The Mediating Role of Organizational Reputation and Trust in the Intention to Use Wearable Health Devices: Cross-Country Study

Abstract

Background The use of consumer wearable health devices for fitness tracking has seen an upward trend across the globe. Previous studies have shown that trust is an important factor in the adoption and use of new technologies. However, little is known about the influence of organizational reputation and trust on the intention to use wearable health devices. Objective This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of organizational reputation and trust in the intention to use wearable health devices and to examine the extent to which the country of residence influenced the effect of organizational reputation on consumers’ trust in and intention to use wearable health devices. Methods We conducted a cross-country survey with participants from Kenya and South Africa using a Google Forms questionnaire derived from previously validated items. A series of mediation regression analyses were carried out using the PROCESS macro with the bootstrap CI procedure. A one-way, between-group multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was also used to determine the key factors that distinguish Kenyans and South Africans in their intention to use wearable health devices. Results A total of 232 questionnaire responses were collected. The results revealed that organizational reputation significantly mediates the relationship between trust propensity and trust, with an indirect effect of 0.22 (95% CI 0.143-0.309). Organizational reputation also plays a significant direct role in the intention to use a wearable health device, with a direct effect of 0.32 (95% CI 0.175-0.483). This role is regardless of participants’ country of residence. Furthermore, there is a significant mediating effect of trust on the relationship between trust propensity and the intention to use a wearable health device, with an indirect effect of 0.26 (95% CI 0.172-0.349); between perceived security and the intention to use a wearable health device, with an indirect effect of 0.36 (95% CI 0.255-0.461); and between perceived privacy and the intention to use a wearable health device, with an indirect effect of 0.42 (95% CI 0.282-0.557). The MANOVA test shows statistically significant differences in all variables for both groups, with the exception of organizational reputation where there is no significant difference between the two cohorts. Conclusions Organizational reputation has a significant direct influence on participants’ trust in and the intention to use a wearable health device irrespective of their country of residence. Even in the presence of perceived security and perceived privacy, trust has a significant mediating effect on the intention to use a wearable health device.

Ctrl-Shift: How Privacy Sentiment Changed from 2019 to 2021

“…Data generated by these technologies can include anything from users' heart rates, to sleep patterns, to number of steps [44]. A number of privacyrelated factors including trust in the device [111] and the reputation of the company producing it [7], as well as perceived privacy risks [48,89] are all highly influential in user adoption of such trackers.…”

Ctrl-Shift: How Privacy Sentiment Changed from 2019 to 2021

“…Data generated by these technologies can include anything from users' heart rates, to sleep patterns, to number of steps [36]. A number of privacyrelated factors including trust in the device [101] and the reputation of the company producing it [5], as well as perceived privacy risks [40,81] are all highly influential in user adoption. Marakhimov and Joo [84] also find that privacy concerns impact current users' views on the threats that wearable technology pose, which impacts whether they will continue to use the devices.…”

How Universities Communicate their Corporate Reputation to the World Using Students’ Citizenship as Promotional Tool in the Context of Higher Education Information Literacy

“…It answers whether one is good or bad (Brenneke et al, 2020). It also determines the extent to which people trust an organisation (Adebesin, Mwalugha, 2020;Al Shobaki et al, 2020;Golata, Sojkin, 2020).…”

“…3. Corporate reputation: corporate reputation is the overall evaluation often expressed as admiration, respect, esteem, and good feeling (Adebesin, Mwalugha, 2020;Ajayi, Mmutle, 2021;Esa et al, 2022). Like the image, reputation is also intangible.…”

“…Some scholars have given further definitions which show how identity and image are attached to reputation. Adebesin and Mwalugha (Adebesin, Mwalugha, 2020), and Abdullah and Abdul Aziz (Abdullah, Abdul Aziz, 2013) have defined corporate reputation as "a collective term referring to all stakeholders' views of corporate reputation, including identity & image." Related to that definition is the one which sees reputation as "the collective representative of multiple constituencies, images, of a company built up over time based on a company's identity programs, its performance and how constituencies have perceived its behaviour" (Burke, 2016).…”