The influence of individual, task, organizational support, and subject norm factors on the adoption of groupware.

Kim, Dae Ryong ; Kim, Byung Gon ; Aiken, Milam W. 等

ABSTRACT

Groupware applications such as e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, instant messaging, and computer conferencing are important tools for increasing office communication and productivity, but relatively little is known about the factors involved in choosing to employ this technology. Selected variables from the Technology Acceptance Model were used to form a questionnaire administered to 409 Fortune 500 companies in S. Korea, and results showed that subject norms and individual, task, and organizational factors can be used to predict the use of groupware.

INTRODUCTION

Office workers spend a large amount of their time communicating with others inside and outside of their organization (Long, 1987), and much of this communication is for the purpose of group coordination and collaboration (Mintzberg, 1983). To improve productivity, organizations have turned to computer network-based software that allows individuals who are distributed geographically to work together in a collaborative, computer-based environment (Orlikowski, 1992). This software, called groupware, includes asynchronous tools (e.g., bulletin boards, group calendars, file sharing, and project management) as well as synchronous, real-time applications (e.g., text-based Internet "chatting" and videoconferencing). While some researchers (e.g., Orlikowski & Yates, 1994) include electronic mail as a type of groupware, others (e.g., Coleman, 1997) do not, because it supports primarily person-to-person or person-to-group communication rather that the group-to-group or many-to-many communication so important in computer-supported cooperative work and collaborative computing. To meet this demand for groupware, several software companies have added these applications to their product lines, e.g., IBM (Lotus Notes), Netscape Communications (Collabra Share), Microsoft (Exchange), Novell (Groupwise), FTP Software/Hyperdesk Corp. (GroupWorks), Radnet (WebShare), TeamWare Corp. (TeamWare Office), and the Forefront Group (Virtual Notebook).

Although groupware technology can improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness, many implementations have not met expectations (Nunamaker, 1997). For example, some groupware has failed to be adopted by enough individuals in an organization to make its use beneficial. Other causes for failure include deployment problems where the technology was not available to those who could most benefit from it (Francik, et al., 1991), and a lack of a requirement for those who would not benefit from it to adopt it (Grudin, 1988).

With a modified version of the technology acceptance model (TAM) (Ajzen, 1985)--used in many prior studies to model the adoption of related, computer-based technologies (e.g., Agarwal & Prasad, 1997; Judy & Hsipeng, 2000; Teo, et al., 1999)--this study reports on a survey of employees in several, large South Korean companies to expand upon prior research of the factors influencing the adoption of groupware within organizations.

BACKGROUND

Research on the usage behavior of groupware applications is still relatively recent. For example, one study (Van Slyke, et al., 2003) used diffusion of innovation theory to investigate factors that influence adoption of one specific groupware application, Lotus Domino discussion databases. The study showed that intentions to use the application were influenced by perceptions of relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and result demonstrability, but there were no significant relationships between intentions to use and perceived trialability, visibility, or voluntariness. Another study (Palen, 1997) of two organizations successfully using groupware revealed several technical, behavioral, and organizational factors that enabled initial adoption, and results showed that a set of social and technical factors supported a bottom-up adoption trajectory, leading to a critical mass of users whose subtle peer pressure propelled and subsequently maintained wider use within the organization. Some studies have shown that groupware patterns of adoption can be inconsistent with expectations when there are violations of cost-benefit and task-technology fit criteria (Rao, et al., 1996) and when deployment problems prevent the technology from being available to those who could most benefit from it (Francik, et al., 1991). Finally, other studies (e.g., Ehrlich, 1987; Grudin & Palen, 1995; Markus & Connolly, 1990; Sproull & Kiesler, 1991) have shown that behavior and social conventions affect adoption, a common conclusion being that understanding adoption requires careful examination of the interactions between technological features and the social context of use.

To study the adoption of groupware and other information systems, researchers have used diverse theoretical paradigms (Aarts, et al., 1998), such as the TAM (Davis, 1986), the theory of reasoned action (TRA) (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1985), diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory (Rogers, 1983), and social cognitive theory (SCT) (Bandura, 1986). Among these theories, the TAM can be used to evaluate systems very early in their development or to assess users' reactions to systems on a trial basis in advance of purchase decisions (Davis, et al., 1989).

