T he acceptance of new information technologies by their intended users persists as an important issue for researchers and practitioners of information systems. Several models have been developed in the literature to facilitate understanding of the process by which new information technologies are adopted. This paper proposes a new construct that further illuminates the relationships explicit in the technology acceptance models and describes an operational measure for this construct that possesses desirable psychometric properties. The construct, personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology, is hypothesized to exhibit moderating effects on the antecedents as well as the consequences of individual perceptions about a new information technology. The construct was developed and validated in the context of the innovation represented by the World-Wide Web. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. IntroductionWhy do some individuals readily adopt new information technologies while others reject them? This problem, variously labeled information systems implementation, technology adoption, and technology acceptance, has persisted in the information systems literature for several decades. As the organizational utilization of information technology proliferates, and as technology becomes more critical for competitive survival, the importance of the technology acceptance problem escalates; systems that are not accepted by their intended users will not result in any sought-after benefits. Recognition of the magnitude of this problem is evident in the quantity of recent research focused on examining the determinants of information technology acceptance (Moore and Benbasat 1991, Davis et al. 1989, Taylor and Todd 1995, Szajna 1996. Indeed, significant attention has been focused on developing and validating theoretical models that postulate various relationships between constructs recognized as germane to technology acceptance (Davis et al. 1989, Taylor andTodd 1995). The purpose of this paper is to propose a new construct that further illuminates the relationships explicit in the technology acceptance models, and to describe an operational measure for this construct that possesses desirable psychometric properties.The construct described in this paper, personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology, has implications for both theory and practice. From the perspective of practice, personal innovativeness helps identify individuals who are likely to Downloaded from informs.org by [129.93.16.3] on 06 April 2015, at 02:32 . For personal use only, all rights reserved. adopt information technology innovations earlier than others. Such individuals can then serve as key change agents and opinion leaders to facilitate further diffusion of a new technology (Rogers 1995). Moreover, when implementation resources are limited, the construct helps target scarce resources more fruitfully. From a theoretical perspective, although the dominant technology acceptance models provide insights into how a...

Persuading users to adopt new information technologies persists as an important problem confronting those responsible for implementing new information systems. In order to better understand and manage the process of new technology adoption, several theoretical models have been proposed, of which the technology acceptance model (TAM) has gained considerable support. Beliefs and attitudes represent significant constructs in TAM. A parallel research stream suggests that individual difference factors are important in information technology acceptance but does not explicate the process by which acceptance is influenced. The objective of this paper is to clarify this process by proposing a theoretical model wherein the relationship between individual differences and IT acceptance is hypothesized to be mediated by the constructs of the technology acceptance model. In essence then, these factors are viewed as influencing an individual's beliefs about an information technology innovation; this relationship is further supported by drawing upon extensive research in learning. The theoretical model was tested in an empirical study of 230 users of an information technology innovation. Results conf i the basic structure of the model, including the mediating role of beliefs. Results also identify several individual difference variables that have significant effects on TAM'S beliefs. Theoretical contributions and practical implications that follow are discussed.

The often paradoxical relationship between investment in information technology and gains in productivity has recently been attributed to a lack of user acceptance of information technology innovations. Diverse streams of research have attempted to explain and predict user acceptance of new information technologies. A common theme underlying these various research streams is the inclusion of the perceived characteristics of an innovation as key independent variables. Furthermore, prior research has utilized different outcomes to represent user acceptance behavior. In this paper we focus on individual's perceptions about the characteristics of the target technology as explanatory and predictive variables for acceptance behavior, and present an empirical study examining the effects of these perceptions on two frequently used outcomes in the context of the innovation represented by the World Wide Web. The two outcomes examined are initial use of an innovation and intentions to continue such use in the future, that is, to routinize technology use. Two research questions motivated and guided the study. First, are the perceptions that predict initial use the same as those that predict future use intentions? Our results confirm, as hypothesized by prior research, that innovation characteristics do explain acceptance behavior. The results further reveal that the specific characteristics that are relevant for each acceptance outcome are different. The second research question asks if perceived voluntariness plays a role in technology acceptance. Results show that external pressure has an impact on adopters' acceptance behavior. Theoretical and practical implications that follow are presented.

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