No abstract

Purpose – Despite the significant efforts by the Thai Government to promote the use of mobile payment (m-payment) services, this new mode of financial payment has had limited consumer interest. Indeed, whilst it is seemingly desirable to facilitate the uptake of m-payment services given government promotion, limited research has been undertaken to examine the factors that might promote adoption. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap. Design/methodology/approach – The study developed a conceptual model based on elements of innovation diffusion theory and technology acceptance. The model was empirically validated using structural equation modelling analysis using the responses gained from 529 Thai mobile phone users. The intercept interview/survey across eight different locations was the instrument used for data collection. Findings – The empirical results indicate that consumer adoption of m-payment services in Thailand was determined by four factors – compatibility, subjective norm, perceived trust, and perceived risk. Surprisingly, the construct of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived cost were found not to have a direct effect on behavioural intention. Research limitations/implications – The results regarding electronic payments highlight the importance of four factors that are fundamental in understanding consumer behaviour in regards to financial m-payments. The conceptual model developed in the study is well suited as a primary research framework to explore other aspect of technological innovation in a Thai context. Even though the model is not generalisable, it has the potential to be refined for use in other countries. The findings from the research contribute to the small, but growing number of studies focusing on technological business innovation in Thailand. Practical implications – The results of this study will be of value to various groups associated with m-payment services such as mobile network operators, financial institutions, and payment service providers. The findings will potentially inform appropriate service strategies and business models in order to improve the uptake of this type of financial payment by Thai consumers. The factors identified are significant in informing how the capacity of the Thai Government’s investment in electronic infrastructure could be more fully utilised. Originality/value – This study adds to the literature by bridging the gap in explaining consumer intentions to adopt new technological services amongst people who know about the service but have not adopted it as yet. Moreover, this paper is a pioneer study about the adoption of m-payment services in Thai setting.

Consumers are increasingly turning to the online environment to provide information to assist them in making purchase decisions related to travel products. They often rely on travel recommendations from different sources, such as sellers, independent experts and, increasingly, other consumers. A new type of online content, user-generated content (UGC), provides a number of legal and social challenges to providers and users of that content, especially in relation to areas such as defamation, misrepresentation and social embarrassment. This paper reports research that examined the level of trustworthiness of online travel information from these different sources. The study used a survey of Australian travel consumers (n=12,000) and results support the notion that there are differences in the level of trust for online travel information from different sources. Respondents 'tended to agree' that they trusted information provided by travel agents, information from commercial operators and comments made by travellers on third party websites. However, the highest level of trust was afforded to information provided on State government tourism websites. These results suggest that greater trust is placed in online travel comments when they are on a specific travel website than when they are on a more generic social networking website. However, respondents were 'not sure' that they trusted comments made by travellers on weblogs and on social networking sites. Some 88% of respondents that had not visited UGC websites (or were unsure if they had) indicated that they thought that UGC would be useful in the future -suggesting that they feel that any concerns they may have in relation to legal and social problems resulting from its use will be resolved.

Previous studies of mobile payment (m-payment) services have primarily focused on a single group of adopters. This study identifies the factors that influence an individual's intention to use m-payment services and compares groups of current users (adopters) with potential users (non-adopters). A research model that reflects the behavioral intention to use m-payment services is developed and empirically tested using structural equation modeling on a data set consisting of 529 potential users and 256 current users of m-payment services in Thailand. The results show that the factors that influence current users' intentions to use m-payment services are compatibility, subjective norms, perceived trust, and perceived cost. Subjective norms, compatibility, ease of use, and perceived risk influenced potential users' intentions to use m-payment. Subjective norms and perceived risk had a stronger influence on potential users, while perceived cost had a stronger influence on current users, in terms of their intentions to use m-payment services. Discussions, limitations, and recommendations for future research are addressed.

Purpose -This paper aims to report on research that examined the recent scholarly literature to identify the information quality attributes associated with radio frequency identification (RFID)-based benefits across sectors of the retail supply chain. Design/methodology/approach -Reflecting the recent interest in RFID technology, the literature review was limited to scholarly articles published since the late 1990s when there appears to have been a surge in research and publishing activity. Moreover, the paper uncouples RFID-focused technology findings that are a feature of many previous publications and reports on the decision-making attributes associated with the perceived benefits of adopting the technology. Findings -Many RFID-based benefits were found to be associated with the distribution and transportation sectors of the supply chain, however, an emerging number are also apparent in the retail and post retail domains. The improved information value associated with RFID-derived benefits was embodied in quality attributes that included timeliness, currency, accuracy and completeness. The paper proposes an RFID information value chain that maps benefits and information attributes across the supply chain. The paper is also one of the first that attempts to relate RFID-derived information with aspects of organisational decision making. Research limitations/implications -This study identified information attributes associated with RFID adoption within the retail supply chain that have led to enhanced organisational responsiveness through improved decision-making capabilities. As exploratory research in a nascent and emerging area, this research should be viewed as a starting point in the examination and identification of RFID-derived benefits and information, rather than a prescriptive and/or definitive type of classification system for RFID. Practical implications -Practical examples of RFID-derived benefits distilled from the literature tend to provide important retail supply chain lessons for organisations that are currently piloting or expecting to trial RFID. The study highlights operational and strategic implications of adopting RFID technology discussing them from an information value perspective. Originality/value -The paper is one of the first that examines the information value of RFID-derived benefits across the organisational supply chain. Moreover, both benefits and information attributes are mapped to specific sectors of the retail and distribution supply chain.