Facilitating Conditions

In relation to the construct of facilitating conditions, past studies have identified related items using the following statements: (i) guidance was available for using the system (Thompson, Higgins and Howell 1991; Jiang et al. 2000); (ii) a specific person (group) is available for assistance with system difficulties (Thompson, Higgins and Howell 1991; Jiang et al. 2000; Venkatesh et al. 2003); (iii) training for the system is available (Thompson, Higgins and Howell 1991; Jiang et al. 2000); (iv) the website is available to me when I need it (Jiang et al. 2000); (v) the company provides on-line answers to my questions (Bedford 2005); (vi) the company provides on-line help to use their website (Bedford 2005); and (vii) the use of their website is very supportive (Jiang et al. 2000).

In the field study, all respondents suggested that facilitating conditions played an important role in assisting them with e-Services adoption. All respondents suggested that technical and non-technical supports are important in e-Services usage.

Respondent B said, “I believe the technical and non-technical support is important”.

Respondent A specifically mentioned that the availability of after-sale services also

85 becomes his consideration in using e-Services. Respondent L also revealed: “I had an experience where I had completed a transaction from booking until payment, but I was informed that my transaction was not confirmed. I thought it was problem with my credit card, Then I called the airline’s customer service to ask for explanation.

Thus, the support is important”.

Furthermore, Respondents C and L believed that airline companies that provide e-Services should have daily 24-hour supports. Some respondents also stated that they prefer using the call centre (Respondents D, F and I), help desk (Respondents E, K, N and O) or chatting online (Respondents G, K, M, N and O) when they face difficulties because they will get faster responses and clearer solutions. Therefore, in case problems occur, the available support will help consumers (Respondent F).

Furthermore, Respondents A, B, E, H, I, M, N and O underlined that facilitating conditions have an influence on effort expectancy in the use of e-Services. For example, Respondent N suggested that a particular special division, such as helpdesk, may be unnecessary when the e-Services system already presents contents that are clear and easy to use as well as easy to access with an acceptable speed.

In addition, Respondents A, B, G, H, J and L considered facilitating conditions as a factor that affects their perception of outcome expectancy in the use of e-Services.

4.4.4.4 Privacy Concerns

Research findings indicated that privacy concerns and the requirement to submit personal information are among the primary factors that discourage users to transact online via the Internet (Westin 2001). Privacy concerns refer to a possible loss of privacy as a result of a voluntary or surreptitious information disclosure to a website while completing online transactions (Culnan and Armstrong 1999; Smith, Milberg and Burke 1996). Privacy concerns have been defined as negative perceptions that have an effect on IT innovation adoption, including e-Services.

In the field study, most respondents, except E, believed that privacy concerns would influence their use of e-Services. Respondent B revealed: “Privacy concerns become my consideration…. if my data are misused by other people… I am also still concerned, when I access the e-Services on a public personal computer (PC), because

86 I am afraid somebody else will access my information.” Respondents E, H and J stated that they have a feeling, when they use e-Services, that somebody can track and monitor their clicks and actions.

Perceptions of privacy concerns from respondents varied from individual to individual, depending on that person’s own backgrounds and values (O'Neil 2001), such as education, gender, location, experience and income. For example, respondents C and G, who had high experience in using online transactions, seemed to be more secure than respondents H and J, who had less experience. These results support the findings of Lose, Bellman and Johnson (2000) where sensitivity to privacy issues online decreased with Internet experience. Therefore, privacy concern was not a problem for respondents C and G in using e-Services.

Respondents A, B, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, N and O all considered privacy concerns as a factor influencing them in their intention to use e-Services. Respondent K mentioned, “I am still concerned about privacy concerns when using e-Services.

After doing an online transaction, I always call the provider to make sure about the safety of the transaction.”

Furthermore, respondents A, B, C, D, F, I, J, K, L and M indicated that privacy was a factor to be considered to motivate them in using e-Services. For example, Respondent A stated, “If there is a guarantee that information I submit is safe, I think I will be motivated”. Respondent F also mentioned, “Privacy of information influences my motivation to use e-Services since I use e-Services on behalf of someone else… I am motivated to use airline e-Services if I am booking travel somewhere where I am not supposed to transit”.

4.4.4.5 Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness plays an important role in the adoption and acceptance of online

transactions (Pavlou 2003; Gefen, Karahanna and Straub 2003), including e-Services usage. It has two dimensions, namely trust of organizations and trust of

technology (Srivastava and Teo 2005). Therefore, people will be encouraged to use e-Services, when they believe in the reputation of the provider of e-Services and the e-Services provided.

87 In the field study all of the respondents reported that trustworthiness was a crucial factor affecting consumers’ behaviours in adopting e-Services. For example, Respondent B said, “Trust becomes my consideration of using airline e-Services”.

Likewise, all respondents believed that trustworthiness plays a part in their motivation to use e-Services. “I trust both the airline company and its e-Services.

Those motivate me to use e-Services” (Respondent B). “I am motivated to use e-Services because I trust” (Respondent C).

Furthermore, fourteen out of fifteen respondents generally agreed that trustworthiness is a determining factor of effort expectancy and outcome expectancy.

