Consumer adoption of mobile banking in Jordan

Mobile application supported urban-township e-grocery distribution

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a mobile application supported townshipand urban e-grocery distribution models that uses a software application (app) to bridge the infrastructural barriers, costs and complexities associated with e-grocery delivery operations in rural township areas.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative multi-case approach and semi-structured interviews, the study explored distribution practices of eight national emerging e-grocery retail businesses to demonstrate how mobile applications can facilitate South African urban and township e-grocery delivery models.

Findings

The study reveals how the need to scale the use of new mobile application innovations fuels value-added services that power new e-grocery distribution models. Of interest is how the application aggregates demand rapidly, respond to demand within a short lead time and how e-grocers use competitors’ stores as their fulfilment centres. The use of apps reveals a slow transformation of society towards an inclusive model that integrates different types of workers in an informal context.

Practical implications

The mobile application value-added service business model offers a new wave of scaling e-grocery retail to rural and township areas constrained by technological, economic and road infrastructure. The apps transcend e-grocery barriers and enables small businesses with limited resources to leverage e-grocery market opportunities that are unimaginable in townships and rural areas.

Originality/value

The innovative mobile platform-base model offers emerging contextual insight of a pull e-grocery distribution model that demonstrates the supply chain innovations for addressing under-resource and under-developed logistics infrastructure.

Does technology divide or unite generations?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the communication preferenc;s reported by different generations in the Indian workplace, as well as investigating the relationship between communication preferences, communication climate and employee satisfaction with the organizational communication. The authors therefore examined managers’ preferences for different communication media across two different generations, as well as their perceptions of the communication climate and their overall satisfaction with their organizations’ communication.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested an interaction model comprising ease of use of communication medium, communication climate and communication satisfaction, on 822 Indian managers belonging to two different generations. In doing so, they used a survey to investigate managers’ preferences for different media, their perceptions of the communication climate within their organizations and their overall satisfaction with the communication that takes place. The authors drew on studies on media richness theory, on communication climate and on inter-generational differences.

Findings

The findings show that while communication satisfaction in general was low across both generations, Generation Y employees recorded the lowest levels of satisfaction. In addition, a manager’s generational category does not moderate the relationship between media use and communication satisfaction, but it does moderate the relationship between communication climate and communication satisfaction. In terms of the ease of use associated with different types of media, the differences between the generations were largely stereotyped, although moderate media (VC, chat, voicemail) were preferred over rich media (face-to-face meetings) or lean media (fax, memos and emails), by all managers.

Practical implications

Senior management in India must shed their bureaucratic mind-set to promote openness in the communication choices that are considered acceptable, leading to more effective decision-making and problem solving. Mobile phones, chats, wikis, podcasts, video-conferencing and email should be officially embedded into the organizational communication culture to facilitate state-of-the-art knowledge management practices. More multi-generational teams and mentorship programmes need to be implemented to make a wider variety of media acceptable to all managers, which will in turn improve communication satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study is original in that it unpacks the influence of media use and communication satisfaction across Gen X and Gen Y, who will be moving into more senior positions in India in the next decade. In doing so, it provides a snapshot of organizational communication in an important emerging economy and provides recommendations as to how organizational communication may be made more effective in the future. Organizations in India and elsewhere can improve their organizational communication by enhancing transparency and by making a wider variety of media accessible, and therefore acceptable, to different generations of managers.

E-service quality and actual use of e-banking: Explanation through the Technology Acceptance Model

Due to recent technological developments in banking, the use of e-banking is becoming increasingly widespread. This study explored the effect of e-service quality on actual use of e-banking services and explained it through the Technology Acceptance Model. A survey was conducted in Pakistan and 493 questionnaires were collected from e-banking users and the data was analyzed using AMOS 20 and SPSS 20. The results of the study indicate that e-service quality positively affects perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and intention to use e-banking and perceived usefulness positively affects attitude towards using e-banking and behavioral intentions to use e-banking. Perceived ease of use affects attitudes towards e-banking and attitudes positively affect behavioral intentions to use e-banking and behavioral intentions further positively affect actual use of e-banking. The sequential mediation of attitude and intention has been confirmed between e-service quality and actual use of e-banking. This study has significance for the managers of banking industry and will enable them to influence the attitude of customers in favor of their services and also help them devise strategies to improve their profitability.

