Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 28, Number 3
Summer 1997
The Role of Innovation Characteristics and Perceived
Voluntariness in the Acceptance of Information Technologies
Ritu Agarwal
Information and Management Sciences Department, College of
Business, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1042,
email: ragarwal@cob.fsu.edu
Jayesh Prasad
Department of MIS and Decision Sciences, University of Dayton,
Dayton, OH 45469-2130, email:
prasad@uhura.mis.udayt
on.edu
ABSTRACT
The often paradoxical relationship between investment in
information technology and gains in productivity has recently been
attributed to a lack of user acceptance of information technology
innovations. Diverse streams of research have attempted to explain
and predict user acceptance of new information technologies. A
common theme underlying these various research streams is the
inclusion of the perceived characteristics of an innovation as key
independent variables. Furthermore, prior research has utilized
different outcomes to represent user acceptance behavior. In this
paper we focus on individual's perceptions about the
characteristics of the target technology as explanatory and
predictive variables for acceptance behavior, and present an
empirical study examining the effects of these perceptions on two
frequently used outcomes in the context of the innovation
represented by the World Wide Web. The two outcomes examined are
initial use of an innovation and intentions to continue such use in
the future, that is, to routinize technology use. Two research
questions motivated and guided the study. First, are the
perceptions that predict initial use the same as those that predict
future use intentions? Our results confirm, as hypothesized by
prior research, that innovation characteristics do explain
acceptance behavior. The results further reveal that the specific
characteristics that are relevant for each acceptance outcome are
different. The second research question asks if perceived
voluntariness plays a role in technology acceptance. Results show
that external pressure has an impact on adopters' acceptance
behavior. Theoretical and practical implications that follow are
presented.
Subject Areas: Information Systems Implementation,
Innovation Characteristics, Innovation Diffusion, Survey Research,
Technology Acceptance, and World Wide Web.
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