Purpose -Strong evidence suggests that word-of-mouth (WOM) communication varies in its influence according to product type; however, empirical research remains deficient. The purpose of this paper is to propose a procedural model to examine the influence of product type on both the effect and spread of related WOM information at the same time. Design/methodology/approach -Using a self-administered questionnaire, a sample of 895 consumers across 16 different products was collected; results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings -WOM was found to be more influential and more widely spread for services than for goods. In addition, although the level of receivers' perceived risk (PR) is generally assumed to be a significant antecedent of WOM influence (WI), the results of the study indicate that PR is not a direct function of WI. Instead, WOM request (WR) mediates the effect of PR on WI. Originality/value -To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between product type and WOM from a dyadic perspective. Moreover, the authors introduced two important mediators -namely, PR and WR -in the model in order to identify different potential effects of WOM in a seeker-initiated context. The results of this study will enhance knowledge about the influences of WOM information.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors that affect users’ adoption of e-books using an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) that includes the following factors: environmental concerns, perceived benefits, and benevolence trust. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed survey responses from 343 participants using structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships in this research model. Findings The results show that users’ adoption of e-books is determined by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, environmental concern, perceived benefit, and benevolence trust. Research limitations/implications The authors restricted this study to consumers’ adoption of e-books. Further studies could examine consumer’s adoption of other mediums, such as cutting-edge information technologies. Practical implications The results suggest that marketers should consider altering their methods of promoting e-books to attract consumers and further affect their usage intention. Originality/value This study proposes and tests an extended UTAUT model that includes the additional factors of environmental concern, perceived benefit, and benevolence trust in order to examine the influence of these factors on e-book adoption. The findings are particularly useful for assisting managers to increase e-book adoption.