Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)

In order to verify the results of the Pearson Correlation Coefficient test and reveal the motives behind consumers’ e-commerce acceptance, SEM was employed. According to Cheong and Leckenby (2004), SEM is a very useful tool in revealing interdependence relationships between variables, due to its ability to deal with complex relationships between variables. It appears to be reasonable, therefore, to confirm findings of the Pearson Correlation Coefficient test through SEM.

Hence, three intention-based models (TAM, TPB and MM) are separately tested from two cultural perspectives. Thus, six models in total are built using SPSS Amos 19. The models are tested through SEM to verify causal relationships among variables in each model, on the basis of which path’s significance was assessed. The summary of the path coefficient analysis results is presented below (see Table 27). The path coefficient is considered to be significant at or above the required 0.05 level.

128 Table 27. SEM – phase I

Native culture

Supported Non-native

culture

Supported

Technology Acceptance Model

H2TAMa/b PU -> IUSE 0.687*** YES 0.567* YES

H3TAMa/b PEOU -> IUSE -0.141 NO 0.071*** YES

H4TAMa/b PEOU -> PU 0.593*** YES 0.754*** YES

Theory of Planned Behaviour

H5TPBa/b PBC -> IUSE 0.030 NO 0.147* YES

H6TPBa/b ATB -> IUSE 0.231* YES 0.387* YES

H7TPBa/b SN -> IUSE 0.309*** YES 0.062** YES

H8TPBa/b SN -> ATB 0.409* YES 0.487* YES

H9TPBa/b ATB -> PBC 0.837*** YES 0.881** YES

Motivational model H10MMa/b IM ->

IUSE

-0.033 NO 0.102* YES

H11MMa/b IM -> PU 0.610** YES 0.738*** YES

PU -> IUSE

0.612*** YES 0.551*** YES

*p<0.05 **p<0.01 ***p<0.001

As can be seen from the above analysis, the results of the Pearson Correlation Coefficient test are confirmed with reference to the following variables: PEOU, PBC and IM. These appear to be factors which initially prevent consumers from accepting e-

129

commerce (due to the effect of culture and/or cultural context), yet can be overcome once consumers change cultural settings; thus, H1a is supported. Moreover, it appears that consumers’ attitudes towards e-commerce are more positive when assessed from the perspective of a non-native culture than from the perspective of their native culture; hence, H1b is also supported.

On the basis of path coefficients of the causal relationships between the constructs of each study, it is evident that the consumers realise the usefulness of e- commerce from the perspective of both native and non-native culture, as the correlation path between PU and IUSE in both studies is found to be significant. Thus, H2TAMa and H2TAMb are supported. Similarly, it was revealed that consumers have equally positive attitudes towards online shopping from within both cultures. In both studies a path measuring the relationship between ATB and IUSE is found to be significant, supporting H6TPBa and H6TPBb. Moreover, the relationship between ATB and PBC is also highly significant in both studies (H9TPBa and H9TPBb are supported). Lastly, the relationship between SN and IUSE is significant from both perspectives, supporting

H7TPBa and H7TPBb.

It appears the consumers’ perception of ease of use of e-commerce and consumers’ perception of playfulness online shopping website have positive effect on perception of its usefulness as the path coefficients between PEOU and PU and between IM and PU are significant in both cultures. Thus, H4TAMa and H4TAMb are supported, as are H11MMa and H11MMb. Similarly, the consumers’ reference group seems to positively affect consumers’ attitudes towards e-commerce in both Polish and British culture and/or cultural context, as a significant path coefficient was revealed between SN and ATB in native and non-native cultures. Thus, H8TPBa and H8TPBb are supported.

SEM confirms that significant differences exist in terms of factors driving consumers’ attitudes towards e-commerce, indicating that there is some effect of acculturation process on such acceptance. It appears that from the perspective of non- native culture consumers perceive that they have greater control over the system, as the path coefficient between PBC and IUSE is found to be significant when measured from the perspective of their non-native culture (H5TPBb is supported), and insignificant (H5TPBa is rejected) when measured from the perspective of the culture to which consumers subscribe. Similarly, it appears that consumers believe that the system is easy to use from the perspective of non-native culture (H3TAMb is supported), which is

130

not the case from the perspective of Polish culture and/or cultural context (H3TAMa is rejected). The causal relationship between PEOU and IUSE assessed from the perspective of native culture is found to be insignificant and significant when assessed from the perspective of non- native culture. Furthermore, from the perspective of British culture and/or cultural context, consumers seem to enjoy using online shopping websites more (H10MMb is supported) than from the perspective of Polish culture and/or cultural context (H10MMa is rejected), the path assessed from perspective of native culture appears to be insignificant while assessed from the perspective of non- native culture it is significant.

