Mauricio Featherman

Predicting e-services adoption: a perceived risk facets perspective

Internet-delivered e-services are increasingly being made available to consumers; however, little is known about how consumers evaluate them for potential adoption. Past Technology Adoption Research has focused primarily on the positive utility gains attributable to system adoption. This research extends that approach to include measures of negative utility (potential losses) attributable to e-service adoption. Drawing from Perceived Risk Theory, specific risk facets were operationalized, integrated, and empirically tested within the Technology Acceptance Model resulting in a proposed e-services adoption model. Results indicated that e-services adoption is adversely affected primarily by performance-based risk perceptions, and perceived ease of use of the e-service reduced these risk concerns. Implications of integrating perceived risk into the proposed e-services adoption model are discussed.

Applying TAM to e-services adoption: the moderating role of perceived risk

Consumer adoption of e-services is an important goal for many service providers, however little is known about how different consumer segments perceive and evaluate them for adoption. The technology acceptance model (TAM) explains information systems evaluation and adoption, however the Internet-delivered e-services context presents additional variance that requires supplemental measures to be added to TAM. This research extends TAM to include a perceived usage risk main effect and also tested whether perceived risk moderated several of TAMs relationships. Results indicate that higher levels of perceived risk deflated ease of users effect and inflated subjective norms effect on perceived usefulness and adoption intention.

Is that authentic or artificial? Understanding consumer perceptions of risk in e-service encounters

Abstract. As companies race to digitize physical‐based service processes repackaging them as online e‐services, it becomes increasingly important to understand how consumers perceive the digitized e‐service alternative. We theorize that consumers often perceive e‐services as being artificial and non‐authentic, and that consumers must perform this assessment when deciding whether new e‐services are viable alternatives to traditional service methods. This research investigates whether consumer perceptions of artificiality increase perceptions of e‐service risk, which has been shown to hamper consumer acceptance in a variety of online settings. An empirical study operationalized perceived artificiality (PA) within a controlled laboratory experiment that manipulated the risk of a specific e‐service class (e‐payments). For a specific e‐service brand, PA is reduced when the web interface is viewed as easy to use; alternatively, PA is increased when consumers have relatively high risk perceptions about the overall e‐service class. Furthermore, consumers who were rated as information technology innovators had lower overall artificiality perceptions, however, exposure to negatively framed e‐service efficacy information removed this artificiality reducing effect. The theoretical linkages between PA and perceived risk, and the two antecedents – ease of use and e‐service class risk – were confirmed by survey results. The implications of these results for future research as well as the design and marketing of e‐services are examined.

The Effect of Perceived Novelty on the Adoption of Information Technology Innovations: A Risk/Reward Perspective

A fundamental characteristic of any innovation is its novelty, the newness or freshness of the innovation in the eyes of the adopter. Past research has often considered novelty to be inherent to an information technology (IT) innovation, yet it is also likely that perceptions of novelty differ widely across individuals. Nevertheless, the role that the novelty of an IT innovation plays in adoption is not well understood. The primary goal of this research effort is to frame the perceived novelty of an IT innovation as a salient affective belief in the nomological network related to adoption. Further, we examine how perceived novelty influences the way individuals reconcile their perceptions of risk versus reward when considering the adoption of an IT innovation. Two empirical studies with 424 and 138 participants, respectively, examine the effect of perceived novelty on IT innovations from a risk/reward perspective. Results indicate that perceived novelty is a salient affective belief that plays a significant role in the adoption of IT innovations. Implications for both theory and organizational decision making are examined.

Can Social Role Theory Explain Gender Differences in Facebook Usage

Social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook are now a primary communications medium used to connect individuals and businesses worldwide. Businesses can profit by interacting with consumers through these platforms and therefore have a vested interest in consumers continued usage of SNS technologies. To date published research on SNS usage largely assumes males and females evaluate the sites in a similar manner. Drawing from social role theory, our study investigates the neglected context of gender differences using constructs that are theoretically and empirically linked to IT continuance. Our results confirm that gender differences exist. For the sample and context perceived risk and perceived enjoyment had a greater impact on Facebook continuance intention for males. Different antecedents, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and reputation had a greater influence on Facebook continuance intention for females. The results support the assertions of Social Role Theory. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.

