Kallol Kumar Bagchi

An assessment of customers' e-service quality perception, satisfaction and intention

This study examines the dimensions of web service quality based on e-customers, expectations and perceptions. We develop operationalized web service quality constructs, and analyze, their relationships with customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions in an e-business environment. The three identified dimensions of web service quality are perceived risk, web content and service, convenience. One of the major findings of this study is that although less perceived risk may lead to a favorable perception of web service quality, it does not necessarily translate to customer satisfaction, or positive behavioral intentions. Individual PC skill sets may affect perception of service convenience, but seems to have no influence on how customers assess web service quality, customer satisfaction or, behavioral intentions to use the e-service. The indirect or mediating influence of satisfaction on web, service quality and behavioral intentions is indeed stronger than the direct influence of web service, quality on behavioral intentions.

On-line Shopping Behavior: Cross-Country Empirical Research

Electronic commerce is a worldwide phenomenon. Many Internet users browse the Web for information on products and services, but very few actually make purchases on-line. Until now, research on the factors that promote on-line shopping behavior has treated them independently and at the national level. The present study, in contrast, uses cross-country data from 26 nations and analyzes constructs with a structural equation model (SEM). The study finds that the factors of trust and economic conditions, but not educational level and technological savvy, make a significant positive contribution to online shopping behavior. In fact they explain more than 80 percent of the variability in online shopping behavior. Empirical guidelines are provided to help managers select one or more macro-level predictors to explain on-line shopping behavior. Future research opportunities are delineated.

National Culture and Information Technology Product Adoption

Abstract National culture is likely to play a role in Information Technology (IT) adoption. Data from a large scale study of national culture are used to predict the adoption of six information technologies -- PC, Telephone, Cell Phone, Fax, the Internet, and Pager — over a ten year period in thirty one nations. The results show that even after controlling for national economic and social differences, national cultural dimensions significantly predict most IT product adoptions.

Global software piracy: can economic factors alone explain the trend?

Searching for explanations to increasing global software piracy rates.

Factors Contributing to Global Digital Divide: Some Empirical Results

Abstract The present paper investigates the factors that contribute to the problem of digital divide in the global community. The global digital divide is defined as the difference in the value of IT index (comprised of four IT adoption data: the Internet, PC, Cell phone and telephone) of a nation from the U.S. A model is proposed that contains several new indicators, not tried in the literature before. The model is then tested on Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) over a period of time. Results indicate that some of these indicators explain the existence of global digital divide. The study also concludes that the factors that are responsible for such divide are not all common for OECD and ECLAC set of nations and that significances of these indicators also vary over time.

The impact of price decreases on telephone and cell phone diffusion

The diffusion process (the degree of penetration within a region) of telephones and cell phones has proceeded rapidly in most regions, but the factors influencing diffusion rates are still unknown. Using data from six regions (which varied in terms of economic wealth, stage of diffusion, technological and social infrastructures, and institutional policies), and two different technologies (telephone and cell phone) we showed that price-adjusted diffusion models had better explanatory power than pure diffusion models, validating Gurbaxani and Mendelsons model. We found that the impact of price decreases was positive and significant in all regions and for both technologies. Additionally the study showed that the impact of price decreases was stronger for less wealthy regions and for nations with higher developed social infrastructure (as measured by educational level) and greater political stability (as measured by Mauros composite index) after controlling for GDP. We also found that, in general, the price effect was stronger for telephones (an older technology) than for cell phones.

Diffusion of ICT in Developing Countries: A Qualitative Differential Analysis of Four Nations

Abstract This study compares the diffusion of ICT in two sets of matched developing nations: Zimbabwe and Albania, and Namibia and Venezuela. Each pair of developing countries had similar average gross domestic products for the years 1990-1999 but different ICT diffusion levels. Using qualitative analysis, we compared the paired nations on six groups of national-level factors: demographic, economic, regulatory, infrastructural, educational, and affordability factors. The findings indicate that the difference in ICT diffusion may be attributed to factors such as poor infrastructure, income inequality, and adult illiteracy. Regulatory and affordability factors are also possible reasons why the African nations seem to perform differently than their non- African counterparts. This study further reveals that the impact of a given factor depends on the type of ICT in question in at least some of the nations investigated. The model is further tested using most recent ICT diffusion data and is found to produce mostly similar results to those of the original dataset. The paired nation-level qualitative analysis may be more suitable and more relevant than a macro-level regression analysis in certain situations because it is capable of revealing the role of specific factors in a given nation whereas macro-level regression can only reveal the impacts of a set of factors on a group of nations.

