The Impact of Gender and Experience on User Confidence in Electronic Mail

Abstract

While electronic communication is advancing rapidly in the organizational context, there remain a considerable number of participants who, for one reason or another, lack the skills and/or confidence to make the medium a pervasive and ubiquitous tool. This paper examines a network of factors that influence attitudes about computer utilization and user confidence in electronic mail (e-mail). A conceptual model of user confidence in e-mail was developed based on the results of a previous study, refined after a review of existing literature, and tested using LISREL. An experiment was conducted which simulated a communication transaction between subordinate and superior using two student groups (Computer Information Systems and other business disciplines) as surrogates. Data was collected from the participants through a survey and interviews. Results indicated that overall confidence in the medium was lacking and that there were gender differences in confidence in the nontechnical group. These differences appear to diminish through technical education and experience. Experience with computing was a significant determinant of attitude. Attitudes regarding computer use were also found to be positively linked to confidence in electronic communication.

Business email

“…However, if the variable of confidence in computer usage is removed, both men and women were equally reliant on email in the workplace. These findings agree with a study by Hoxmeier et al [5], which identified gender and experience as two factors affecting an individual's ubiquitous and pervasive use of email. The study found that experience of IT positively affects an individual's perceived confidence in the use of email, and that women lacking a strong IT background perceive themselves as less confident in use of email than men of similar backgrounds; however, computing skills and experience using IT and email neutralize this gender difference in confidence.…”

Relationships among Components of Insurance Companies and Services’ Quality

“…Second, the root mean residual (RMR) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) should be less than 0.05 (Jöreskog and Sörbom, 2002;Bentler, 1990) or the limit value should be less than 0.08 (Byrne, 2001). Finally, the ratio of chi-square values to freedom degrees (2/ df) should be less than 3.0 (Hoxmeier et al, 2000). The scale reliability was assessed by item reliability measured by individual reliability coefficient (R2).…”

Actitudes e Intereses hacia las TIC en una Muestra de Estudiantes de Posgrado

“…No obstante, se puede manifestar que tan solo en dichos aspectos relacionados con las TIC se han obtenido diferencias significativas. Este último dato también es coherente con otros estudios que no encuentran diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre hombres y mujeres (Adebanjo, 2004;Hoxmier, Nie y Purvis, 2000;Tekinarslan, 2008) en actitudes hacia las TIC y otros aspectos relacionados con el conocimiento y uso de los ordenadores. Asimismo, también se han encontrado diferencias estadísticamente significativas en lo que a la percepción y actitudes hacia las TIC en función de la especialidad se refiere.…”