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The improved food security in Asia that has facilitated the region’s development progress depends on nitrogenous fertilizers. Rising prices and shortages of imported fertilizer have prompted countries to explore alternative sources of crop nitrogen, including diversification with legumes. We evaluate an intervention in Nepal that promoted mungbean adoption. Our doubly robust impact evaluation approach accounts for nonrandom patterns of adoption related to livestock rearing, participation in agricultural cooperatives and training, and greater irrigated land use. Adopters growing mungbean for the 2-year study period showed an average increase of 20 kilograms (kg) in their annual consumption of mungbean-based foods, applied almost 40kg per hectare (ha) less fertilizers to their rice crops, and obtained an additional 280kg in rice yield per ha. Hence, agricultural innovations that use legumes such as mungbean can help promote sustainable intensification of cereal-based production systems, while enhancing food security and reducing balance-of-payments issues for the countries dependent on fertilizer imports.

Crowdfunding (CF), a new funding channel, is prompting more research on the non-financial determinants of its adoption. This paper is part of this emerging current and aims to explain using the logic of entrepreneurial action, the entrepreneur intention to adopt CF. The binomial logistic regression test on a simplified intention model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT) reveals that the intention to adopt CF varies according to the entrepreneur’s commitment to entrepreneurial act logic and his management logic. These results reveal the validity of the pecking order theory and highlight the importance of incitation to risk-taking and entrepreneurial transparency, catalyst factors for participation in CF.

With the increased interest among organizations in managing Information Technology (IT) projects as a portfolio, there has been a growing need for research on factors influencing adoption of IT Project Portfolio Management (ITPPM). ITPPM allows organizations to improve the alignment of IT projects with organizational strategy, by balancing the risks and returns from inter-related projects. To contribute to our understanding of ITPPM, this study examines the adoption of ITPPM through the theoretical lens of diffusion of innovation. Using the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, we model ITPPM adoption and test our model using survey data from 302 project managers. Our results show that an organization's external pressure, ITPPM costs, organizational support, quality of data on existing IT projects, number of IT projects within the organization, and business resistance are significantly related to the adoption decision. We also find interesting results in how expected benefits of ITPPM and compatibility are perceived as equally important by both adopters and nonadopters. In light of the increasingly complex IT project management environment faced by organizations, our paper helps managers to understand and focus on key enablers of ITPPM adoption and better manage ITPPM inhibitors.

Globalization is responsible for rapid development and release of information technologies. Globalization drives the competitiveness of people and organizations. Competitiveness makes organizations in particular to seek for solutions to enhance their competitive edge. Recent survey results on server virtualization suggest that the need to enhance competitiveness by reducing costs and improving business productivity is a major reason for the adoption of server virtualization in organizations. Thus, in taking adoption decisions on emerging technologies such as server virtualization, the provocative question we ask is: Is server virtualization implementation in business and public organizations a worthwhile investment? The outcomes of this study clearly show the answer is YES. However, the pitfalls associated with the implementation of these technologies are capable of making future adopters skeptical. This study examined the benefits and drawbacks of server virtualization implementation in 83 South African organizations. Server virtualization implementation has couple of drawbacks, which should be looked into.

Today, many organisations are reliant on the competence of individual knowledge workers. Information systems to support competence management are thus considered to be vital tools in order to gain competitive advantage. Competence systems are intended to support staff allocation and management of competence by providing firms with competence overviews. This paper presents a qualitative case study of the adoption of such systems in a fast-growing knowledge-intensive organisation. Applying a situated change perspective on organisational transformation, the paper analyses how different changes were managed in the process of competence systems adoption. Building on this analysis, this paper contributes a set of managerial implications for managing the situated nature of such changes in leveraging the use of competence systems. In addition, the paper also discusses how the implications generated apply to the management of knowledge management systems adoption.