The TAM attempts to predict the determinants of individual behavior toward a system, manifested through system utilization. Beliefs about using the system influence intentions to use and behavior via their effect on a potential adopter's attitude. Perceived usefulness captures the extent to which a potential adopter views the innovation as offering value over alternative ways of performing the same task, and ease of use is the degree to which a potential adopter views usage of the target technology to be free of effort (Davis, 1989). Innovations that are perceived to be easier to use and less complex have a higher likelihood of being accepted by users. Perceived ease of use is thought to be a predictor of perceived usefulness which in turn, is believed to have a direct effect on behavioral intentions to use the innovation over and above its influence through attitude. The model postulates that two variables, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, have a strong influence on the technology acceptance behaviors of individual users, and the TAM yields highly consistent results for the acceptance behavior of users toward new systems (Adams, et al., 1992; Hendrickson, et al., 1993; Igbaria, et al., 1997; Keil, et al., 1995; Straub, et al., 1995; Straub, et al., 1997). However, some critics (e.g., Bajaj & Nidumolu, 1998; Miller, 1994; Taylor & Todd, 1995) have asserted that the TAM fails to address the effects of social pressure and the influence of workplace environment on the actual usage of information technology.

RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESES

Our research model is adapted from the works of Davis (1986) that are based on the TBP, DOI, and TRA. The original TAM is modified to avoid the criticism concerning integrating the theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior in the original model. To address the criticism that the model fails to address the effects of social pressure and the influence of the workplace environment, our model includes subject norm and task-related factors to examine groupware adoption in a workplace setting. Figure 1 depicts our research model and illustrates the propositions tested in this research.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

This paper utilizes 'Web experience' and 'subject norm' to measure the influence of individual factor and social pressure on groupware. Subject norm tests the influence of social pressure on the adoption of groupware application. The model also includes 'task equivocality' and 'task interdependence' to examine the influence of task-related factors, and 'technical support' to test the impact of organizational support.

Individual Factor

Web Experience.

Users' beliefs are determined by individual, job-related, and organizational characteristics. This study adds 'subject norm' to the TAM to measure social pressure for the adoption of groupware. Based on the theoretical model of Zmud (1979), individual characteristics have been reported to play an important role in the eventual success of IS. In addition, the acceptance of computer technology depends on the technology and the level of skill or expertise of the individual using the system (Nelson, 1990). This leads to the study's first hypothesis:

Hypothesis1: The greater the experiences with using the Web, the more likely that users perceive groupware applications are (a) easy and (b) useful.

Subject Norm

Subject norm (also known as social factor, social influence, or social pressure) is an important variable influencing IT usage behavior (Compeau & Higgins, 1995; Hartwick & Barki, 1994; Moor & Benbasat, 1991; Thompson, et al., 1991). This study collects data from an organizational setting in which users may have some social pressure when they use groupware applications. A subject norm refers to the users' perception that their peers think they should or should not perform the behavior. This is related to the intention of using groupware, because users often behave based on their perception of what others think they should do. This leads to the hypothesis:

Hypothesis2: The comprehensions associated with subjective norm are significantly related to the users' perceptions of (a) ease and (b) usefulness on groupware applications.

Task-Related Factors

Task characteristics and their impact on information use are also important to IT adoption (Goodhue, 1995; Goodhue & Thompson, 1995; Igbaria, 1990; Igbaria, 1993). One obstacle to using the TAM has been problems in applying it beyond the workplace. This is because the TAM's fundamental constructs do not fully reflect the variety of users' task environments. The original TAM did not focus on task-related situations because most experiments were conducted with students as subjects, and the lack of task focus in evaluating IT and its acceptance, use, and performance contributed to the mixed results in IT evaluations. This study includes two task-related factors (task equivocality and task interdependence) that may have an impact on groupware adoption.

Task Equivocality

Equivocality is a concept derived by Daft and Macintosh (1981) through their analysis of information processing. This study uses their definition that stresses ambiguity in the interpretation of the message.

"Information that is clear and specific and that generally leads to a single, uniform interpretation by users is considered unequivocal. Information that lends itself to different and perhaps conflicting interpretations about the work context is considered equivocal information." (Daft & Macintosh, 1981, p. 211).

