The Relative Importance of Monetary and Non-Monetary Drivers for Information and Communication Technology Acceptance in Rural Agribusiness^†

† An earlier version of this paper was published in the Proceedings of SIG GlobDev Sixth Annual Workshop, Milano, Italy, December 14, 2013. Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson is the accepting Associate Editor for this article.

Abstract

Traditionally the information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) literature assessed technology interventions in developing countries from an economic viewpoint, typically measuring income increases or other economic gains. However numerous ICT4D studies revealed that technology adopters only secure a small, single-digit monetary benefit, thus suggesting the importance of other (i.e. non-monetary) drivers of information and communication technology (ICT) acceptance. Seeking to address the issue and to identify the relative importance of monetary vs. non-monetary drivers for the acceptance of ICT in rural agribusiness, this study investigates the key motivational drivers (monetary vs. non-monetary) for the acceptance of a digital procurement (e-purjee) system by sugarcane growers in rural Bangladesh. The e-purjee system is a simple SMS-based purchase order system that replaces a paper-based procurement order system. Treating the acceptance of e-purjee system as sugarcane growers’ decision-problem, and applying a multi-criteria decision-making approach [e.g. Zionts & Wallenius. (1976). An interactive programming method for solving the multiple criteria problem. Management Science, 22(6), 652–663] to that problem, the study identifies the trade-offs growers appear to make between non-monetary and monetary decision criteria. In addition, by analyzing interviews with local growers from the perspective of the human capability approach [Sen. (1999). Development as freedom. New York, NY: Oxford University Press], this study offers new explanations for their preferences and reasoning. The findings indicate that non-monetary incentives, namely procedural fairness and uncertainty reduction, can be more important than positive monetary benefits. Interview responses also suggest that non-monetary benefits affect small-scale growers more than the large-scale growers. Considering growers’ preferences related to non-monetary incentives, the e-purjee system appears to affect three out of five types of instrumental freedoms postulated by Sen [1999. Development as freedom. New York, NY: Oxford University Press]. The study offers several practical and theoretical recommendations about the structuring of incentive systems for rural technology-based development projects, and about decision modeling for a relatively untrained informant group.

Keywords:

• information and communication technology (ICT)
• technology acceptance
• digital procurement
• e-purjee
• agribusiness
• multi-criteria decision-making
• development
• human capability
• Bangladesh

Acknowledgments

This research has been supported in part by a grant from the City University of Hong Kong (Project No. 7002924) to the second author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on Contributors

Md. Mahbubul Alam is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Extension & Information System at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He obtained his PhD in Information Systems from the College of Business, City University of Hong Kong in June 2014. He received his M.S in Agricultural Extension in 2006 and B.Sc. (Hons) in Agriculture in 2002 from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. At his early career, he studied technology adoption in agriculture, and communication media use behavior of the knowledge workers, who provide information support to the rural clientele. Before joining his PhD in 2011, he served as a Full-time Faculty of Agricultural Extension & Information Systems at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh for more than four years. He has published regularly in national and international journals, and attending in international conferences. He is currently studying users’ post-adoption behavior in the context of online media and exploring the impact of ICT adoption in rural agribusiness. His research interests include but are not limited to IT adoption & continuation, social media and ICTs for Development (ICT4D).

Christian Wagner has served on City University of Hong Kong's faculty for 20 years. He is currently Chair Professor in the School of Creative Media, as well as Associate Provost for Quality Assurance. Professor Wagner started his academic career at the University of Southern California after receiving his PhD in Business Administration from the University of British Columbia in 1989. He specializes in the development and study of collective intelligence, knowledge management, and the use of computer games for learning. He is an award-winning author, multiple teaching award winner, experienced administrator, and software entrepreneur. He is most recognized for his research on wikis and their impact on organizational performance.

Notes

† An earlier version of this paper was published in the Proceedings of SIG GlobDev Sixth Annual Workshop, Milano, Italy, December 14, 2013. Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson is the accepting Associate Editor for this article.

1. An interview protocol is attached in the Appendix.