Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology (Utaat)

Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT)

Venkatesh et al (2003) believe that the UTAUT is an enhancement of all the models of technology acceptance since it is built on as many as eight different theories of technology acceptance which have been brought together to help explain technology adoption and the rate of adoption. They explain that, users’ intentions in using a particular information system and subsequent adoption of that technology as a way of life is dependent on four main factors. These include: the expected performance level of the technology, the expected effort that must be put into that particular technology compared with what pertains in the past. Venkatesh et al (20003) explain that the third factor
Other empirical research has been conducted by Koivumäki et al (2008) where the UTAUT model was applied in studying the way 243 people in the northern part of Finland perceive mobile services technology and use. The study concluded that the time that is spent by the users in experimenting with the device hardly affected the perception of the consumer perceptions however being familiar with the device and skills of the user skills impacted on the rate of use of technology. In a research conducted by Eckhardt et al (2009) the UTAUT model was applied to how social influencers at the workplace such as reference groups (colleagues and superiors,) play some role in determining whether a person can use or not technology and the rate of use of the technology. The results suggested that among all the 152 German companies that were examined, there was a significant impact or relationship between an organisation’s social environment and the rate of adoption of
These are the functional values, epistemic values, the emotional values, the social values and the conditional values of the technology. Functional value means that people adopt technology based on its functional capability. This has to do with the ability of the technology to work better than other available technologies and means of work. The supremacy in enhancing the speed and the quality work supersedes all other factors in choosing or adopting a particular technology. On the other hand it is the contention of Legris, et al (2003) that epistemic (usually with trendiness, modernity and popularity) and aesthetic factors (physical features) can influence the adoption and use of any technology. The herding factor is also recognised by Lowry, et al (2013) who explains that some people may follow the crowd and get glue to a technology platform which is widely known without any consideration. This notwithstanding, UTAUT model was adopted on its own merit as the most comprehensive technology adoption model because it incorporates all the major user acceptance determinants from eight models as stated in earlier sections. These have been summarised in Table