FEATURE
PAPER
Factors
Affecting Consumers' Adoption Of New Wireless Internet
Peripherals
The
following paper was presented at the 2007 Allied Academies
International Conference - Jacksonville. It was written
by Mohamed Saber Chtourou of Université Laval,
Nizar Souiden of Université Laval, and Achraf Sellami
of CERGNA IAE/Université de Nantes.
Abstract
It
is widely agreed on the fact that usefulness of new products
is one
of the factors most commonly used by innovators to justify
the adoption of new
devices. When considering technological
products, early adopters are traditionally considered as experts
and hard users. This hypothesis is
challenged in this paper. To do so, we tested Bruner and Kumar’s
(2005) model in two different
markets, Canada and France, using Structural Equation Model.
254 questionnaires were collected
from actual users of mobile devices. Results showed that, both
usefulness and fun were significant
predictors of attitude toward the act (use of mobile devices
for surfing the internet). Our results also
showed that usefulness and fun significantly vary across the
two considered markets: Canada and
France. The current research results were compared with those
found by previous studies
undertaken in a laboratory design setting. Theoretical and
managerial implications that marketers
should consider when developing new devices are presented.
Introduction
Many
observers agree on the fact that one of the next important
evolutions in the information
technology area is mobility. Indeed, the widespread adoption
of mobile phone for chatting through
short message system, despite the different technical limitation
it has, shows the opportunity of
developing an important new array of services that are based
on mobility. Nowadays, these services
are accessible for the consumer at any time and almost everywhere
around the globe.
The
adoption of mobile devices to access the internet is growing
at a steady rate. Experts
forecast that the number of Mobile Wireless Internet users
reach 484 millions by the year 2005.
According to one study undertaken by The Face of the Web,
the number of wireless Internet users
in 2004 grew by 29%. Although the wireless population growth
is largely driven by the two biggest
Internet markets, the U.S. and Japan (fuelling 69% of user
increase), the Wireless Internet is also
gaining some popularity in Western Europe, South Korea, Urban
China and Canada. The latter’s
mobile industry has experienced a rapid growth and demand
is expected to increase for the
foreseeable future. About 18 millions of Canadians have access
to a wireless device in 2006. In
France, penetration rate of mobile devices is about 80%,
(48 millions). The use of Wireless
multimedia services in France has increased by 25% in 2005 Read
the Entire Paper...
.
TIP
OF THE WEEK
Do's and Don'ts of the Interviewing
Process 1.
Children. Don’t ask applicants if they have children,
plan to have them, or have or need child care. Questions about
children can unintentionally single out women.
2. Age. Because of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act,
employers cannot ask job applicants their age during the hiring
process. Since most people graduate high school at the age
of 18, even asking for high school graduation dates could violate
the law.
3. Disabilities. Don’t ask if applicants have physical
or mental disabilities. According to the Americans with Disabilities
Act, disabilities (and reasonable accommodations for them)
cannot be discussed until a job offer has been made.
4. Physical characteristics. Don’t ask for information
about height, weight, or other physical characteristics.
Questions about weight could be construed as leading to discrimination
toward overweight people, who studies show are less likely
to be hired in general.
5. Name. Yes, you can ask an applicant’s name, but you
cannot ask a female applicant for her maiden name because it
indicates marital status. Asking for a maiden name could also
lead to charges that the organization was trying to establish
a candidate’s ethnic background.
6. Citizenship. Asking applicants about citizenship
could lead to claims of discrimination on the basis
of national
origin.
However, according to the Immigration Reform and
Control Act, companies may ask applicants if they have
a legal
right to
work in the United States.
7. Lawsuits. Applicants may not be asked if they
have ever filed a lawsuit against an employer.
Federal and
state
laws prevent this to protect whistleblowers from
retaliation by
future employers.
8. Arrest records. Applicants cannot be asked about
their arrest records. Arrests don’t have legal standing.
However, applicants can be asked whether they have been convicted
of
a crime.
9. Smoking. Applicants cannot be asked if they
smoke. Smokers might be able to claim that
they weren’t hired because
of fears of higher absenteeism and medical costs. However,
they can be asked if they are aware of company policies that
restrict smoking at work.
10. AIDS/HIV. Applicants cannot be asked about
AIDS, HIV, or any other medical condition.
Questions of
this nature
would
violate the Americans with Disabilities Act,
as well as federal and state civil rights
laws.
References and Background Checks
Nearly all companies ask an applicant to
provide employment references, such as
previous employers
or coworkers,
that they can contact to learn more about
the candidate. Background
checks
are used to verify the truthfulness and
accuracy of information that applicants provide about
themselves and to uncover
negative, job-related background information
not yet
provided by applicants.
Background checks are conducted by contacting “educational
institutions, prior employers, court records, police and
governmental agencies, and other informational sources, either
by telephone,
mail, remote computer access, or through in person investigations.”
