ABSTRACT

A Study on the User´s Resistance and Acceptance in Adoption Stage of the e-Trade
-Focused on the uTradeHub

Kim, Jung Sok
Department of International Trade
Graduate School of
Chonbuk National University
Directed by Prof. Song, Chae Hun, Ph.D.

This study aims to develop the research model about the factors that have impact on e-Trade users’ acceptance and resistance to innovation. To do so, it carries out an empirical analysis to capture the factors that can be used as the fundamental data which helps e-Trade be accepted to domestic foreign trading company as a tool of strategic competitiveness and spread wider.
To achieve the goals, this study conducted e-mail and fax survey with small and medium-sized foreign traders, which are the major users of the national electronic trade system “uTradeHub” collected 172 valid questionnaires.
The responses were analyzed by SPSS Version 18.0 for frequency analysis, factor analysis and validity test. Furthermore, AMOS 17.0 was applied to verify the structural model of this research.
The followings show the research hypotheses and the results of test.
i) H1: The relationship between e-Trade characteristics (relative advantage, task adaptedness, perceived risk, complicity) and user’ resistance to and acceptance of it.
First, the result of the analysis confirmed that relative advantage of the characteristics of e-Trade has a negative (-) relationship with the user’s resistance to it while having a positive (+) relationship with the acceptance. And the absolute value of standardized path-coefficient, which explains relative influence among variables, of the acceptance of innovation was shown higher than that of resistance to it. So, it was confirmed that relative advantage has more impact on acceptance of innovation than on resistance to innovation.
Second, it was confirmed that task adaptedness is negatively related to user’s resistance but positively related to acceptance. In addition, for the absolute value of standardized path-coefficient, acceptance of innovation had the higher value than resistance to it. Therefore, it was known that task adaptedness has more impact on acceptance of innovation than on resistance to innovation.
Third, it was confirmed that perceived risk is positively related to user’s resistance but negatively related to acceptance. And the absolute value of standardized path-coefficient of the resistance to innovation had higher than that of acceptance of it. So, it was confirmed that perceived risk has more impact on resistance to innovation than on acceptance of innovation.
Fourth, it was verified that complexity is positively related to user’s resistance but negatively related to acceptance. And the absolute value of standardized path-coefficient of the resistance to innovation had higher than that of acceptance of it. So, it was confirmed that complexity has more impact on resistance to innovation than on acceptance of innovation.
Judging from the above empirical analysis, it was confirmed that relative advantage and task adaptedness of e-Trade have more impact on acceptance of innovation than on resistance to it. And also perceived risk and complicity of e-Trade have more impact on resistance of innovation than on acceptance to it.
It is necessary to review the results in the light of Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory, which is well established in the study of consumer behavior. Because relative advantage and task adaptedness, which are the variables that can be considered as the strength of e-Trade, are felt to the users of e-Trade more in satisfaction than in expectation, they seem to more react to the impact on their acceptance than on their resistance in terms of relative advantage and task adaptedness. In the meantime, for perceived risk and complexity, which are perceived as the weakness of e-Trade, they seem to react to the impact on their resistance than on acceptance because the factors don’t meet their expectation in reality than their expectation.
Such outcomes find their reasons in that companies have been relatively negligent in securing safety of and responding to complaints related to e-Trade, though they are making efforts for various functions of the system.
ii) H2: The relationship between the characteristics of trade company (support by CEO and IT infra maturity) and user’ resistance to and acceptance of e-Trade.
First, the result of H2 analysis confirmed that support by CEO has a positive relationship with the user’s acceptance of e-Trade while having nothing to do with their resistance.
Second, it was shown that IT infra maturity is negatively related to user’s resistance to but positively related to acceptance of e-Trade. And, acceptance of innovation had higher absolute value of standardized path-coefficient than resistance to innovation. Therefore, it was confirmed that IT infra maturity has more impact on acceptance of innovation than on resistance to innovation.
Putting the results into conclusive consideration, it was confirmed that the characteristics of foreign trading companies (support by CEO and IT infra maturity) has more impact on acceptance of innovation than on resistance to it.
iii) H3: The relationship between e-Trade user’ resistance and acceptance and the diffusion of e-Trade.
The result of H3 analysis confirmed that e-Trade user’ resistance to innovation has a negative(-) relationship with the diffusion of e-Trade and their acceptance of innovation has a positive(+) relationship with the diffusion. And the absolute value of standardized path-coefficient, which explains relative influence among variables, of the acceptance of innovation was shown higher than that of resistance to it. So, it was confirmed that acceptance of innovation has more impact on the diffusion of e-Trade than resistance to innovation.
Therefore, marketers should notice that focusing on relative advantage and task adaptedness having more impact on the acceptance of innovation could bring in a better result in terms of e-Trade diffusion than concentrating on perceived risk and complexity that have a great impact on the resistance to innovation.
iv) H4: the difference analysis of the degree and factors that has impact on the user’s resistance and acceptance by adoption stage of e-Trade
First, the result of H4 analysis showed the impact of CEO support on the adoption of innovation had significant difference between groups. Especially in the group with low adoption of e-Trade (Group 1: Knowledge-Persuasion-Decision), CEO support had a far greater impact on the adoption than the group with high adoption of e-Trade (Group 2: Implementation-Confirmation).
Second, CEO support also showed a significant difference between the groups in terms of the impact on the resistance to innovation. Especially in the group with low adoption of e-Trade (Group 1: Knowledge-Persuasion-Decision), CEO support had a far greater impact on the resistance to innovation than the group with high adoption of e-Trade (Group 2: Implementation-Confirmation)
Putting all the results into one, CEO support was the important variable that has impact on all the groups in terms of both acceptance and resistance. Particularly it played more influence over the group with low adoption of e-Trade (Group 1: Knowledge-Persuasion-Decision) with high than the group with high adoption of e-Trade (Group 2: Implementation-Confirmation).
Considering that most of the respondents to the survey are small and medium exporters, the results show that CEO decision is more reflected in the organizations at the first stage of adoption. Accordingly, to diffusion of e-Trade, it implies that it is necessary to hold seminars or training sessions for CEOs to emphasize the introduction and necessity of e-Trade.
Third, IT Infra maturity showed a significant difference between the groups in terms of the impact on the adoption of innovation. Especially in the group with high adoption of e-Trade (Group 2: Implementation-Confirmation), IT Infra maturity had a far greater impact on the adoption of innovation than the group with low adoption of e-Trade (Group 1: Knowledge?Persuasion-Decision).
This result allowed us to judge that the better IT infrastructure is established in an organization, the more widely e-Trade is used because the organization can enhance the usability of e-Trade in a relatively easy way without additional investment in hardware, software or manpower.
Accordingly, to diffusion of e-Trade, it is required to provide more opportunities for on-the-job training and education of e-Trade to persons responsible for the task, as well as financial assistance for infrastructure and equipment.
Fourth, task adaptedness showed a significant difference between the groups in terms of the impact on the resistance to innovation. Especially in the group with low adoption of e-Trade (Group 1: Knowledge-Persuasion-Decision), task adaptedness had a far greater impact on the resistance to innovation than the group with high adoption of e-Trade (Group 2: Implementation-Confirmation)
Thus, it is interpreted that as the user’s acceptance stage steps up, the user’s expectation-satisfaction steps down.
This study has significance in that it arranges the concept and stages of e-Trade systematically and, unlike other studies, it goes beyond the acceptance and diffusion of e-Trade to the inclusion of resistance together in the model.
In addition, this study can be spoken well of in that it provides the underpinning data for the diffusion of e-Trade through analyzing the difference between groups, which have been scarcely dealt in existing studies.