Managers have equivocality when they confuse messages, disagree with others, or lack an understanding of specific work done with co-workers. Equivocality leads the managers to exchange their subjective views within a workplace to define the problem and resolve disagreements, and the presence of equivocality in a workplace can enhance the adoption of groupware.

Task Interdependence

Goldman, et al. (1977) defined task interdependence as the extent to which a task requires organizational units to engage in workflow exchanges of product, information, skills, or resources, and to which actions taken in one unit affect the actions and work outcomes of other units. Task interdependence increases when team members need to integrate their effort with others or need other members' output for their input to do their task. Straus and McGrath (1994) noted that increased levels of task interdependence required greater instances of information exchange needed to clarify task assignments, project requirements, and progress. These arguments lead to the following two hypotheses:

Hypothesis 3: The greater the equivocality of users' tasks, the more likely that users perceive groupware is (a) easy and (b) useful.

Hypothesis 4: The greater the interdependence of users' tasks with others, the more likely that users perceive groupware is (a) easy and (b) useful.

Organizational Support Factor

Technical support

Many researchers have found that organizational support is an important factor in IT usage. Organizational support includes both end-user and management support to use the IT, and the influence of organizational support is related to IT usage (Igbaria, et al., 1995; Igbaria, et al., 1996). Furthermore, lack of organizational support is considered a critical barrier to the effective utilization of computers (Igbaria, 1990). This study utilizes technical support as a type of end-user support, and this factor is one of the widely used external factors in studies examining organizational influence in the adoption of IT. Therefore, this study proposes that technical support is closely related to users' beliefs of usefulness and ease of use of the groupware application.

Hypothesis 5: The greater the level of technical support within an organization, the more likely that users perceive groupware is (a) easy and (b) useful.

Mediators

As the TAM posits that two constructs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, mediate all the external variables likely to influence an individual's decision to adopt IT, this study also utilizes these two constructs as mediating factors between external factors and the actual usage of groupware applications. Studies of IT acceptance during the 1990's reported that perceived usefulness is closely associated with adoption, and perceived ease of use is also directly and indirectly through its effect on perceived usefulness related to IT adoption (Szajna, 1994). Thus, this study also examines the influence of perceived ease of use to perceived usefulness and the influence of these two mediators to actual adoption of groupware applications. Although this study includes two important constructs of the TAM, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, the focus of the paper is not on these variables. The results of these tests are also presented in the paper, because the theoretical background of the research model is in the technology acceptance model.

Hypothesis 6: The greater the perception of ease of use with groupware, the more likely that users perceive groupware is useful.

Hypothesis 7: The greater the perception of ease of use with groupware, the more likely the users will actually use the groupware.

Hypothesis 8: The greater the perception of usefulness of groupware, the more likely the users will actually use the groupware.

METHODOLOGY

Instrument Administration

We developed a 29-item questionnaire including four dimensions (17 items) for the independent variables, two dimensions (6 items) for the mediating variables, one item for the dependent variable, and five individual profile items. A seven-point Likert scale is used to elicit responses on the questionnaire. The survey method was adopted to maximize result generalizability by obtaining a statistically testable representation of the various categories of variables, and the mail survey was carefully designed and pilot tested to maximize the response rate. We addressed respondents by name and followed up the undelivered questionnaires by calling individuals. We then mailed a second letter three weeks after the first mailing to remind the respondents. The instruments were reviewed by six IS professionals and pre-tested using 25 professional, evening-MBA students in S. Korea.

The unit of analysis for this research was an individual who worked in a subsidiary or a division of an organization. It should be noted that this study was a part of a larger study of groupware applications adoption. Only items relevant to this study are described here.

Data Collection and Responding Sample Characteristics

Data were collected via a survey questionnaire mailed to 1,500 employees of Fortune 500 companies in South Korea. A total of 409 responses were received, representing a response rate of about 27.3%, and 374 (24.9%) were used for analysis after screening for usability of the questionnaire answers.

