The effect of culture on the adoption process: A comparison of Japanese and American behavior

Abstract The classic study of the relationship between technological innovation and culture has been that of the influence and changes wrought by a technological innovation on a culture. This paper examines the opposite flow: the influence of culture on the adoption of technological innovations within a society. In particular, the paper examines differences in innovative adoption behavior between the United States and Japan as a direct result of their different cultural attributes. Generalizations are postulated concerning cultural influences on national adoption behavior to determine possible relationships that would allow greater understanding and explanation of the adoption of innovation and diffusion phenomena.

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