention. Collectively, habit and perceived value explained 71% of the variation in continued use intention.     

Predicting m-commerce adoption determinants: A neural network approach

M-commerce has continued to grow at an explosive rate. This purpose of this paper is to examine the predictors of m-commerce adoption by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The extended model incorporates additional constructs such as perceived value, trust, perceived enjoyment and personal innovativeness. A non-linear, non-compensatory model is developed to understand the predictors of m-commerce adoptions. Online survey was used to collect data from 140 Chinese users. Neural network analysis was used to predict m-commerce adoption, and the model was compared with the results from regression analysis. The neural network model outperformed the regression model in adoption prediction, and captured the non-linear relationships between predictors such as perceived value, trust, perceived enjoyment, personal innovativeness, users demographic profiles (e.g. age, gender and educational level), effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions with m-commerce adoption. This study applied neural network to provide further understanding of m-commerce adoption decisions based on a non-linear, non-compensatory model. The UTAUT model was also extended to examine consumer information systems such as m-commerce. The m-commerce study conducted in this research is in China, one of the fastest growing m-commerce markets in the world.     

Teenagers in social virtual worlds: Continuous use and purchasing behavior in Habbo Hotel

Social virtual worlds (SVWs) have become important environments for social interaction. At the same time, the supply and demand of virtual goods and services is rapidly increasing. For SVWs to be economically sustainable, retaining existing users and turning them into consumers are paramount challenges. This requires an understanding of the underlying reasons why users continuously engage in SVWs and purchase virtual items. This study builds upon Technology Acceptance Model, motivational model and theory of network externalities to examine continuous usage and purchase intention and it empirically tests the model with data collected from 2481 Habbo users. The results reveal a strong relationship between continuous usage and purchasing. Further, the results demonstrate the importance of the presence of other users in predicting the purchase behavior in the SVW. Continuous SVW usage in turn is predicted directly by perceived enjoyment and usefulness while the effect of attitude is marginal. Finally, perceived network externalities exert a significant influence of perceived enjoyment and usefulness of the SVW but do not have a direct effect on the continuous usage.     

Understanding the factors affecting online elderly user’s participation in video UCC services

Video user-created content (video UCC) is currently being spotlighted by business practitioners and researchers. However, little consideration is being made on elderly people’s adoption of this innovative service. This paper highlights this issue of elderly online users and discovers the factors affecting their participation decisions in video UCC services. This study introduces elderly-specific constructs such as perceived physical condition (physical age), life course events (psycho-social age), perceived user resources, prior similar experience, and computer anxiety, each reflecting the complex aging process. Then, the relationship between these constructs and the conventional constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM) (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and compatibility) is hypothesized and tested. Data was collected from 290 online users older than 50 years of age. The results show that elderly people are not highly resistant to change and will adopt video UCC if some conditions are satisfied. In addition, elderly-specific variables could be good antecedents for conventional TAM constructs, while having direct effects on the intention construct for some cases (perceived physical condition, life course events, and perceived user resources). We believe the implications of this study are important for both researchers and practitioners.     

An Integrated Model of Voice-User Interface Continuance Intention: The Gender Effect

Advanced speech recognition technology facilitated the development of voice-based smart devices. Voice user interface (VUI) is now a common feature on smartphones, computers, smart home devices, and car systems. The fragmented and context focused literature on VUI motivates this examination of the relationship between perceived quality and customer satisfaction in VUI portable devices. This study is the first to introduce extrinsic motivational factors as an extension to Wixom and Todd’s model. These additional antecedent factors add an enriched explanation of VUI user behavior. This study is also the first to consider the role of gender in a VUI behavior model. Our findings suggest that the proposed driving factors, including trust, perceived risks, perceived enjoyment, and mobile self-efficacy, significantly affect VUI user attitudes, which influence their continuance intention. Our results also address the role of gender on the association of attitude toward VUI use and its antecedents. The findings show that perceived risk (privacy concerns) and perceived ease of use are more influential on VUI use behavior of males than females. However, the effect of trust and mobile self-efficacy play a more crucial role for females than males.     