The data shows that those in the general management department were using groupware the most (followed by those in information systems and marketing). A total of 127 respondents were in the general management department (34.0% of the total sample). The respondants varied greatly in work experience with 106 out of the 374 respondents having less than five years of work experience, and 92 having five to eight years of experience. Also, 314 (84%) of the respondents had special college or bachelor degrees, 33 had high school degrees, and 23 had master or doctorate degrees. A total of 223 (59.6%) were in the 30 to 39 age range, and 111 (29.7%) were under 30. Of the 374 respondents, 328 were male (87.7%).

ANALYSIS OF STUDY RESULTS

Validity and Reliability of Constructs

Content validity of the survey instrument was established through the adoption of standard instruments, suggestions in the literature, and pre-testing with professionals in the IS field. Construct validity was evaluated by convergent and discriminant validities. Convergent validity is evaluated by measuring the correlation of each item representing the construct with the aggregate measure for that construct less the focal item (Ives, et al., 1983; Kerlinger, 1986). The total score is assumed to be valid when the convergent validity is evaluated. The extent, therefore, to which the item correlates with the total score is indicative of construct validity of the item. All of the correlations shown in Table 1 are positive and significant at the level of 0.001. Discriminant validity is the degree to which a construct differs from other constructs and is usually verified through factor analysis, shown in the last two columns. The columns show factor loadings over 0.5, and the factor number on which each item loaded.

When the Cronbach's alpha coefficient is larger than 0.6, it indicates that internal consistency among the measured items is good (Nunnally, 1978). Reliability or internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach's alpha for all the constructs is strong at 0.74 or above. Tables 2 & 3 show descriptive statistics of the variables, and Table 3 shows reliability and validity analyses of the independent variables.

Although the study was not aimed at regression-based model fitting, possible dependency relationships between the independent and dependent variables should be examined. Table 4 provides Pearson's correlations between external factors and actual usage of groupware. All correlations were significant at the 0.05 level or better except three correlations. While these correlations should be noted in interpreting the study results, they do not present significant difficulties, as the various variables represent distinct factors from the factor analysis. Furthermore, our emphasis is on preliminary testing of individual associations, rather than on regression-based model fitting.

Testing Hypotheses

Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the eight hypotheses formulated for the study. The external factors--individual factors, subject norm, task-related factors, and organizational support--were regressed on users' perceptions of ease of use and usefulness on groupware.

As shown in the Table 5, the result of the test for Hypothesis 1 supports the contention that Web experience is positively related to the users' perception of ease of use (b=.57, t=7.50, p<.001) and usefulness ((b=.31, t=3.95, p<.001) on groupware applications. The result of the tests for Hypotheses 2 reveals that subject norm is significantly related to the users' perceived ease of use negatively (b=-.13, t=-2.50, p<.017) and does not have a significant relationship with users' perceived usefulness. The tests of Hypotheses 3 and 4 show that task-related factors are related only to perceived usefulness (H3b: b=.16, t=2.64, p<.002; H4b: b=.14, t=2.51, p<.006). Hypothesis 5 testing the relationship of technical support in an organization with users' perceptions reveals that technical support is significantly related to users' perceptions of groupware (H5a: b=.09, t=1.85, p<.031; H5b: b=.25, t=3.51, p<.001). Finally, the test results of Hypotheses 6, 7, and 8 show that users' perceptions of ease of use with groupware applications is significantly associated with perceived usefulness. Both perceptions--perceived ease of use and usefulness--are also positively related to actual usage of groupware applications. The test results of Hypotheses 6, 7, and 8 are consistent with the findings of other studies of information technology adoption.

DISCUSSION

All of the hypotheses except H2b (subject norm to perceived usefulness), H3a (task equivocality to perceived ease of use), and H4a (task interdependence to perceived ease of use) are supported. The support for H1 (Web Experience) is expected since earlier studies have consistently shown that users' experiences have a significant and positive influence on the adoption of new information technology (Igbaria, et al., 1995). Any IT adoption with a previously introduced idea can influence the adoption of the new IT, and prior experience with a product class (e.g., the Web) may lead to greater acceptability of new products (e.g., groupware applications) (Tan & Teo, 2000).