The change in attitudes towards e-commerce acceptance from the perspective of respondents’ native and non-native culture is observed in terms of Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Behavioural Control and Intrinsic Motivation (see Figure 13). Thus, there is some effect of acculturation process on consumers’ acceptance of e-commerce platform. The observed phenomenon; however, needs to be explained through follow- up qualitative study in order to understand deep underlying motives of the observed effect and reveal factors facilitating its occurrence.

Figure 13. The effect of the acculturation process

Intention to USE The degree to which a person wants to perform some specified behaviour

Perceived Ease of USE

The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would

be free of effort

Perceived Behavioural Control

A person's belief that they possess the

resources and opportunities necessary

to perform the

behaviour in question _{Intrinsic Motivation} Relates to the drive to perform a behaviour to achieve a specific goals

131

4.5. Discussion

There are three objectives of this quantitative study:

(1) To identify factors which encourage consumer’s e-commerce acceptance (2) To identify factors which discourage consumer’s e-commerce acceptance, (3) To identify factors which initially seem to prevent consumer’s e-commerce

acceptance but can be overcome due to a change in culture and/or cultural context.

In order to address the above research objectives, data was collected from a sample of 305 Polish immigrants residing in the UK, specifically in East Anglia. Respondents’ attitudes towards e-commerce were assessed using three intention-based models. The models, namely the Technology Acceptance Model, the Theory of Planned Behaviour model and the Motivational Model, are separately tested and then simultaneously compared and contrasted from perspectives of respondents native and non-native cultures (Polish culture and/ or cultural contexts and British culture and/ or cultural contexts, respectively). This comparison made it possible to meet the objectives of this study, and confirm there is some effect of acculturation process on consumers’ attitudes towards e-commerce.

On the basis of direct comparison of consumers’ attitudes towards e-commerce from perspectives of two cultures it is clear that consumers are subject to some influence of non-native culture. They became more favourable towards e-commerce in British culture than they were in Polish culture, demonstrating that the effect of acculturation process led to increased e-commerce acceptance.

It is evident that consumers recognise the usefulness of e-commerce both from the perspective of their native culture and from the perspective of non-native culture and hence their attitudes towards e-commerce are equally positive. However, it seems that they believe that it is easier to shop online while being subject to a non-native culture rather than their native culture, which may be directly related to their perception of control over the e-commerce platform. Consumers believe that they have greater control over the system in a non-native culture than in their native culture. Moreover, they also believe that in non-native culture e-commerce website provides more intrinsic motivation, which is not the case in their native culture.

132

This research shows that consumers have more positive attitudes towards e- commerce in their non-native culture than in their native culture. Thus, following the underlying theory of intention-based models that attitudes influence intentions and that result in actual behaviour. It appears obvious that consumers having more favourable attitudes towards e-commerce in their non-native culture have greater propensity to accept e-commerce and shop online in the UK than in Poland. This however will have to be verified in the follow up study.

In sum, the study contributes to the theory and practice revealing that the effect of acculturation process on consumers’ acceptance of e-commerce exists; a change in attitude towards e-commerce became evident after consumers moved into a new culture and/or cultural context, which is perceived to be e-commerce favourable. This is the first revealing such a change.

Through the course of the study it was shown that the consumers recognise the usefulness of e-commerce, and in general have a more positive attitude towards it. On the basis of direct comparison of two cultures; e-commerce unfavourable native culture (i.e. Polish culture and/ or cultural context) and e-commerce favourable non-native culture (i.e. British culture and/ or cultural context) it was revealed that the real reason behind consumers’ e-commerce platform acceptance or rejection lies in how easy they find the system, and how much control they believe they have over it, as well as the resultant intrinsic motivation deriving from successful use of e-commerce platform. Hence, perceived ease of use and perceived control over the e-commerce system, as well as perception of playfulness and enjoyment deriving from the e-commerce platform, appear to be factors requiring close investigation, as they seem to be real motives driving consumers’ e-commerce acceptance. Such an investigation requires subsequent qualitative study which will provide not only in-depth understanding of the revealed effect of the acculturation process on consumers in their e-commerce platform acceptance but also which will assess the consequences of such effect. All of which will be explored in Chapter 5, an overlapping phase of this transformative sequential research project.

133