End-user adoption of animated interface agentsin everyday work applications

Recognizing the potential contribution that interactive software agents bring to everyday work applications, this paper reports on end-user adoption of animated interface agents in one particular work application environment: Microsoft® Office. The paper develops and empirically tests a theoretical model of the factors affecting an end-user's choice to adopt and utilize such interface agents. From this theoretical model, a survey instrument was adapted and administered to 261 participants, familiar with animated interface agents. Results from a partial least squares (PLS) analysis indicates that a variety of factors are at play, which inhibit or foster a person's choice to utilize and adopt animated interface agents. Of significance is that: (a) both perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment are important influencing factors; (b) users with high scores in innovativeness toward information technology are less likely to find animated interface agents enjoyable; (c) individuals with high animation predisposition scores perceive animated interface agents to be more enjoyable; and (d) users who perceive animated interface agents to be more enjoyable also perceive them to be more useful. Such insights can be used to leverage the introduction and rollout of animated interface agents in everyday work applications in ways that promote their avid adoption and use.     

Does Context Matter? The Impact of Use Context on Mobile Internet Adoption

Consumers' perceived value plays a dominant role in determining the adoption of mobile technologies. However, behavior literature suggests that consumer value is context dependent. The current study attempts to understand the effects of use context on consumers' perceived value and adoption of mobile Internet. An adoption model that reflects the unique use context and the utilitarian values (perceived usefulness and perceived mobility) and hedonic values (perceived enjoyment and concentration) of mobile Internet was developed and empirically tested against data collected from 507 mobile Internet users in China. Structural equation analysis results indicate that consumers' values perceptions and adoption decisions are context dependent. The use context fully mediates the effects of utilitarian values and partially mediates the relationship between hedonic values and intention to use mobile Internet. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Factors influencing secondary school teachers’ adoption of teaching blogs

Recently, there has been a significant proliferation in the number of teaching blogs; however, little has been explored about what motivates teachers to adopt teaching blogs. The purpose of this study is to find out which factors can significantly influence teacher decisions regarding their teaching blog adoption and the relative importance of these influences. This study extended Rogers’ (1995) Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) that incorporates relevant factors from two sources: from within individual IT adoption literature and from within blog research literature emphasizing knowledge sharing motivation. The model includes four dimensions (which are individual, innovation technology, school and environmental characteristics) and 14 factors. A total of 325 valid questionnaires were obtained.Discriminant analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that secondary school teachers’ decisions to adopt teaching blogs are strongly associated with eight factors: perceived enjoyment, codification effort, compatibility, perceived ease of use, personal innovativeness, enjoyment in helping others, school support and perceived usefulness, ordered by their relative importance. The research results also have important implications for researchers, secondary school managers and blog services providers.     

How Important Are Enjoyment and Mobility for Mobile Applications?

This article investigates how perceived enjoyment and mobility drive user continuance intentions toward using mobile applications. A second-stage continuance model was developed after a thorough literature review. A survey instrument was deployed to collect data from 584 smartphone users. The model was empirically tested using structural equation modeling procedures. Data analyses show that the salience of disconfirmation and beliefs in enjoyment and mobility serve as the primary driver of the changes in satisfaction and attitude toward continuance intentions. Furthermore, perceived enjoyment, mobility and satisfaction jointly explained over 60% of the variance in post-usage attitude. As an initial effort to revise and test the expanded IS continuance model, this study deepens our understanding of enjoyment and mobility at post-usage stage of mobile experience. It urges mobile application providers to forge continuance by devoting more resources and efforts toward creating a truly enjoyable as well as mobile experience.     

Clarifying the Impact of Social Escapism in Users’ Acceptance for Online Entertaining Services—An Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model Based on Online Karaoke Television Services Users

Despite the fact that the number of online services for entertainment, such as online games, online karaoke singing, etc., has increased, clarification of the impact of social escapism, reflecting users’ social compensation needs, in acceptance of online entertainment services is still lacking. Data from 217 online karaoke television users were gathered and analyzed using structure equation modeling. The empirical results showed that perceived enjoyment helped users’ social escapism and provided a psychological basis.     

Determinants of adoption of mobile games under mobile broadband wireless access environment

Rapid advancements in technology and changes in cost have made the game industry a profitable area. Recently, Mobile Broadband Wireless Access technology-based (MBWA) games have been introduced into the marketplace. They are superior to current mobile games in terms of transmission speed and price and to older online games that have limited mobility. Since MBWA technologies, such as High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) have been developed, customers can enjoy games whenever and wherever they like. We decided to analyze the factors that influence potential users’ adoption of MBWA games using an extension of TAM. Most previous game-related studies lack a comprehensive approach to both technological and psychological aspects of game adoption and do not reflect a variety of consumer preferences. We therefore extended TAM to include an emotion variable and measured the moderating effects of gender, age, and prior experience on game adoption. Overall, the results revealed that the effect of perceived enjoyment was very important but that usefulness did not influence an individual's attitude. In addition, we also find that age can be key moderator of game acceptance.     