Internet use and human values

We use Schwartzs model to explore the impact of values on individual internet use.Study 1 uses 49 developed and emerging nations based on World Value Survey data.Study 2 uses 8 nations developed and emerging based on European Social Survey data.From Study 1 Schwartz-like value types are significant on Internet use in both groups.Study 2: tradition and security are most relevant and different impact in each group. In this study, we use Schwartzs value framework to explore the impact of values on internet use at an individual level. This approach differs from many of the previous studies that report on national level analyses. The gap in the literature arising from the absence of Schwartzs value types in information and communication technologies (ICT) studies calls for investigation of the impact of individual values on ICT use at the individual level. For study 1, we use the set of developing and developed nations, based on World Values Survey data. For study 2, we use eight nations grouped into two economic/cultural clusters (developed and developing) based on the data from the European Social Survey. Study 1 findings indicate that 4 out of 8, 6 out of 8 and 7 out of 8 Schwartz-like human value types are significant for Internet use for developed, developing and all nations respectively, with robust effect sizes. The study 2 findings indicate that for developed nations, Schwartz value types such as conformity, tradition, security, and power are relevant in at least two or more out of the four nations. In the case of the developing nations, achievement, stimulation, self-direction, tradition and security are relevant in at least two or more out of four nations. Tradition and security are the two value types that are most relevant in both groups of nations. These results indicate that value types have different as well as similar impacts in developed and developing nations. Similarities and differences also exist within developed and developing nations. The results show that value types in general and Schwartzs value types in particular, are useful in explaining Internet use. The implications of these findings are discussed and future studies suggested.

The impact of trust and changes in trust

Highlights? We investigate the impact of trust on National Level Adoptions (NLA) of a large number of ICT products, services, and issues, while controlling for GDP. ? The data used was based on three World Value Surveys (WVS) conducted across 90 nations, with each nation represented by more than 1000 respondents. ? Our results indicate that trust and national wealth alone are robust predictors of NLA. ? Our findings also show that over a 10 year period, trust rates have changed in many developed nations, and the change has a positive association with changes in adoption rates. Trust has been shown to play an important role in the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) on an individual and firm level, but has received relatively little attention on a national level. In this paper we examine the impact of generalized trust, as measured by the World Value Survey, on the adoption of ICT products and related phenomena (e.g., such issues as Telecommuting and services such as E-Government Readiness), at a national level, while controlling for a nations wealth. Because national trust levels having changed over time, we also examine how the rate of change in trust has impacted the adoption of ICT and ICT related phenomenon. Our findings provide strong empirical support for the argument that trust impacts national level adoption. The results are robust as we consider multiple variables and data sources. We also show that changes in trust rates are generally associated with corresponding changes in ICT adoptions.

Erratum to: Exploring Factors Affecting Digital Piracy Using the Norm Activation and UTAUT Models: The Role of National Culture

We develop and use an integrated individual-level model to explain the driving forces behind digital piracy (DP) practice in two nations. The proposed model combines the Norm Activation model and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology models. This study also explores the effect of culture on intention (INT) to practice DP in two nations: US (individualistic) and India (collectivistic). A survey instrument was used to collect data from 231 US and 331 Indian participants. Use of the integrated model proves to be a powerful and a viable approach to understanding DP across cultures. In each nation, all 10 path coefficients on the research model are statistically significant thereby establishing the fact that personal norm, together with other factors, influences INT to engage in DP, which in turn, may influence the actual practice. The results reveal a support for cross-cultural generalizability and applicability of the proposed model. Culture clearly plays a strong moderating role in two out of the three paths tested. The implications of the findings are discussed.