This paper uses Theory of Constraints (TOC) improvement questions to measure how employees' demographics influence their adoption of various Information Technology Equipments (ITEs) in organisations. Survey questions in the form of a Likert scale are prepared to address these possible effects. The number of total participants was 216 and they were from two universities: Argosy University, Atlanta campus; and Brigham Young University, Provo campus. The research question for this study asked how the factors of age, gender, race, and education level positively or negatively influence employees' attitudes toward ITE adoption at their place of employment. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationships and the Kruskal–Wallis and the Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare the independent groups. The results suggested that there was a correlation among age, race and education level and indicated that age negatively correlates with employees' level of comfort with ITE use. There was a statistically significant difference at the 0.01 level between White and Black participants.

Due to the outstanding growth of geotagging technology usage among the social networking sites (SNSs) users, research is needed to better understand how SNSs users accept and use this technology. This study explores the factors that affect the adoption of geotagging technology among the SNSs users integrating personal innovativeness in IT (PIIT) with UTAUT. By using structured questionnaire survey, 390 data were collected. Statistical analysis techniques, such as SPSS AMOS and partial least square method, based on structural equation modelling (SEM), were used to analyse the collected data. Integrated UTAUT fulfills all criterion of model fitness. Interestingly, PIIT properly explains the personal characteristics of SNSs users in UTAUT framework. PIIT has impact on all UTAUT exogenous constructs except effort expectancy as well as on behavioural intention. Two new paths among the predictor variables (e.g. facilitating condition to effort expectancy and effort expectancy to performance expectancy) are statistically significant. All constructs of UTAUT except effort expectancy have substantial positive effect on SNSs users’ intention to adopt geotagging technology. Geotagg’s use frequency strongly moderated the different relationships in the integrated UTAUT model. The study will succor different tourism firms, restaurants and SNSs service providers to maximise the adoption of geotagging technology use. It contributes to knowledge by adding new moderator, new paths as well as integrating personal characteristics (e.g. PIIT) in UTAUT.

A qualitative empirical study explores the psychological process by which transportation consumers adopt alternatives to single occupancy vehicles. The study's findings give rise to the Motive-Technology-Belief (MTB) framework, a theory that conceives of technology adoption in terms of three mental structures: motives are inner mental reasons; technologies are tools that pertain to motives; and beliefs are associations between motives and/or technologies. Their behavioral interactions are governed by three conscious processes: selecting is the process of choosing a tool in response to an immediate need; evaluating is the process of forming beliefs about tools; and maintaining is the process of determining the functional status of tools. They are augmented by five unconscious auxiliary processes: perceiving, focusing, framing, consolidating, and acting.

The primary contribution of this paper is the first coherent theory that explains some of the inner mental processes pertaining to technology adoption. However, the study described in this paper also combines existing theory with original field research to lay the foundation for a more comprehensive causal theory of the adoption process that will provide a step-by-step explanation of how events or life experiences cause a consumer's beliefs about a technology to change over time. Finally, the study identifies evaluating, selecting, maintaining, and the auxiliary processes that govern motivation as fundamental "microlaws" of innovation i.e. regular rules describing the generating processes of emergent innovations.

Adoption processes are often heavily influenced by interpersonal communication. Marketing managers are increasingly trying to use these relationships to foster the market penetration of their products. In an empirical study of the US market for an innovative medical device, we survey the social network of (mostly chief) anesthetists from 151 hospitals. We confirm the influences from personal communication on individual adoption decisions through hazard regressions. We then use a multi-agent modeling framework trying to identify what seeding strategies would have been optimal to achieve a fast market penetration, i.e. which and how many anesthetists should be selected to initiate personal communication processes.