The intangibility of E-services: effects on artificiality, perceived risk, and adoption

This research focuses on perceptions and reactions to the intangible nature of newly digitized transaction processing systems. For many consumers, the intangibility of information system-based processes generates beliefs that they are fake, non-genuine, artificial and therefore inherently risky to use. This perceived artificiality phenomenon was shown to increase risk concerns, which in-turn inhibited system adoption. Investigating reactions to an e-service replacement of a paper process enabled testing of this proposed conceptual causal chain. Results suggest that the inherent intangibility of e-services creates concerns measured in raised perceived artificiality and perceived risk. Interestingly, mental rather than physical intangibility increased artificiality concerns. Perceived artificiality directly increased risk concerns and indirectly affected system evaluation and adoption, which were primarily affected by system perceived risk. This exploratory research suggests a research model that provides a first step towards understanding the effect of information systems¿ inherent intangibility on system evaluation and adoption, and may be utilized when testing riskreducing system enhancements.

Credibility of information in online communities

Social media and Web 2.0 empower individuals to generate content online. It is important to better understand the potential added value of social media for e-health service provision. Social support and credibility of health related information generated via social media is a big challenge for online health communities. In this qualitative research, content of discussions from an online health community is analysed. Two themes are examined: online social support and credibility of online forums. Findings show accuracy and credibility of online communities – user profiles, ratings of posts and improved monitoring of content by advisors improve perceived credibility and trust in online forums and communities. Accuracy and perceived credibility of online health communities is pivotal in facilitating social relationships. While consumers are concerned about the credibility of online information, they benefit from social support and are increasingly turning to social media as a source of information and support. Organizations can benefit from better understanding consumers use of social media, their concerns about information credibility and need for social support.

From e-learning to social learning – a health care study

Purpose – The emergence of Web 2.0 opened a new route for education to use the values derived from this development. The future of e-learning is social learning, where individuals can learn online due to the facility of social media. Social media such as online communities are places for social interactions between users. These social interactions are the way forward and can drive social support in an online context. This paper aims to explore the impact of these interactions Design/methodology/approach – This study uses social support theory to explore the impact of social interactions on the internet on learning and education. The research uses a case study and investigates the health industry. Findings – The paper explains the development in e-learning through social media and the emerging concept of social learning. Originality/value – The contribution of this research is to emphasise social relationships of individuals in the internet and social interaction in online communities which enhance their l...

Understanding factors affecting users social networking site continuance

Social networking sites (SNSs) have attracted more and more people to interact on line. Because of their popularity, firms and organizations are now marketing their business on SNS pages. It is essential for both SNS providers and firms to retain their current members. Consequently, use continuity of SNSs has gained the attention of both practitioners and researchers. However, few studies have systematically examined gender differences in such a context. To address this gap, we have developed an advanced framework to explain and analyze gender differences in users SNS continuance decisions. We propose an SNS continuance model by integrating SNS-oriented constructs (perceived privacy risk, perceived enjoyment, perceived reputation, and community identification) into the established ECM-ISC model and introduce gender as a key moderator. Our research results indicate that all the added SNS-oriented constructs influence users SNS continuance directly and indirectly. Furthermore, the impact of each factor on SNS continuance varies by gender. Each gender bases SNS continuance decisions on a different set of factors and/or different weights of the same factors. This study provides evidence that gender effects should be considered in understanding the continued usage of SNSs. It also provides an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of gender differences in SNS continuance and fills the research gap regarding this. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Social commerce and new development in e-commerce technologies

Social commerce can be described as commerce activities done through social media. Consumers use online communities, to generate content and to interact with other users. Businesses are now using social media to build relationships with their customers. Now a days, social commerce have developed into a vibrant and lucrative e-commerce channel. Social commerce creates an environment where consumers are turned into brand ambassadors as they have been empowered to generate content and help firms to co-create value. Such an environment might have the potential to not only influence consumers’ intentions and behaviour to adopt a brand through social interactions. Social commerce constructs such as referrals, recommendations, ratings and reviews forums and communities are important elements through which information sharing is done. This research is undertaken to empirically examine the impact of new developments in e-commerce technologies on consumers purchase behaviour, co-branding, strategic marketing, co-creating strategies of the firm.