factors influencing new product acceptance

146 Pages·2008·3.06 MB·Turkish

FACTORS INFLUENCING NEW PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE:
A STUDY ON MILITARY CONTEXT

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

DİLER ŞİMŞEK

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

SEPTEMBER 2008
Approval of the thesis:

FACTORS INFLUENCING NEW PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE:
A STUDY ON MILITARY CONTEXT

submitted by DİLER ŞİMŞEK in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Science in Industrial Design Department, Middle East
Technical University by,

Prof. Dr. Canan Özgen
Dean, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Asst. Prof. Dr. Bahar Şener-Pedgley
Head of Department, Industrial Design

Dr. Canan E. Ünlü
Supervisor, Industrial Design Dept., METU

Examining Committee Members:

Assist. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Erbuğ
Industrial Design Dept., METU

Dr. Canan E. Ünlü
Industrial Design Dept., METU

Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Asatekin
Industrial Design Dept., METU

Assist. Prof. Dr. Gülay Hasdoğan
Industrial Design Dept., METU

MS Murat Faik Yaren
SST-SSPD, Aselsan Inc.,

Date: 4th September, 2008
I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained
and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I
also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited
and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Last Name: Diler Şimşek

Signature:

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ABSTRACT

FACTORS INFLUENCING NEW PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE:
A STUDY ON MILITARY CONTEXT

Şimşek, Diler
M.Sc., Department of Industrial Design
Supervisor: Dr. Canan E. Ünlü

September 2008, 133 Pages

Attitudes of users towards new Information Technology products have been the
matters of consumer research studies. Factors that affect user behavior in terms
of IT acceptance have been modeled by different researchers with an attempt to
predict the actual usage. This study aims to analyze these factors and their
significance in military context. One of the robust models, namely Unified Theory
of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is used as the study model with
required modifications in order to augment its compatibility. Therefore an
exploratory survey study is conducted within the target user group of two rugged
mobile computers with the participation of 37 Turkish sergeants. The study used
both qualitative and quantitative instruments. The results showed that, for
military products, users acceptance criteria mainly concentrate on the
performance of the new product and its relative ease of use.

Keywords: User Behavior, Product Acceptance, Innovation and Technology
Adoption, UTAUT, Military Product Usage

iv
ÖZ

ASKERİYEDE YENİ ÜRÜN KABULÜNÜ ETKİLEYEN FAKTÖRLER
ÜZERİNE BİR ÇALIŞMA

Şimşek, Diler
Yüksek Lisans, Endüstri Ürünleri Tasarımı Bölümü
Tez Yöneticisi: Dr. Canan E. Ünlü

Eylül 2008, 133 Sayfa

Kullanıcıların yeni ürünlere karşı tavırları, tüketici araştırmaları alanında ilgi
konusu olmuştur. Kullanıcı davranışlarını ürün kabulü bağlamında etkileyen
faktörler, ürünün gerçek hayatta kullanılıp kullanılmayacağını öngörmek için
farklı araştırmacılar tarafından farklı şekillerde modellenmiştir. Bu çalışma, söz
konusu faktörleri ve etkilerini askeri ürünler üzerinden incelemeyi
hedeflemektedir. Bu çalışmada model olarak en güvenilir ürün kabulü
teorilerinden biri olan Teknoloji Kabulü ve Kullanımı Bileşik Teorisi kullanılmıştır.
Modelin askeriye bağlamına uygunluğunu artırmak için bazı değişiklikler
yapılmıştır. Bu kapsamda, iki adet el bilgisayarının hedef kullanıcıları arasında,
37 askeri kullanıcının katılımıyla açımlayıcı bir araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir.
Araştırmada nitel ve nicel yöntemler bir arada kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen
sonuçlara göre, askeri ürünlerde kullanıcı kabulü kriterlerinin, yeni ürünün
performansı ve görece kolay kullanılabilirliği üzerine yoğunlaştığı gözlenmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Kullanıcı Davranışı, Ürün Kabulü, Yenilik ve Teknoloji
Adaptasyonu, UTAUT, Askeri Ürün Kullanımı