Existing, staged models of consumer adoption behavior offer little in the way of theoretical justification, and their empirical validity is in doubt. A qualitative empirical study provides another view by exploring the behavioral decision process by which transportation consumers adopt alternatives to single occupancy vehicles. The study finds that adoption behavior consists of interplay between three conscious, cognitively distinct processes: selecting, evaluating and maintaining. All three processes are characterized in detail in this study. What emerges from the study's data is the first theory to explain the "how" of technology adoption in terms of endogenous mental processes. The study lays the foundation for a more comprehensive causal theory of the adoption process that will provide a step-by-step explanation of how events or life experiences cause a consumer's beliefs about a technology to change over time. It also identifies evaluating, selecting and maintaining as fundamental "microlaws" of innovation: regular rules that describe the generating processes of emergent innovations.

This paper maps the diffusion dynamics of smart meters in the Central and Eastern Europe (EU10) and develops methodology which assesses the potential drivers of diffusion by the means of thematic analysis. Innovation diffusion theory and the concept of rate of adoption enabled to measure the speed of smart meter diffusion throughout the time in individual countries and the whole region, which is subsequently benchmarked against the market leaders. Results indicate that large-scale rollouts of smart meters are preceded by pilot projects, cost–benefit analysis, regulations, and initiatives. Furthermore, the role of state decreases with gradual development of the market.

A symbolic innovation is one that stands for something else. Here we will explore eight conditions resulting from a bipolar configuration of stakeholder interests, extrinsic benefits, and intrinsic benefits that have different consequences for the decoupling of innovation adoption and of implementation for symbolic innovations. The underlying forces, or generative motors, that drive these processes are quite different with stakeholder interests and extrinsic social, bandwagon effects much more important in adoption and more immediate, intrinsic benefits coming to the fore in implementation. The degree to which these factors converge produces conditions that are more likely to result in innovations that have positive performance impacts.

The important role of demographics on technology adoption has been highlighted vastly in the literature. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the moderating role of managers’ demographics in their decision-making process to adopt Green information system (Green IS) from the lens of norm activation theory. With 175 valid questionnaires hand collected from organizations’ decision-makers, the researchers examined the research model and its related hypotheses utilizing the Partial Least Squares (PLS)–Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed Green IS attitude together with personal norm to be the most influential factors, followed by environmental attitude. In addition, we found that while awareness of consequences significantly impacted personal norms, its explanatory power on personal norms was higher when it was mediated through ascription of responsibility. Regarding the moderator variables, the model explained better the pro-environmental behavioral intention of managers towards the adoption of Green IS among older female and well-educated managers. Contributions of the study are further discussed.

In spite of the benefits associated with Automated Traveler Information Systems (ATIS), little attention has been given to its implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the management of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has made efforts to implement this technology on their campus transport services. It is in this regard that the researchers sought to investigate the factors that will influence the student’s intention to adopt ATIS. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) with self-efficacy, system quality and gender as moderators were employed in the study. The results indicate that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions and habit are the true predictors of people’s intention to use ATIS. Moreover, self-efficacy and gender were also found to moderate the relationship between behavioral intention and use behavior. This is among the few attempts to examine the factors that may influence user’s adoption of ATIS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Digital innovations are happening all over the globe with the advent of technology. The digital platforms are not only introducing the traditional services online but are also continuously engaged in making frequent modifications to them in the form of incremental innovations. In our quest of creating a time horizon for innovation adoption, and determining levels of adopters of incremental innovations 837 participants from India were asked about their level of adoption of digital innovations. While most of the respondents did not seem affected by the digital transition, amongst the ones adopting these innovations are mostly Early Adopters and Early Majority. The study arrived at an adoption score for the respondents based on the time from the introduction of the innovation and their adoption. The time horizon suggests the increase in adoption of innovation with each new digital innovation introduced. In the case of incremental innovations, ten levels of adoption, and three categories consisting of the ten levels of adoption are formulated based on the LoA model. The users in India fall majorly on the Beginner category in which maximum is aware of the incremental innovations but are skeptical about using them. The study further suggests certain measures for the digital platform providers for each category of users to make them accustomed to the process of incremental innovations.

