Abstract
Because only a fraction of new service ideas are successful, and due to the turbulence and dynamics in mobile business markets, a thorough understanding of factors underlying mobile service adoption decisions is necessary. Use of mobile communications has been increasing extensively (Watson et al., 2002). Today, an extensive selection of mobile services is available to consumers. However, consumers use mobile devices mainly for simple services, like text messaging (Nysveen et al., 2005a). In order to better understand the acceptance of mobile services, it is necessary to study behavioral intentions (i.e. antecedents of actual adoption behavior) of consumers adopting new mobile services.
TopBackground
The theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985), technology acceptance model (Davis, 1985) and the innovation diffusion theory (Rogers, 1983) are perhaps the most often applied models in predicting adoption behavior, as they provide a good starting point in investigating individual-level factors affecting the adoption of last-mile technology (Oh et al., 2003). Comparison of these theories (Figure 1) reveals that TPB and TAM both focus on predicting behavioral intention and actual behavior, whereas DOI and TAM share in common innovation related perceptions that are formed by the individual, and which are critical for the innovation adoption. Thus, further focus is given on three sets of variables: attitudinal, motivational and behavioral.
Figure 1 The main concepts in the ground models
Key Terms in this Chapter
Adoption intention: individual’s readiness to perform a given behavior. Here readiness to buy mobile services.
Perceived control: a belief that one has on influencing on a certain event. Here belief of consumer’s financial resources effect on adopting new mobile services.
Image: a type of perceived innovation characteristic and consumer’s motivational stage and is assumed to have positive relationship with adoption intentions.
Perceived innovation characteristics: consumer’s beliefs concerning important attributes of an innovation. Here perceived image that consumer gets by using new mobile services.
Motivational influence: motivational influence composes of several elements like expressiveness and is believed to encourage adoption intentions.
Personal domain specific innovativeness: reflection of consumer’s openness toward new ideas and willingness to be among the first ones to adopt mobile communications innovations.
Willingness to pay: consumer’s perceived control towards adoption of innovations, namely mobile services.
Attitudinal influence: consumer’s attitudinal stage towards adopting innovations. Is illustrated here via personal domain specific innovativeness.
Innovation: an object (service) which is perceived as new by an individual consumer. Here mobile services.