H2 (subject norm) was included in the study because users of groupware applications were expected to be influenced by their colleagues for the kinds of groupware applications they used. When the TAM was used for the study of IT acceptance, the research examined personalized information technology (e.g., personal software and personal computer usage), and thus, the subject norm was not an important factor. However, potential users of groupware can be influenced by their colleagues to work well with their group members. As in prior studies that included subject norm as an external factor (e.g., Agarwal & Prasad, 1997; Compeau & Higgins, 1995; Thompson, et al., 1991), this study also included subject norm. However, results of these studies using this variable have reported inconsistent results. Similarly, our study using this variable reveals interesting results. H2b (subject norm to perceived usefulness) is rejected. This implies that social pressure from management or colleagues is not an important determinant to the users' perceptions of usefulness in groupware adoption; rather, task characteristics are more significant factors that affect users' perceptions of usefulness in groupware adoption (H3b and H4b). The other hypothesis with subject norm (H2a, subject norm to perceived ease of use) shows that subject norm is negatively related to the users' perception of ease of use of a groupware application. This implies that social pressure will cause a negative impact on those who might have found groupware easy to use. Agarwal (2000) reported that mandating technology use against the explicit will of an individual may result in negative consequences; thus, it is better that managers promote voluntary acceptance of information technologies.

Both H3a (task equivocality to perceived ease of use) and H4a (task interdependence to perceived ease of use) are rejected. This implies that the level of ambiguity or information sharing in their group efforts is not significantly related to users' perception of ease of use. In other words, the finding shows that neither task ambiguity nor task interdependence affect users' perceptions of groupware ease of use. H3b (task equivocality to the perceived usefulness) and H4b (task interdependence to perceived usefulness) show that whenever users are ambiguous on their job, they think groupware is useful to help them make clear the misunderstandings on their job and would adopt groupware. When users work with other members in their organization by sharing information and resources, they would adopt groupware to enrich their collaboration. The greater the ambiguity and interdependence of users' tasks, the more likely that users will think groupware is useful for their tasks (Dishaw & Strong, 1999).

Hypothesis H5 (technology support to users' perceptions of groupware) is supported and consistent with similar studies (Igbaria, et al., 1995; Igbaria, et al., 1996; Kim, 1996). Groupware applications often utilize the Internet and/or Web technology with an extensive and complicated network infrastructure; thus, technology support from IT staffs is essential to adopt groupware applications.

The positive result for H6 (perceived ease of use to perceived usefulness) is expected since past studies have consistently shown that users' perceptions of ease of use have a significant and positive influence on the users' perception of usefulness. The support for H7 (perceived ease of use to actual usage of groupware) and H8 (perceived usefulness to actual usage of groupware) are also expected, because earlier studies have shown similar findings that users' perceptions affect IT adoption directly (Gefen & Strab, 2000; Miller, 1994; Taylor & Todd, 1995; Yining & Hao, 2002).

MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

Although the results of this study show that subject norm has a negative relationship with users' perceived ease of use on groupware adoption, this relationship is meaningful and significant. When skills and ability to manage groupware applications are not present, users are willing to listen to others, get help from others, and appreciate pressure from management and colleagues. However, when they know how to use and manage groupware applications better, or think learning groupware is easy, then social pressure affects them negatively. Thus, companies should be careful when they adopt groupware by choosing proper strategies and tactics for different levels of users, because mandating technology use against the explicit will of an individual may result in negative consequences. Managers should promote voluntary acceptance of information technologies (Agarwal, 2000). Users who are novices at groupware should be encouraged by management (H2a) and supported by highly skilled technical staffs (H5a and H5b). Finally, high level users should be classified and managed carefully to promote their use of groupware applications.

Both task equivocality and task interdependence to the perceived ease of use on groupware are not supported (H3a and H4a). This implies that the intensity of ambiguity, misunderstanding, or information and resource sharing in their tasks are not significantly related to users' perception of ease of use. Again, task equivocality and task interdependence do not make groupware easier to use. Groupware adopters are encouraged partially by task characteristics (H3b and H4b), by organizational support (H5), and their own previous experience with similar information technology (H1). Both the task equivocality and the task interdependence to perceived usefulness show that whenever users are confused with their tasks, they think groupware is useful. That is, they perceive that groupware can be used to help them remove task equivocality and to enhance collaboration in their workplace. They would adopt groupware to enhance the clearance of communication and better understanding within their workplace, for perceived usefulness is significantly and positively related to the actual usage of groupware applications. When users work closely with other members in their workplace by sharing information and resources, they would also adopt groupware to enrich their collaboration. The greater the ambiguity and interdependence of users' tasks, the higher the perceptions of users to think groupware is useful for their tasks. This result supports the findings of the Dishaw and Strong (1999) study.