For example, Respondent D mentioned, “… if I trust, I feel more comfortable and easier…”. “It is easy since I trust” (Respondent K). “As by trusting we could not worry anymore” (Respondent M). “If we trust it, everything will be automatically easier and faster” (Respondent N). In other words, trustworthiness can reduce a consumer’s need to monitor airline e-Services responses in detail. As a result, the consumer can make online transactions more easily. Similarly, Respondent C also stated, “…trust will increase my expectations”. “…the more we trust, the more we hope and I believed the company would be better than other companies”

(Respondent E). In other words, trustworthiness can increase consumers’

expectations when they use e-Services.

In addition, most of respondents agreed that trustworthiness encompasses trust in two aspects: the airline company providing e-Services and the e-Services themselves.

Thirteen of fifteen respondents, (all except F and G), stressed that they trusted both the company which provided the e-Services and the e-Services provided. Respondent L said, “We trust the company because it exists and we can access it through its websites”. Eleven of fifteen respondents agreed that e-Services are trustworthy.

Moreover, respondents A, D and G mentioned that they trust airline companies providing e-Services if the companies can guarantee security of data. “The company would secure my data” (Respondent G). Additionally, Respondents C and F mentioned that they become more trusting if e-Services can guarantee data validity.

88 4.4.4.6 Outcome Expectancy

The work of Snead and Harrell (1994) and Landry (2003) discovered that outcome expectancy was a determinant of behavioural intention. In relation to motivation, prior studies pointed out that increases in expectancy result in proportional increases in motivation (Harrell and Stahl 1986; Miller and Grush 1988; Elding, Tobias and Walker 2006). Outcome expectancy is believed to be a determinant of motivation and intention to use e-Services. According to Bandura (1997), people who anticipate outcomes mostly depend on their judgments of how well they will be able to perform in a given situation. If a customer expects that he or she will gain benefit from using e-Services and becomes conscious of the outcomes, this customer is more likely to have motivation and intention to continue using those e-Services.

In the field study, all respondents identified that outcome expectancy is an important influence on the individual that initiates e-Services usage behaviour (Benbunan-Fich and Arbaugh 2006). It indicates the consumer’s confidence that utilizing e-Services will lead to a more suitable outcome expectancy. For example, Respondents E, I, J and K said that they expect to increase the chance of getting efficiency and effectiveness when buying tickets using e-Services. “E-Services usage is more suitable to my activity. It takes time to go to a travel agent” (Respondent B).

Likewise, all respondents substantiated that outcome expectancy is a variable that positively contributes towards motivation to use e-Services. Outcome expectancy should motivate an individual to use the technology and gain more favourable benefits. Respondent E stated, “I believe everyone is seeking for ease about anything”. Respondent F mentioned that he was motivated to use e-Services because he desired a cheaper price and didn’t mind releasing a little private information within the e-Services system.

Furthermore, there was general agreement among participants in the field study that obtaining a more suitable flight schedule and price, and more efficiency in buying the ticket, were expected when they used e-Services. For example, Respondent F said, “I expect to see the available information of flight schedules, to choose as I wish, to choose the cheapest ticket, and I expect everything can be more efficient”. In addition, there were other expectations, such as: ease of payment (Respondents B and G); priority offers via e-mail from the airlines as a reward for customer loyalty

89 (Respondents A, C and K); increased status among colleagues (Respondents B, C and K); provision of valid information (Respondent E); provision of affiliation with hotels and car rentals (Respondents L); and, to get seats (Respondents I and L) or to make a booking (Respondents B and N) without down payment.

4.4.4.7 Motivation

Nuttin (1987) stated that, without motivation, the intention to act would fail to be carried out. The discussion in Section 2.4.7 mentions that prior studies found that motivation was expected to be a determinant factor of behavioural intention and actual behaviour. The level of customers’ motivation will directly influence their usage of e-Services or indirectly affect it via customers’ intentions. The customer will be motivated to use e-Services due to their needs in doing business and improving image.

In the field study, eight of the fifteen respondents confirmed that they first used e-Services after they were introduced to them by their friends, colleagues, supervisors or other passengers. One of the respondents said, “…actually for the first time somebody influenced me. I knew about e-Services from my friend”

(Respondent A). In this case, they can be motivated to use e-Services without any intention of their own. Alternatively, it is possible that they could be motivated to use e-Services via intention. For example, Respondent D said, “I am interested in using e-Services. But if I am busy, I will ask my secretary to use e-Services for buying tickets. If I have spare time, I will use e-Services”.

The remaining seven of the fifteen respondents said that they used e-Services without being influenced by somebody else. All of them agreed that they were motivated to use e-Services. Their motivation in using e-Services is perhaps due to their intention.

For example, Respondent N stated, “…if we know the Internet then we will find it easier to search… then we will use e-Services”. Alternatively, they could be motivated to use e-Services without any intention when they need information about flights and then proceed to buy tickets according to schedules and prices that are suitable for their circumstances.

90 In the field study, all of the interview respondents, except respondent H, agreed that they are motivated to use e-Services. For example, Respondent G stated, “I am motivated and I am glad to use e-Services”, although sometimes a consumer still needs to go to a travel agent, as stated by respondent H. In addition, all respondents said that they are going to persuade their colleagues, friends, family members and other people to use e-Services. They also were personally interested in continuing to use e-Services. For example, Respondent B said, “I feel more interested and motivated in using e-Services and I will ignore previous ways (of making travel arrangements).” In addition, Respondents B, E, G, N and O were committed to using e-Services for their activities when they are travelling from one place to another by plane.