Modeling Multilevel Structures of Information TechnologyAcceptance: An Investigation of Group Level Effects onIndividual Usage of Web-Based Systems

摘要

Despite the sizable and continually increasing amount of investment in information technology (IT), IT often falls short ofrnrealizing its expected benefits due to inadequate user acceptance. Understanding the key factors that facilitate user acceptancernof IT is an issue that has considerable practical implications. While much research effort has been directed to investigatingrnthe effects of various variables operating at the individual level, little effort has been made to modeling and assessing therneffects of group level variables on individual usage behavior. Our study addresses this issue by proposing a multilevel modelrncomposed of individual level variables and group level variables, integrating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use ofrnTechnology model with Resource-Based Theory. Research hypotheses derived from this integrative model will bernempirically validated in a field study setting involving college students who use a Web-based system over a 12-week period.rnThe proposed model will be tested using a hierarchical linear modeling approach, which is specifically designed to examinernmultilevel data structures. The findings are expected to provide important insights into the dynamic interplay betweenrnindividual level variables and group level variables and their joint effects on individual acceptance of IT.