Companies are still reticent about adopting IIoT platforms, and research has not yet explained the underlying challenges that impede such adoption. Uncovering these obstacles can open avenues for research and practice to realize the intended potential. We take a holistic perspective on technological, organizational, and environmental challenges that impede organizations’ adoption of IIoT platforms, which we identify in a Delphi study with 22 international experts from academia and practice. Besides identifying 29 challenges, our research reveals the comparative relevance of individual challenges, uncovering differences in perceptions between academics and practitioners. The study contributes to the diffusion of IIoT platforms in research and practice.

While many of the factors which help explain the rate and scale of innovative technology adoption have been identified, one important variable (the influence of insider, practitioner-developed versus commercial, externally-developed technology) has been under-explored. Focusing on healthcare in particular, the purpose of this paper is to explore the insider-innovator/user dynamic. Relevant literature is used to draw-out and examine the prima facie reasons why insider innovator status might enhance, or conversely impede, widespread adoption. From the literature, a model depicting adoption activity pathways and adoption processes is developed. The paper concludes with a research agenda for future empirical study.

Although the literature has recognised short time to market and early entry as relevant factors, they are not enough alone to ensure success. In fact, an early entrant may successfully serve early adopters, but then fail in developing products suitable for those who adopt later (i.e., the early majority), dissipating the first-mover advantages previously gained. This paper argues that the likelihood of being successful in the early majority segment depends also on the rethinking time, defined as the time available to firms serving early adopters for planning and developing products that will be offered to the upcoming early majority segment. The rethinking time is here analytically defined through the Bass model and its relationship with product success is investigated. The paper shows that the market leader in the early majority segment is expected to be the incumbent when rapid diffusion occurs and, conversely, new entrants when rethinking time is longer.

Electricity services are crucial for human well-being and to a country’s socio-economic development. Despite its importance, low levels of electricity adoption continue to prevail in most rural areas in SSA. Low socio-economic development has been attributed among others factors to lack of modern energy sources especially electricity among rural households, which has been identified as a major setback in propelling empowerment and development at household and community level. There is minimal or no research conducted to understand the socio-economic dynamics of electricity adoption among households in Meru-South Sub-County. Household interviews were conducted from 150 randomly selected households using closed and opened ended questionnaires. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression. Result revealed that the largest proportion of the respondents were non-adopters. Possible predictor factors that significantly influenced adoption were distance from the transformer, education level, gender, household size, and income. Results further indicated that accessibility (proximity of the transformer) and cost of connection were perceived as the utmost prior challenges to electricity adoption by households. It was recommended that rural electrification project should be in considerate of household level characteristics in process of planning for electricity dissemination in rural areas to ensure heterogeneity in electricity adoption.

Despite the importance of adopting improved irrigation technologies to increase on-farm irrigation efficiency, our understanding of what determines farmers’ adoption decisions in southern Alberta remains relatively poor. The overall goals of this study are to examine the extent of adoption (proportion of all irrigators that have started the adoption process), how far along they are in the adoption process, and the intensity of adoption (percentage of irrigated land on which the technology is adopted) of improved irrigation technologies in southern Alberta, and to assess the major factors that influenced farmers’ adoption decisions. The data were collected in a farm-household survey conducted in the 12 largest irrigation districts (IDs) as well as among private irrigators in southern Alberta. Results show that adoption of improved irrigation technologies is widespread at various levels of intensity. By 2011, 81.3% of farmers had started the adoption process, are now using some kind of improved technology to apply water to their crops, and used it on 76.8% of all irrigated land. The most commonly used irrigation technology is a low pressure center pivot system. Receiving support services following the adoption decision played an important role in increasing the intensity of adoption. Obtaining information on irrigation technologies from individual farmers or farmers’ associations, and extension agencies significantly influenced farmers’ decisions to adopt. Farmers who increased their social capital through attending meetings related to agricultural production practices were more likely to adopt while farmers who participated in recreational or social organizations were less likely to adopt. Finally, the extent and intensity of adoption are higher for those with corporate farm structure, larger families, more generations of ownership and higher education.