Unfortunately, previous employers are
increasingly reluctant to provide references
or background
check information
for fear of being sued by previous
employees for defamation. If former employers provide
potential employers
with unsubstantiated information that
damages applicants’ chances of being hired, applicants
can (and do) sue for defamation. As a result, 54 percent of employers will
not provide information about previous employees. Many provide only dates of
employment,
positions held, and date of separation.
When previous employers decline to provide meaningful
references or background information, they put other
employers at
risk of negligent hiring lawsuits,
in which an employer is held liable for the actions
of an employee who would not
have been hired if the employer had conducted a thorough
reference search and background check. In Florida,
the Tallahassee Furniture
Company hired
a worker
to make home furniture deliveries but did not conduct
a background check or even ask him to complete an application
form. After
being hired, he
attacked a woman
in her home with a knife. When she sued the company,
it
discovered that he had a history of drug use, violent
assault, and mental
illness. The
courts
awarded
the woman $2.5 million in damages.
With previous employers generally unwilling to give
full, candid references and with negligent hiring
lawsuits awaiting companies
that don’t get such references
and background information, what can companies do? Conduct criminal record checks,
especially if the job for which the person is applying involves money, drugs,
control over valuable goods, or access to the elderly, people with disabilities,
or people’s homes. According to the Society for Human Resource Management,
80 percent of companies now conduct criminal record checks.
Next, dig deeper for more information. Ask references
to provide references. Voca, Corporation, based
in Columbus, Ohio, has
2,500 employees in
six states who care for people with mental retardation
and development disabilities.
Hilary Franklin, director of human resources, says
she not only checks references,
but also asks the references to provide references
and then asks those references for still others.
She says, “As you get two or three times removed, you
get more detailed, honest information.
Always document all reference and background checks,
noting who was called and what information was
obtained. And to
reduce the
likelihood
that
negligent hiring
lawsuits will succeed, it’s particularly
important to document which companies and people
refused to share reference check and background
information.
Finally, consider hiring private investigators
to conduct background checks. They can often uncover
surprising
information not revealed
by traditional
background checks. When an American investment
company
was looking for a Japanese manager
to run its Tokyo office, it quickly found a strong
applicant who claimed to have experience with dozens
of initial
public offerings,
or IPOs
(the process of bringing
privately held companies publics that shares of
company stock can be sold in financial markets).
In multiple
interviews, this applicant
clearly had
detailed
information about each IPO deal. However, a background
check
soon revealed
that he was the Japanese translator and not the
financier behind each deal.
Williams
Management 4th Ed. Pg 353-354 Instructor's Edition |
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Request
for Papers & Reviewer Volunteers
The
Small Business Institue is now requesting papers and paper
review volunteers for the Small Business Institute Journal.
If you are interested in submitting a paper or becoming a
volunteer, please let us know. The first issue
is to be printed April 2008. For more information please click
here or email us at sbij@uca.edu.
SBANC is Updating
Their Entrepreneurship and Small Business Network
The Small Business Advancement
National Center is currently updating their Entrepreneurship
and Small Business Network. If you currently teach or know
a professor in your
school or state that teaches an Entrepreneurship or Small
Business course, please provide us with any available information
at sbanc@uca.edu.
We appreciate any help. Thank you.
.
|
CONFERENCES
ATINER
|
| Who: |
Athens
Institute for Education and Research
|
| What: |
International City Break Conference
on Business and Economic Research
|
| Where: |
Athens, Greece |
| When: |
October 19-21, 2007 |
|
|
|
ASBE
|
| Who: |
Association
for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
|
| What: |
2007
Conference
|
| Where: |
Austin,
Texas, USA |
| When: |
October
10-12, 2007 |
|
|
|
SWAM
|
| Who: |
Southwest Academy of Management |
| What: |
2008 Annual Meeting and 50th Reunion
Southwest Acadmeny of Management
|
| Where: |
Hyatt Regency - Houston, TX |
| When: |
March 4-8, 2008 |
|
|
|
MAEC
|
| Who: |
E-nnovations |
| What: |
E-nnovations 2007: Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneurship
Conference |
| Where: |
Anne Arundel Community College -
Arnold, Maryland, USA |
| When: |
October 13, 2007 |
|
|
|
FFI
|
| Who: |
Family
Firm Institute
|
| What: |
2007
Case Writers’ Workshop
|
| Where: |
Fairmont
Turnberry Isle Resort & Spa
in North Miami Beach |
| When: |
October 17-20, 2007 |
|
|
|
CALLS FOR PAPERS
MEI
|
| Who: |
Management, Engineering
and Informatics
|
| What: |
The 4th International Symposium
on Management, Engineering and Informatics 2008
|
| Where: |
Orlando, Florida, USA |
| When: |
June 29-July 2, 2008 |
Submission
Deadline:
October 24, 2007
|
|
|
|
WUF
|
| Who: |
|
| What: |
The
2008 World Universities Forum
|
| Where: |
Davos,
Switzerland
|
| When: |
Jan 31-Feb 2, 2008 |
Submission
Deadline:
October 13, 2007
|
|
|
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