Prioritization of multi-dimensional risk for digital services using the generalized analytic network process

Purpose

In current times, organizations operating in emerging economies are providing digital services to its citizen the internet. Literature indicates that digital services are facing major challenges with respect to its adoption among users groups due to the perceived risks.

Design/methodology/approach

With the use of generalized analytic network process (GANP), prioritization of different dimensions of risk has been done on the basis of an empirical survey among user groups in India.

Findings

The result indicates that dimensions like privacy risk, performance risk and financial risk are more important risks across digital services models. However, physical risk, social risk, psychological risk and time risk are comparatively less important risks across digital services. This research also finds out that the end users are reluctant to provide their personal information.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size is relatively small which limits generalizability of results beyond India. However, an application of GANP has been showcased for empirical research.

Practical implications

The research outcome can help managers in deciding which dimensions of risk are more important for digital service delivery and thus facilitate adoption.

Originality/value

This paper focused on the different facets of risk perceived by consumers, toward the digital services available in smart cities. Perceived risk dimensions such as privacy risk, performance risk, financial risk, physical risk, social risk, psychological risk and time risk have shown that there is a need to prioritize these risks to the digital services which is offered to the residents of the smart cities.

Information self-disclosure on mobile instant messaging applications

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework, which identifies intrinsic, social and extrinsic gratification factors as essential individual factors influencing users’ disclosure of personal information via mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications (apps). In addition, the author has examined whether gender affects those different factors of gratification.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected via paper-based survey from university students who use MIM in the United Arab Emirates. Structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses that are presented in the model.

Findings

The findings show that intrinsic gratifications (entertainment and escapism) and social gratifications (social interaction) have positive effects on the depth and breadth of self-disclosure via MIM apps. Additionally, women’s self-disclosure of personal information is positively affected by social influence, while men are not influenced by this type of gratification.

Originality/value

The study aims to enhance the current understanding of the limited research on the uses and gratifications approach within the context of MIM apps to identify the gratifications that motivate MIM apps users to disclose personal information.

Engaging m-commerce adopters in India

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of factors derived from the unified theory of user acceptance of technology (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, age, gender) and of those drawn from literature (perceived risk, perceived enjoyment and innovativeness) on the adoption of m-commerce in India. It also suggests implications of these for the consumer behavior theory practitioners and marketers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using an online survey from 321 respondents, split into two groups (high and low adoption level users) based on the usage scores of the four categories of m-commerce- location-based, transaction-based, entertainment and content delivery. Logistic regression technique was used to identify the prominent factors among the nine identified influencers to understand the differences between the two groups.

Findings

The findings of this paper are sample biasness, self-reported m-commerce adoption level, limited m-commerce categories and specific context.

Research limitations/implications

Except the two factors of performance expectancy and facilitating conditions, all other variables discriminate between low and high adoption levels of m-commerce services in India. Social influence, perceived enjoyment and innovativeness were the three main factors that were found to have the most significant impact on the discrimination levels of m-commerce service users in India. Further, it was found that women and the younger generation users of m-commerce showed a greater propensity for adopting m-commerce practices.

Practical implications

Marketers need to focus on key factors like social influence, perceived enjoyment, perceived risk and effort expectancy to persuade the young and innovative consumer target groups increase their adoption of m-commerce services.

Originality/value

This is the first study of its kind to explore factors that distinguish users with low and high levels of m-commerce adoption, by taking into consideration all four categories of m-commerce (transaction-based, content delivery, location-based and entertainment). In doing so, it highlights the need for marketers to focus on factors beyond facilitating conditions and performance expectancy, to enhance the adoption of m-commerce practices.

