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The objective of this research is to evaluate statistically the role of the attitude variable as a mediator in the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model in the context of mandatory use of technology. We chose this objective to address two research gaps: the prevailing divide in opinions about the role of attitude in technology acceptance models and the contradictory results obtained by acceptance models in the context of mandatory use of technology. Achieving this objective will enable us to address the perennial question of the role of attitude in acceptance literature and to assess the boundaries of UTAUT, thus contributing to its continued development and providing guidance for its evolution. Data were collected from 475 students enrolled in online courses at a Canadian university that required the mandatory use of a learning management system (LMS). Results show that attitude exerts full mediation of the relationships between the independent variables performance expectancy and effort expectancy and the dependent variable behavioural intention. This mediation becomes partial for facilitating conditions and fades out for social influence. We call into question the relevance of behavioural intention as a measure of technology acceptance and present theoretical contributions and practical recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make AI tools for spam review detection to be more trustworthy, two types of explanation were designed, the Text-AI tool and the Behaviour-AI tool. The Text-AI tool establishes detection criteria based on the textual features of reviews, while the Behaviour-AI tool establishes detection criteria based on the behavioural features of reviewers. The trust of younger (20–26 years) and older (50–78 years) adults in AI tools and the changes in credibility judgments for reviews and overall attitude toward the product made by them based on AI tools' detection results were measured. We mainly found that: (i) Almost all the older participants reported that they trust AI tools' prediction, but 48.7% of them would abandon AI when AI's prediction was different from their own judgment. (ii) Younger adults showed a higher trust in the Behaviour-AI tool than in the Text-AI tool, especially when the AI tool detected more spam reviews than themselves. (iii) Regardless of age and types of explanation, participants perceived AI tools as more competent and benevolent when AI tools outperformed participants by detecting unexpected spam reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saudi universities have suspended the traditional face-to-face classes and moved to online learning to ensure the continuation of the educational process during the COVID-19 pandemic. The speed at which the move to online learning has happened was unprecedented and staggering. Academics, had to improvise and try different e-learning solutions in less-than-ideal circumstances. No matter how powerful and easy-to-use e-learning solutions might be, many academics understandably found the transition to e-learning stressful. This research project looks at the transition experience to online learning from the viewpoint of academics in Saudi universities. It investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the adoption of e-learning solutions and how this forced experience would affect the long-term adoption of e-learning solutions. The study employed an online survey administered to academics from all the 24 public universities. The results were quantitatively analysed by using structural equation modelling (SEM). It was found that attitudes toward e-learning, self-efficacy and perceived reliability have significant positive effects on behavioural intention to adopt e-learning. It was also found that COVID-19 has positively affected the long-term adoption of e-learning. Therefore, it is recommended that universities take immediate actions and capitalise on the e-learning experience that academics have gained during COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures of ethical behaviours in research may be subject to social desirability bias (SDB). Most behavioural aspects of software piracy research are a subset of ethical research. Few studies of software piracy have explicitly addressed the issue of SDB. In this article, the extent of SDB that may be present in software piracy is empirically assessed. This was done by comparing SDB in software piracy under three conditions using the 40-item Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) scale. First, software piracy behaviour was examined in an experimental setting with actual money at stake. This allowed subject behaviour to be observed rather than inferred from self-report responses. Second, a survey was conducted to test the extent of software piracy based on subject self-report responses. Third, the extent of software piracy was also assessed based on peer-report responses (i.e.: the subject reported whether their peers would pirate). A comparison of the responses in the three conditions allows us to draw inferences about SDB in software piracy research. Self-report surveys exhibited high levels of SDB. The behaviour in the experimental condition, and responses in the peer-report survey method, did not exhibit SDB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major issue in the digital age is how to safeguard the security of the massive amount of data being stored, processed and transferred through digital channels. Organisational communication research into data security shows that people are the weakest link. Non-compliant behaviour can lead to security breaches. Existing studies have focused above all on how employees can be motivated to comply with data security procedures. However, focusing on desirable behaviour does not explain why people often ignore security regulations. In addition, existing research tends to focus primarily on self-reported attitudes and perceptions, which can give a distorted impression of people's actual behaviour. In this paper, we address these issues by combining individual, habitual and situational factors to explain non-compliant behaviour in a vignette study, using SmartPLS to analyse survey data from 651 subjects in a large Dutch government organisation. The results indicate that bad habits play a significant role in non-compliant behaviour. This behaviour is fuelled by situational factors like time pressure, while a lack of self-efficacy also increases non-compliant behaviour. Based on these results, a communication strategy that addresses bad habits in a situational context may provide an alternative way to improve people's compliant behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the most important factor that determines young Chinese social network service (SNS) users' sustainable electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) behaviour in Korea. This study focuses on users' online flow experience to demonstrate sustainable e-WOM behaviour to develop a new customer base for Korean movie distributors and considers the acculturation effects in the flow theory model. We followed the flow theory approach for developing the measures of constructs and examined previous related studies to