Understanding driver adoption of car navigation systems using the extended technology acceptance model

This study proposes an integrated research model for investigating driver adoption of car navigation systems. We consider the potential causal connections between core cognitive and psychological factors and driver intention to use these systems. We extracted possible factors that may significantly affect the perceived usability of car navigation systems from in-depth interviews with two groups of individuals: an expert group and a driver group. Data collected from N?=?1045 drivers via an online survey were analysed by structural equation modelling. The results showed that the service & display quality components of the systems were the most significant determinants of driver attitude and intention to use car navigation systems. Two other factors, namely attitude and perceived usefulness, also had impacts on driver intention. Moreover, both satisfaction and service & display quality were affected by perceived system reliability, while usefulness was affected by both perceived locational accuracy and satisfaction. Satisfaction also significantly affected perceived ease of use. In addition, we introduced new external variables to the technology acceptance model (TAM) and validated the causal connections proposed by the original TAM. The present study provides valuable insights into the core factors that significantly affect driver perspectives of and intention to use car navigation systems.     

E-banking in Jordan

The reasons why some customers use e-banking systems whereas others do not is the problem that motivated this study. This study examines the factors underlying customers' technology adoption based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). E-banking adoption is studied from the information systems acceptance point of view; banking customers use the information system to make financial transactions and hence more knowledge of the factors that affect information technology adoption is useful to better understand and facilitate their acceptance. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, security and trust, Internet experience and enjoyment are the important factors that affect customers' adoption of e-banking in Jordan.     

Exploring the potential effects of emoticons

Instant messaging (IM) has shown signs of becoming one of the main stream communication applications for users, like e-mail. Many people maintain constant contacts with multiple friends and relations via IM simultaneously whenever they are online, whether working on other applications or not. In addition to allowing instant exchange of text information, a unique feature of IM is its use of graphical icons that express emotions, known as emotional icons or emoticons. We explored their potential effects. Our model, based on prior theory and research, was tested using data collected from student users; it was analyzed to reveal potential effects of emoticons on various factors related to the use of IM. Our study used structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis; the results showed that the user of emoticons felt a positive effect on enjoyment, personal interaction, perceived information richness, and perceived usefulness. Our results suggested, however, that emoticons were not just enjoyable to use, but also a valuable addition to communication methods.     

Exploring the impact of use context on mobile hedonic services adoption: An empirical study on mobile gaming in China

Unlike traditional technologies, the use of mobile technology is exposed to shifting use contexts. Use context has frequently been described as an important factor influencing the adoption of mobile innovations. However, empirical evidence about the impact of use context is limited. This paper investigated the effect of use context on the formation of users’ perceptions of mobile hedonic services by using mobile gaming as an example. Through the employment of structural equation modelling technology, an adoption model of mobile gaming is proposed and assessed based on results from 267 questionnaires. The results show that use context is the strongest predictor of mobile game adoption. It directly or indirectly affects all different perceptions of mobile gaming in significant ways, including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, cognitive concentration, attitude and behavioral intention. Additionally, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and cognitive concentration all have a positive influence on the attitudinal variables of mobile game acceptance. We concluded that the formation of people’s perceptions about mobile gaming is conditional and based on the special consideration of certain use contexts. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Text me when it becomes dangerous: Exploring the determinants of college students’ adoption of mobile-based text alerts short message service

Guided by Davis’ (1986) technology acceptance model (TAM) and Brehm’s (1989) reactance theory, this study sought to explore the determinants of college students’ adoption of mobile-based text alert short message service (SMS). The findings of the study supported the primary argument of the model that individuals’ adoption of text alert SMS for emergency preparedness and response should be largely determined by social psychological factors, such as attitude toward, subjective norm associated with, and perceived intrusiveness of the SMS. In addition, the findings demonstrated that subjective norm of and attitude toward the service prompted individuals’ actual adoption whereas intrusiveness of the service served as a distinctive barrier to the actual adoption behavior. Finally, the findings also showed that the probability of adopting the text alert SMS was not directly increased by perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the service, but was indirectly affected by the two antecedents through ones’ attitude toward the use of the SMS. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Interactive TV: VoD meets the Internet

As broadband enters more and more homes, it will allow television to become an e-commerce medium - merging video, voice and transactional data in "television commerce" (t-commerce). T-commerce combines the interactive power of the Internet with traditional TV programming. The driving force behind t-commerce is interactive TV technology