Abstract:
This dissertation has examined the relationship between individual, technological, and informational factors and the behavioral intention to buy and sell online. In addition to this examination, moderating influences of individual-level cultural values on the preceding relationships were also analyzed. The quantitative approach of structural equation modeling was used for the analysis. The conceptual framework of this study was constructed using the theory of diffusion of innovations, the technology acceptance model, and Hofstede's cultural dimensions. Data for this research was collected using student participants at a midwestern state university. The analysis of the data has supported some of the proposed relationships. For instance, it was found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and personal innovativeness positively influence the intention to buy and sell online. Information privacy-security was found to negatively influence the intention in online selling, although this influence was not significant in online buying. Regarding cultural values, it was found that uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and collectivism have moderating influences. However, these influences differed in magnitude and significance in online buying versus online selling. For instance, collectivism had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between personal innovativeness and behavioral intention in online buying, whereas it did not have such an effect in online selling. Similarly, masculinity significantly moderated the relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioral intention to buy online, but there was no similar relationship in selling online. Uncertainty avoidance moderated the relationship between personal innovativeness and the behavioral intention in online buying. The approach and findings of this study carry significance for Library & Information Science (LIS) and Information Systems (IS). By examining user behavior and an intermediary (a web-based site), this study has contributed to our understanding of user-intermediary-bibliographic records interaction--an interaction that is at the core of LIS. This study has addressed the call for more focused research on online buying and selling, and has also provided a theoretical link between individual-level cultural values and intention, thus contributing to IS research. Implications for practitioners include a better understanding of the criteria for assessment of usability of library collections and information systems while giving attention to individual, technological, informational, and cultural factors.
