Adoption of Internet Services in Liner Shipping: An Empirical Study of Shippers in Taiwan

Abstract The Internet service attributes desired by shippers were examined as well as a model that seeks to explain the intention of shippers to use Internet services in liner shipping. Using data collected from a survey of a group of shippers in Taiwan, the relationships among the constructs in the model were tested, namely: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, security and use intention. The results suggest that shippers perceive tracing to be the most important service attribute of Internet services, followed by checking for customs clearance, vessel schedules and electronic document services. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use is the major factor affecting the intention of shippers to use Internet services, and that perceived ease of use has a strong positive effect on perceived usefulness. The results also indicate that security has a positive effect on a shipper’s perception of ease of use. However, the influence of security on use intention and perceived usefulness was not supported in this study. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings on the intention of shippers to use Internet services in liner shipping are discussed.

[1]  Ingoo Han,et al.  The Impact of Customer Trust and Perception of Security Control on the Acceptance of Electronic Commerce , 2003, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[2]  Kenneth K. Boyer,et al.  Factors influencing the utilization of Internet purchasing in small organizations , 2003 .

[3]  Waiman Cheung,et al.  The use of the Internet in Hong Kong: Manufacturing vs. service , 2002 .

[4]  B. Slack,et al.  Strategic alliances in the container shipping industry: a global perspective , 2002 .

[5]  Annette Mills,et al.  A model of Internet adoption by SMEs , 2001, Inf. Manag..

[6]  H. Meersman,et al.  Co-operation and competition in international container transport: strategies for ports , 2001 .

[7]  Lilach Nachum.  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): World Investment Report 2000: Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions and Development United Nations, New York and Geneva 2000. (Biblio Service) , 2001 .

[8]  Anthony D. Miyazaki,et al.  Consumer Perceptions of Privacy and Security Risks for Online Shopping , 2001 .

[9]  B. Byrne.  Structural equation modeling with EQS : basic concepts, applications, and programming , 2000 .

[10]  Albert L. Lederer,et al.  The technology acceptance model and the World Wide Web , 2000, Decis. Support Syst..

[11]  Chin-Shan Lu.  LOGISTICS SERVICES IN TAIWANESE MARITIME FIRMS , 2000 .

[12]  Yining Chen,et al.  Toward an Understanding of the Behavioral Intention to Use a Groupware Application , 2000, J. Organ. End User Comput..

[13]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  A Theoretical Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model: Four Longitudinal Field Studies , 2000, Management Science.

[14]  G. Premkumar,et al.  Adoption of new information technologies in rural small businesses , 1999 .

[15]  X. Koufteros.  Testing a model of pull production: a paradigm for manufacturing research using structural equation modeling , 1999 .

[16]  Henry C. Lucas,et al.  Technology Use and Performance: A Field Study of Broker Workstations* , 1999 .

[17]  Ritu Agarwal,et al.  Are Individual Differences Germane to the Acceptance of New Information Technologies , 1999 .

[18]  William N. Robinson,et al.  Creating a custom mass-production channel on the Internet , 1998, CACM.

[19]  Michael J. Shaw,et al.  Characteristics of electronic markets , 1997, Decis. Support Syst..

[20]  Magid Igbaria,et al.  Personal Computing Acceptance Factors in Small Firms: A Structural Equation Model , 1997, MIS Q..

[21]  Albert H. Segars,et al.  Assessing the unidimensionality of measurement : a paradigm and illustration within the context of information systems research , 1997 .

[22]  R. Gray,et al.  Factors Influencing Freight Service Choice for Shippers and Freight Suppliers , 1993 .

[23]  M A Brooks,et al.  OCEAN CARRIER SELECTION CRITERIA IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT , 1990 .

[24]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models , 1989 .

[25]  R. P. McDonald,et al.  Structural Equations with Latent Variables , 1989 .

[26]  Terry S. Overton,et al.  Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys , 1977 .

[27]  J. Scott Armstrong,et al.  Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. , 1977 .

[28]  Andrew Whinston,et al.  Frontiers of Electronic Commerce , 1996 .

[29]  Matthew A. Waller,et al.  LATENT VARIABLES IN BUSINESS LOGISTICS RESEARCH: SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION / , 1994 .

[30]  Fred D. Davis.  A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems : theory and results , 1985 .

[31]  Donald R. Cooper,et al.  Business Research Methods , 1980 .