v
To My Family

vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis
supervisor Dr. Canan E. Ünlü, for her guidance and attention for the completion
of this thesis. She is unbelievably patient and determinant that she saved me
from despair many times and I feel so lucky to have studied with her. Thank you
for your hospitality and friendship.
I would like to thank to other members of my department, especially to
Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Erbuğ; for their patience in providing feedback on parts of this
work and my graduate studies by teaching, commenting, criticizing, and
contributing ideas during seven years.
I felt warm support of my dearest family, my mom Asiye Şimşek, my
dad Muzaffer Şimşek and my sister Dilek Enhoş; their endless love and
unconditional support were with me throughout my life either in achievement or
fail. My little nephews Ayşegül and Elif Enhoş; they are the presents of God that
whenever I saw their smile I have forgotten my troubles.
I would like to thank to the participants of my survey study, the
members of Turkish Land Forces, whose names can not be declared here. I
gratefully thank each and all of them for their participation and contribution.
The help and guidance of Anadolu Araştırma; specifically of Mustafa
Şener, Cenk Balkan and Umut Atagün, are deeply appreciated.
My colleagues and dearest friends Zeynep Akdoğan, Özgür Ülvan,
Demet Eryürek, Deniz Patlar and Umman Değirmenci; their support, friendship
and sacrifice are invaluable. They always encouraged me through this
challenging journey till the end. Thank you.
Another gratitude is for my superiors and my colleagues; İlhan
Başçuhadar, Abbas Şahin, Ziya Çamoğlu, Murat Faik Yaren, Barış Çağlar,
Emrah Günsel and Mustafa Teke. Their support and encouragement made this
thesis possible. Other Aselsan Inc. members that I can not count their names in
here who have direct and indirect contribution to this thesis and my professional
life are deeply appreciated.
My companions Armağan Karahanoğlu, Senem Tural, Nazlı Cila, Ece
Gürakar, Aybike Tamer, Seda Özçetin, Mehmet Turhan and Sözüm Doğan; we
were together for nearly eight years sharing a lot both in laughter and despair.
Thank you for your support and partnership in this study and in those invaluable
times we passed through.
Lastly, I want to thank to my beloved Diren Abat for his smile and never
ending positive energy, for love and support he provided throughout my work.
He always believed that I can accomplish this study and he encouraged me to
go on.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ............................................................................... iv
ÖZ ................................................................................v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................viii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................... xi
LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................xii

CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................1
1.1 Background to the Problem............................................................1
1.2 Aim of the Study.............................................................................5
1.3 Significance of the Study................................................................6
1.4 Structure of the Thesis...................................................................6

2. LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................8
2.1 Innovation and Technology Adoption Phenomenon.......................9
2.1.1 Innovation and Levels of Innovativeness..........................9
2.1.2 Product Familiarity.........................................................12
2.1.3 Diffusion-Adoption Phenomenon and the Prominence
of Information Technologies.............................................14
2.1.4 Individuals and Organizations as Adopters....................16
2.2 User Attitude and New Product Acceptance................................21
2.2.1 Attitude and Behavior.....................................................21
2.2.1.1 Theory of Reasoned Action..................................22
2.2.1.2 Social Cognitive Theory........................................23
2.2.1.3 Theory of Planned Behavior.................................24
2.2.1.4 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)..................25

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2.2.1.5 Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of
Technology............................................................27
2.2.2 Expanded Measures for Technology Acceptance..........32
2.2.2.1 Experience as a Moderator...................................35
2.2.2.2 Intuitive Use..........................................................39
2.2.2.3 Usability as a Dimension of Acceptance...............40
2.2.2.4 Perceived Usability...............................................43
2.2.3 Interlude Summary.........................................................45
2.3 Military Context and Product Acceptance.....................................46
2.3.1 The Essence of Military Context.....................................47
2.3.1.1 Soldiers as Users.................................................49
2.3.1.2 Non-traditional Environment.................................51
2.3.1.3 Task of Expertise..................................................52
2.3.2 Military Requirements and Standards on Product
Development....................................................................53
2.3.3 Procurement Process and Trade-Offs............................57
2.3.4 Studies on Human Factors and Usability in Military .......60
2.4 Summary ..............................................................................63

3. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................65
3.1 Overall Design of the Survey Study.............................................66
3.1.1 Data Collection...............................................................67
3.1.1.1 Qualitative Study..................................................67
3.1.1.2 UTAUT as a Quantitative Study Instrument..........68
3.1.2 Population and Sample..................................................76
3.1.3 Products Chosen to be Used in the Study......................77
3.1.4 The Conduct of the Survey.............................................82
3.1.4.1 Participants...........................................................82
3.1.4.2 Environment.........................................................83
3.1.4.3 Procedure.............................................................83

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4. RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS....................................................................85
4.1 Survey Results.............................................................................85
4.1.1 Results of the Qualitative Discussion.............................85
4.1.2 Results of the Quantitative Study...................................88
4.2 Discussion of the Results.............................................................92
4.2.1 Users’ Subjective Evaluations........................................92
4.2.2 UTAUT and Military User Acceptance............................99

5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS...................................................103
5.1 Conclusion of the Results .........................................................104
5.2 Limitations of the Study .............................................................105
5.3 Implications for Further Research..............................................106
5.4 Implications for Practice.............................................................107

REFERENCES ............................................................................109

APPENDICES
A. PRELIMINARY STUDY..........................................................................122
B. QUESTIONNAIRE SHEET.....................................................................123
C. QUALITATIVE STUDY CONSTRUCTS.................................................131
D. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS RESULTS.....................................................132

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