The findings from this study have important implications for researchers and practitioners who are using groupware or are considering adopting the technology. In terms of research, this paper provides further evidence of the appropriateness of using individual factors, task-related factors, organizational support, and subject norm that have been used in prior studies of IT acceptance. When considering adoption of the technology, companies should carefully examine external factors that are significantly related to users' perceptions of groupware. For example, in promoting groupware usage, companies can provide users with more experience in similar applications on the Web and provide better technical support.

CONCLUSION

In this paper, we present the results of a survey of Fortune 500 employees in Korea. Although results of such a survey might not be completely generalizable to organizations in the United States and elsewhere in the world, at least one study (Kim, 1997) has shown that there is a reasonable level of agreement between executives in the United States and Korea on the importance of many key information technology issues.

This study shows that the intention to adopt groupware can be predicted by individual, task-related, and organizational factors, as well as subject norm. However, subject norm, task equivocality, and task interdependence provide only partial support to the prediction. Subject norm has an impact only on users' perceptions of ease of use, and task-related factors have an impact only on users' perceptions of groupware usefulness. Among external factors, Web experience and technical support have significant impacts on users' perceptions of ease of use and usefulness, and these findings are consistent with past literature.

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Dae Ryong Kim, Delaware State University

Byung Gon Kim, Namseoul University

Milam W. Aiken, University of Mississippi

Soon Chang Park, Hyupsung University

Table 1. Reliability and validity analysis of variables

Variables (Cronbach's alpha) & Correlation Factor Factor
Items with Total Loading Number

Web Experience (alpha = 0.8546)
 WE1 I use Web for various task .7638 .8483 1
 (Span of Web usage)
 WE2 I visit Website very often .8736 .7511 1
 (Frequency of Web usage)
 WE3 I use Web very long time .9214 .8057 1
 (Intensity of Web usage)
 WE4 I know how to use Web search .8407 .8719 1
 engine
Subject Norm (alpha = 0.8890)
 SN1 My friends and family affect .8275 .9320 2
 me a lot in using Internet
 SN2 My colleagues and peers let .9108 .8618 2
 me use a specific software
 SN3 I feel pressure from .7936 -
 management to use a certain IT
Task Equivocality (alpha = 0.8468)
 TE1 I often have confusion on .8738 .7896 4
 communication with colleagues
 TE2 I often disagree with my .8946 .8318 4
 colleagues in group efforts
 TE3 I often do not understand .8376 .8027 4
 what's going on in my group
Task Interdependence
(alpha = 0.8842)
 TI1 I share information with my .7514 .7924 3
 colleague for my work
 TI2 I use the same resources with .7829 -
 my colleagues for my work
 TI3 I need my colleagues' skill .7721 .7767 3
 to complete my work
Technical Support (alpha = 0.8798)
 TS1 Company keeps setting .8253 .8720 6
 advanced IT facilities
 TS2 Company hires extensive .8490 .9209 6
 technology staffs to help IT
 users
 TS3 Company keeps advanced .7754 .7461 6
 Internet security technology
 TS4 Company maintains fast .7439 .7264 6
 Internet connection
Perceived Usefulness
(alpha = 0.9377)
 PU1 Groupware usage would improve .8341 .9223 5
 my job performance
 PU2 Groupware usage would enable .8138 .9624 5
 me to work more quickly
 PU3 Groupware usage would .7904 .8531 5
 increase my work productivity
Perceived Ease of Use
(alpha = 0.7463)
 PEU1 It would be easy to become .8874 .8674 7
 skillful at a groupware
 application
 PEU2 Using a groupware .8548 .8449 7
 application would be easy
 PEU3 Interaction w/ groupware .8176 .7845 7
 would be clear and understandable

Table 2. Variable descriptive statistics (N=374)