predict the relationships among the variables. Data were collected from 185 Chinese moviegoers attending Korean universities. Using SmartPLS 2.0 for statistical analysis, we found positive relationships between each pair of variables. Our research findings can offer insights to marketers who are interested in understanding the online behaviour of Chinese students in Korean universities and in establishing strategies to build relationships with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-malware software must be frequently updated in order to protect the system and the user from attack. Makers of this software must choose between interrupting the user to update immediately or allowing them to update later. In either case, assessing the content of the interruption may still require cognitive investment. However, by allowing the user to negotiate a delayed response to these interruptions, users can instead focus on their work. This paper experimentally examines the effect of immediate and negotiated interruptions on user decision time and decision accuracy in multiple stage tasks. For complex tasks, decision performance is higher when the user can negotiate the onset of and response to interruptions. The option to defer response also results in greater subjective perceptions of control, improved task resumption and reduced feelings of interruption and distraction on the part of the user, even within a short period of time. These findings have practical implications for endpoint security and where there is a need to mitigate the effects of user interruptions from computer-mediated communication in complex task situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the literature related to the concept of information quality (IQ) in the context of the online environment to understand how it has been conceptualised in the Information Systems (IS) literature, to identify gaps in the literature, and to make recommendations for future research. This study also extends the Information Processing Model (IPM) and proposes a novel dynamic model of online IQ perceptions and impacts. To understand the online IQ construct, an in-depth review of the literature is conducted. Overall, we reviewed 508 journal articles published between 1995 and 2016. This study found that there is a substantial gap in the IS literature in regards to a full understanding of the online IQ construct and its relation with the IPM. More research is needed to understand the way individuals process and respond to online information. Further, although the importance of context in theory development has been emphasised in the literature, very few empirical articles have explored the impact of contextual factors on the IPM as well as perceived online IQ. The findings provide online vendors with important guidelines that should be considered to motivate individuals to acquire more information from their websites that could lead to more satisfied and loyal users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With remarkable growth of ICT development and the Internet popularity, the widespread use of the electronic service is becoming inevitable. Furthermore, as the user adoption plays an important role for successful and effective implementation of any project, thus, there is a need to assess user acceptance of the e-service technology. This research developed the E-Service Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) to assess the user acceptance of e-service technology. According to the literature review in the field of e-service technology and acceptance theories, this study identified the main factors influencing the acceptance of e-services, namely satisfaction, security and quality and then, dimensions of these factors were extracted from the previous studies. In order to categorise the dimensions, an exploratory survey was developed and conducted among the university students and then, the exploratory factor analysis was applied. Afterwards, a confirmatory survey was designed and conducted among the 427 Malaysians and tested in terms of validity (content and construct) and reliability and then used to evaluate the ETAM. Finally, the structural equation modelling was applied to validate the casual relations and to assess the goodness-of-fit. The results of this study revealed that quality, security and satisfaction significantly influenced the intention to use an e-service and consequently the acceptance of e-service technology. The ETAM can help evaluate and predict how users will respond to an e-service before starting the development of any e-service project. Additionally, ETAM can be used as a foundation for e-service providers to develop strategies to encourage people to use e-services and increase the usage and acceptance rate of e-services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research goals of this study were to investigate how the design and service quality of the website of the public sectors affect tourists' satisfaction and continued usage intention. We collected a sample of tourists, using a survey questionnaire, and we tested the model and hypotheses using a structural equation modelling approach. E-tourism websites have unique interactive and multimedia qualities with the potential to create experiences similar to a product trial. In total, invitation messages were mailed to 2000 members of the Taiwanese backpackers' forum, of which 256 were returned completed. The findings of this study indicate that the mission of excellence in travel services will be an important strategy in e-tourism website design; an e-tourism website that allows quick navigation is likely to attract travellers. Moreover, it is important that governments adopt a knowledge-sharing culture in their relationship strategy by developing a competence for building long-term relationships with tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade of the 20th century brought radical changes in information and communication technology. Internet usage is being widely researched in the business world. However, the use of the Internet in academic settings in general and in vocational and technical establishment in particular is a neglected area. Successful use of the Internet is largely dependent upon the user's behaviour that, in turn, affects their attitudes. Even when remarkable opportunities exist for the deployment of technology, adverse attitude can inhibit use. Keeping this in mind, a survey of 166 academics of four technical and vocational colleges was conducted to study the attitudes of academics toward the use of the Internet. This study develops a model and validates two specific attitudinal variables—perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use—which are hypothesized to be fundamental determinants of use of the Internet. Adding two more variables—such as task characteristics and computer exposure—test the parsimony of the model further. A structural equation modelling technique is used to validate the model. The study confirmed that 79% of academics are using the Internet. Computer experience, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use remain to be fundamental determinants of attitude formation. No other variables have been found to be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]