M-banking barriers in Pakistan: a customer perspective of adoption and continuity intention

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine barriers jeopardizing the adoption and usage intention of mobile banking (M-banking) in Pakistan and provide deeper insights to fix such deteriorating factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected in countrywide regional headquarters to mark the utmost generalizability of the results, which included seven largest cities of Pakistan. SEM path analysis was used to analyze data collected from Pakistan’s top 5 bank customers incorporating both users and non-users.

Findings

Results revealed that lack of awareness, initial trust and compatibility and perceived risk were the core barriers that stood out as obstacles to the adoption and usage of M-banking in Pakistan. It was also approved that having fixed these core barriers would outcome in existing users’ continuity intent besides raising new users’ inclination toward M-banking.

Originality/value

The study has unveiled the core barriers that have so far impeded the adoption and usage of M-banking. There is not a unified position concerning adoption and usage blockades. Factors differ with contexts, markets, time and kinds of innovations. However, this study is unlike past studies that merely studied students within a specified institute in a restricted jurisdiction. This is the first study to have nationally explored adoption and usage issues; thus, it is anticipated to potentially contribute to the prevailing literature especially in Pakistani context where a few studies prevail, addressing M-banking adoption and usage barriers.

A Derivation of Factors Influencing the Innovation Diffusion of the OpenStreetMap in STEM Education

Geographic information is a confluence of knowledge from spatial science, information technologies, engineering, and mathematics, etc. Effective spatial training can enhance achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Therefore, the geographic information system (GIS) plays a daily role in modern STEM education. Volunteered Geographical Information (VGI) is characterized by the openness of the geographic information being generated and accumulated by volunteers. Within the VGI sphere, OpenStreetMap (OSM) is one of the most well-known VGI due to its openness, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and web-based mapping capability, making it one of the best alternatives for use as the mapping application for STEM education. However, very few or no prior works have investigated the factors influencing the innovation diffusion of OSM in STEM education. Therefore, to fill this gap, this work aims to investigate these factors. To achieve this purpose, the authors have defined an analytic framework based on innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). The factors influencing students’ acceptance and intention to continue using and diffusing OSM in STEM education will be investigated. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to confirm the hypothesized IDT–TAM integrated model. An empirical study based on sample data collected from 145 Taiwanese undergraduate and graduate students from engineering-related institutes was used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed analytic framework and to derive the factors related to the adoption and diffusion of OSM in STEM education. The proposed theoretical framework forged in this study was proven to be successful. Based on the empirical study results, ease of use, observability, and compatibility are the most influential factors in OSM diffusion. Therefore, activities that enhance the ease of use, observability, and compatibility of OSM should be emphasized so that STEM students’ perception of the usefulness of the technology and their perceived attitude towards it leads to the intention to continue the use of OSM. The analytic results can serve as a foundation for the design, development, and accelerated adoption and diffusion of OSM in STEM education.

Banking “on-the-go”: examining consumers’ adoption of mobile banking services

Purpose

This paper aims to examine consumers’ adoption of mobile technology to facilitate their banking services and activities, and to investigate the factors influencing their adoption and engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey is used to test proposed relationships between factors and consumers’ mobile banking adoption. Structural equation modeling is performed to analyze consumers’ intentions toward mobile banking.

Findings

Traditional technology acceptance model factors – perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use – are identified as effective factors in influencing consumers to adopt mobile technology for facilitating banking services. Moreover, technology safety concerns, including reliability and privacy factors, are found to play an important role in motivating consumers to embrace mobile banking. The “fun” feature of the technology and consumers’ innovativeness characteristics are considered important in influencing mobile banking adoption. Trust in the banks has its predominant role in mobile technology adoption for banking services.

