Research framework and research hypothesis

As indicated above, in order to pursue the objectives of this quantitative study, three intention-based models will be tested, following the research methodology outlined in Chapter 3. In essence, the study aims to simultaneously compare and contrast consumer attitudes towards e-commerce, identified on the basis of TAM, TPB and MM (see Table 12), from two cultural perspectives: native culture (i.e. Polish culture and/or cultural context) and non-native culture (i.e. British culture and/or cultural context).

102 Table 12. TAM, TPB and MM models and constructs

Model Constructs Description

Dependent Variable: Intention to Use (IUSE)

The degree to which a person wants to perform or not perform some specified behaviour. The stronger the intention, the more likely it is that the behaviour will be performed (Ajzen, 1991)

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Independent Variable: Perceived Usefulness (PU)

The degree to which a person believes that using particular system would enhance his or her job performance (Davis, 1989)

Independent Variable: Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU)

The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort (Davis, 1989) Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) Independent Variable: Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC)

The degree to which a person believes that s/he possesses the resources and opportunities necessary to perform the behaviour in question (Chen and Dhillon, 2003)

Independent Variable: Attitudes Towards

A person’s positive or negative feelings about performing the target behaviour (Ajzen, 1991)

103 Behaviour (ATB)

Independent Variable: Subjective Norms (SN)

The degree to which the individual believes that most people who are important to him/her think that s/he should perform the behaviour in question (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1973)

Motivational Model (MM)

Independent Variable: Extrinsic Motivation (EM)

Relates to the drive to perform a behaviour to achieve a specific goal, see PU in TAM model (Venkatesh, 2000)

Independent Variable: Intrinsic Motivation (IM)

The extent to which using specific system is perceived to be enjoyable in its own right, aside from performance consequences resulting from system use (Davis et al., 1992)

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While conducting research involving culture, it is crucial to develop explicit hypotheses to understand similarities and differences across cultures. This helps to facilitate an understanding of the cultures being studied as well as their effect on the consumers’ behaviour their attitudes, values and beliefs (Dougals and Craig, 1997). Consequently, this study’s research hypotheses were carefully developed.

Keeping in mind Penaloza’s (1994) definition of acculturation as ‘the general movement and adoption to the consumer cultural environment in one country by persons from another country’, it is assumed that the ‘culti-unit’ (i.e. Polish immigrants residing in the UK), which, due to the influence of its native culture (Polish culture and/or cultural context), appears to have a negative attitude towards e-commerce (as identified on the basis of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, see Section 3.3.2), will change those attitudes while being subject to the influence of a non-native culture (i.e. British culture and/or cultural context), which appears to be e-commerce favourable. It is hypothesised that the ‘culti-unit’ will become more willing to accept e-commerce as its shopping platform. Consequently, the first hypotheses of this study are:

H1a. Consumers (i.e. Polish immigrants residing in the UK) change their attitudes

towards online shopping when changing the culture they are subject to

H1b: Consumers (i.e. Polish immigrants residing in the UK) have more positive

attitudes towards online shopping when in a non-native culture (i.e. British culture and/or cultural context) than their native culture (i.e. Polish culture and/or cultural context

Furthermore, as another aim of this research is to identify strong underlying factors driving consumer e-commerce platform acceptance, the propositions of the hypotheses were also developed with consideration of three intention-based models: TAM, TPB and MM. In order to meet the objectives of this research project and assess the change in consumers’ attitudes towards e-commerce, all hypotheses were stated in the same positive direction, which allows effective comparison of the research models. In the hypotheses the word ‘consumers’ refers to Polish immigrants residing in the UK, the phase ‘native culture’ refers to Polish culture and/ or cultural context, while the

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phase ‘non-native culture’ refers to British culture and/ or cultural context. The hypotheses are listed below:

Proposition 1 (based on the Technology Acceptance Model)

H2TAMa: Consumers perceive online shopping to be useful while in their native

culture.

H2TAMb: Consumers perceive online shopping to be useful while in a non-native

culture.

H3TAMa: Consumers perceive online shopping as easy to use while in their native

culture.

H3TAMb: Consumers perceive online shopping as easy to use while in a non-native

culture.

H4TAMa: The perception of online shopping as easy to use while in their native culture

influences consumers’ perception of the usefulness of e-commerce

H4TAMb: The perception of online shopping as easy to use while in a non-native

culture influences consumers’ perception of the usefulness of e-commerce

Proposition 2 (based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour)

H5TPBa: Consumers perceive that they have control over the e-commerce system while

in their native culture.

H5TPBb: Consumers perceive that they have control over the e-commerce system in a

non-native culture.

H6TPBa: Consumers have positive feelings about online shopping in their native

culture.

H6TPBb: Consumers have positive feelings about online shopping in a non-native

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H7TPBa: Consumers perceive that the reference group thinks that they should shop

online in their native culture.

H7TPBb: Consumers perceive that the reference group thinks that they should shop in

a non-native culture.

H8TPBa: The perception of consumers that the reference group thinks that they should

shop online in their native culture creates positive feelings about e-commerce

H8TPBb: The perception of consumers that the reference group thinks that they should

shop online in a non-native culture creates positive feelings about e-commerce

H9TPBa: Positive feelings about online shopping while in their native culture gives

consumers a sense of control over e-commerce platforms

H9TPBb: Positive feelings about online shopping while in a non-native culture gives

consumers a sense of control over e-commerce platforms

Proposition 3 (based on the Motivational Model)

H10MMa: Consumers perceive online shopping to be enjoyable while in their native

culture.

H10MMb: Consumers perceive online shopping to be enjoyable while in a non-native

culture.

H11MMa: The perception of online shopping being enjoyable while in their native

culture gives consumers the sense that e-commerce is useful

H11MMb: The perception of online shopping being enjoyable while in a non-native

gives consumers the sense that e-commerce is useful

The conceptual framework used to test the research hypotheses is presented in Figure 12.

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H4TAMa H4TAMb

H8TPBa H8TPBb

H9TPBa H9TPBb

HMM11a H11MMb

Figure 12. Conceptual framework (MM=Motivational Model, TAM= Technology Acceptance Model, TPB= Theory of Planned Behaviour model) TPB Perceived Usefulness Perceived Ease of Use Perceived Behavioural Control Attitudes Towards Behaviour Subjective Norms Intention to USE TAM MM TPB Intrinsic Motivation Native culture

(Polish culture and/or cultural context)

Intrinsic Motivation Perceived Usefulness Perceived Ease of Use Perceived Behavioural Control Attitudes Towards Behaviour Subjective Norms Intention to USE MM TAM TPB Non-native culture (British culture and/or cultural context)

H2TAMa _H2TAMb H3TAMa _H3TAMb H5TPBa H5TPBb H6TPBa _H6TPBb H7TPBa _H7TPBb H10MMa H10MMb

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