USERS’ SOCIOCULTURAL ORIENTATION AND SMART SYSTEMS ACCEPTANCE LINK: DO DEMOGRAPHICS MATTER?

ABSTRACT

This research investigates the impact of sociocultural determinants on people’s perceptions and usage of smart systems in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research used the Theory of reasoned action, Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and Frambach and Schillewaert’s framework. These theories which focus on the determinants of technology acceptance behavior of users have been widely used in contemporary technology acceptance research. Data were collected from the UAE Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, and Economy using structured questionnaires. A total of 357 responses were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques such as regression analysis and factor analysis. Multiple regression analysis helped to determine the direction of relationships between the constructs representing users’ sociocultural orientation, attitude toward smart systems and acceptable behavior. Factor analysis served to identify the underlying dimensions of the above constructs. The major finding of this research is that cultural values and peers’ influence significantly affect users’ perceptions and applications of technological innovations. Furthermore, the study reveals that users’ age and gender wield critical moderating effects on the relationship between cultural values and attitude toward smart systems. These findings have important implications for acceptance and implementation of smart systems in the UAE which are highlighted in this paper. This paper also identifies the limits of this research and explores the venues of further research in this field.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural values
• social network
• peers’ influence
• attitude
• adoption
• smart systems
• UAE

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Majharul Talukder

Majharul Talukder is an Assistant Professor of Management Studies in the Faculty of Business, Government & Law at the University of Canberra. He obtained his PhD from the University of South Australia in the area of innovation adoption and his MBA from the Midwestern State University, Texas. His major research interests are in innovation adoption, virtual community and virtual organizations, electronic commerce, strategic and technology management. He has published in several journals including IEEE Access, Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, Business Process Management, Human System Management, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Australasian Journal of Information Systems, Asia Pacific Management Review, Performance Improvement Quarterly, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations and International Journal of Web Based Communities. He published two books, Managing Innovation Adoption: From Innovation to Implementation and Virtual Organization: Organization in the New Millennium.

Sultan Alyammahi

Sultan Alyammahi has completed his PhD program at the University of Canberra. His research interests are in the areas of innovation management and smart government.

Ali Quazi

Ali Quazi is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Canberra. His research interests are in the areas of social responsibility, marketing/services, and technology management. Internationally known for his research on CSR, Professor Quazi has published 140 articles in the notable international journals and conference proceedings including the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Marketing Management, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Computer Information Systems, and Electronic Markets. He is on the editorial boards of seven international refereed journals. His work has been cited globally (over 2,200 to date) including the Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility. In 2015, Pearson Malaysia published his co-edited book, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Contemporary Perspectives. He is the recipient of several awards for his academic and research excellence nationally and internationally.

Abm Abdullah

ABM Abdullah is a faculty member in the School of Management at the University of South Australia (UniSA). Abdullah has been teaching at UniSA for the past eight years. His teaching interests include: project management, supply chain and logistics management, strategic management, international business, and international management. After completion of his master’s program from the University of Arkansas, Mr. Abdullah worked as a teaching fellow in the College of Business, University of North Texas, where he was also attached to the university’s Information Systems Research Center (ISRC) as a research associate. Abdullah’s recent articles have appeared in the Journal of Internet Commerce, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, Journal of Developing Areas, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, and Performance Improvement Quarterly. He is an active member of such organizations as the Australian Institute of Project Management and the Decision Sciences Institute.

Raechel Johns

Raechel Johns is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Canberra, Australia. Her research interests are in the area of service management. In particular, she researches technology-facilitated service delivery, relationship marketing, and service delivery for wellbeing. Professor Johns has published in several international journals and serves on multiple editorial boards. Prior to her academic career, she worked in marketing in the IT industry.