Practical implications

A bank gaining trust from its clients is key to active adoption of mobile banking technology. Bankers are advised to pay more attention to reliability and privacy features when designing and promoting mobile banking technology to consumers. Moreover, advertisements to bank clients should stress the “fun” aspects of the mobile banking apps to attract them to the use of mobile banking technology.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the factors influencing bank consumers to adopting mobile banking apps to facilitate their banking services. Nine key factors in the technology adoption area are examined to provide a comprehensive understanding of bank clients’ use of mobile banking apps, which advances the understanding of mobile technology applied in the banking industry in the literature.

Paid internet advertising (PIA) and frequency of apps-buying decisions

Purpose

Despite the tremendous advancement of information technology worldwide, a few attempts have been made to uncover the effectiveness of paid internet advertising (PIA) on consumers buying decisions for retail enterprises in emerging markets. The purpose of this paper is to examine the structural relationships between consumer self-confidence, perceived intrusiveness, continuance search intention, attitude towards PIA and frequency of apps-buying decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

A total number of 515 online questionnaires were obtained from a sample of experienced apps shoppers who were disposed to PIA, in order to evaluate the theoretical model. VB-SEM, which is a variance-based structural equation modelling technique, was applied to assess the measurement scales and structural relationship between exogenous and endogenous constructs.

Findings

Overall, the structural results imply that the proposed model explains 0.738 per cent of variances in consumer’s continuance search intention and 0.756 per cent of the frequency of apps-buying decisions. The results support that consumer self-confidence positively influences attitude towards PIA, continuance search intention and frequency of apps-buying decisions; however, consumer self-confidence is negatively related to perceived intrusiveness. Similarly, attitude towards PIA is positively related to continuance search intention and frequency of apps-buying decision. Besides, perceived intrusiveness negatively influences attitude towards PIA, continuance search intention and frequency of apps-buying decisions. Finally, continuance search intention and the frequency of apps-buying decisions are positively related.

Originality/value

Despite the fact that PIA and its utilisation has been a recent growing trend in managing retail enterprises worldwide, a few studies have been conducted on possible end results of PIA, including consumer continuous apps search intention and purchase decisions.

Enabling internet banking adoption

Purpose

The integration of relevant antecedents into TAM would lead to better understanding of the decision factors which act as enablers for the adoption of internet banking. The purpose of the paper is to determine the influence of the antecedents subjective norm, image, banks initiative, internet banking self-efficacy, internet usage efficacy, trust, perceived risk, trialability and government support on the existing constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and to test measurement invariance and the moderating effect of the demographic variables on the relationship between the latent constructs used in this augmented TAM.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire was administered on internet banking users and a total of 300 responses were collected. A two-step approach suggested by Hair et al. (2006) and Schumacker and Lomax (2004) was used in this study. The proposed model was assessed using the confirmatory factor analysis approach. The structural model was then tested in order to establish nomological validity. The data based on four demographic dimensions gender, age, income, education were divided into two groups for each of these demographic dimensions. The invariance test was first performed on the measurement model and then on the structural model. The measurement model and structural model were subjected to tests of equivalence of parameters across groups.

Findings

To a large extent the results of the study supports the proposed model and thereby contributes to understand the influence of subjective norm, image, banks initiative, internet banking self-efficacy, internet usage efficacy, trust, perceived risk and government support on internet banking adoption. The predictor variables in the augmented TAM were able to explain 29.9 per cent of the variance in the actual usage of internet banking as compared to the TAM which was able to explain only 26.5 per cent variance in the actual usage of internet banking. A significant difference in the relationship between the different constructs of the model was observed when the model was subjected to multi-group invariance testing.

Research limitations/implications

The study suffers from the same limitations as most other studies involving TAM. In this study self-reported measures about the usage were taken as the actual usage. The findings of the study can be of use to marketers for target-specific marketing by customizing the marketing campaign focussing on the factors that were found to be strong influencers leading to the usage of internet banking for each target audience.

Originality/value

The main challenge in this study was to develop the conceptual model for the internet banking adoption by extending the TAM and to get a robust theoretical support from the extant literature for the relevant factors along with their relationship to uncover new insights about factors responsible for the internet banking adoption. The augmented model had an improved predictive capability and explanatory utility.