 Statistics

 Std.
Variables Minimum Maximum Mean Deviations

Web Experience 1 1 6 4.059 1.523
Web Experience 2 1 7 4.324 1.776
Web Experience 3 1 7 4.195 1.424
Web Experience 4 1 7 5.206 1.448
Subject Norm 1 1 7 5.012 1.343
Subject Norm 2 1 7 5.334 1.196
Subject Norm 3 1 7 3.416 1.433
Task Equivocality 1 1 7 4.348 1.394
Task Equivocality 2 1 7 4.549 1.276
Task Equivocality 3 1 7 4.682 1.358
Task Interdependence 1 1 7 5.321 1.293
Task Interdependence 2 1 6 3.395 1.465
Task Interdependence 3 1 7 4.933 1.546
Technical Support 1 1 7 3.896 1.643
Technical Support 2 1 7 4.172 1.632
Technical Support 3 1 7 4.567 1.618
Technical Support 4 1 7 4.289 1.685
Perceived Usefulness 1 1 7 4.984 1.378
Perceived Usefulness 2 1 7 4.917 1.383
Perceived Usefulness 3 1 7 4.933 1.406
Perceived Ease of Use 1 1 7 4.913 1.271
Perceived Ease of Use 2 1 7 4.897 1.214
Perceived Ease of Use 3 1 7 4.373 1.288
Actual Use 1 7 5.429 1.163

Table 3. Summary variable descriptive statistics (N=374)

 Statistics

Variable Mean Std. Deviation

Web Experience 4.4462 1.5431
Subject Norm 4.5876 1.3244
Task Equivocality 4.5266 1.3429
Task Interdependence 4.5499 1.4348
Technical Support 4.2313 1.6447
Perceived Usefulness 4.9449 1.3892
Perceived Ease of Use 4.7280 1.2278
Actual Use 5.4291 1.1634

Table : Pearson correlation matrix for external factors, mediating
factors, and actual usage

 WE SN TE TI

Web Experience 1.00
Subject Norm .473 ** 1.00
Task Equivocality .272 ** .153 * 1.00
Task Interdependence .072 .174 * .476 ** 1.00
Technical Support .295 ** .276 ** .004 .297 **
Perceived Usefulness .562 ** .368 ** .284 ** .293 **
Perceived Ease of Use .701 ** .350 ** .169 * .126 *
Actual Usage .476 ** .265 ** .081 .239 **

 TS PU PEU AU

Web Experience
Subject Norm
Task Equivocality
Task Interdependence
Technical Support 1.00
Perceived Usefulness .312 ** 1.00
Perceived Ease of Use .329 ** .563 ** 1.00
Actual Usage .494 ** .338 ** .413 ** 1.00

* Significance < .05 ** Significance < .01

Table 5: Testing hypotheses on service quality of outsourcing providers

 Hypotheses b

Web Experience [right arrow] PEU H1a 0.571
Web Experience [right arrow] PU H1b 0.313
Subject Norm [right arrow] PEU H2a -0.127
Subject Norm [right arrow] PU H2b 0.027
Task Equivocality [right arrow] PEU H3a 0.023
Task Equivocality [right arrow] PU H3b 0.158
Task Interdependence [right arrow] PEU H4a 0.026
Task Interdependence [right arrow] PU H4b 0.142
Technical Support [right arrow] PEU H5a 0.093
Technical Support [right arrow] PU H5b 0.246
PEU [right arrow] PU H6 0.265
PEU [right arrow] Actual Usage H7 0.169
PU [right arrow] Actual Usage H8 0.108

 T Prob.

Web Experience [right arrow] PEU 7.496 .001 **
Web Experience [right arrow] PU 3.947 .001 **
Subject Norm [right arrow] PEU -2.491 .017 *
Subject Norm [right arrow] PU 0.451 .407
Task Equivocality [right arrow] PEU 0.385 .533
Task Equivocality [right arrow] PU 2.639 .002 **
Task Interdependence [right arrow] PEU 0.518 .431
Task Interdependence [right arrow] PU 2.514 .006 **
Technical Support [right arrow] PEU 1.851 .031 *
Technical Support [right arrow] PU 3.512 .001 **
PEU [right arrow] PU 3.645 .001 **
PEU [right arrow] Actual Usage 2.763 .001 **
PU [right arrow] Actual Usage 1.655 .025 *

* Significance < .05 ** Significance < .01